For over 30 years, Mary Lou has assisted clients with patent preparation and prosecution, copyright registration and portfolio management. She has particular experience with computer-related technologies and systems relating to imaging, video applications, medical systems, mobile applications and other platforms (cloud based, SaaS), bio/chemical analyses and processing including bioinformatics and medical diagnostics, alternative energy, social networks and associated operations, and electro-mechanical matters, with and without a software component.  Mary Lou's practice also includes preparing infringement opinions and conducting due diligence directed to computer and software technologies.  She advises on Open Source Software licenses and other software licensing agreements.

Mary Lou is a software engineer with experience in numerous programming languages, data analyses and software/application design.  She is familiar with various data structures, compression/ decompression techniques, encryption technology, digital signal processing, artificial intelligence/neural networks, pattern matching, bioinformatics, video gaming and computer network/Internet technology.

As a result of maintaining long term relationships with her clients, Mary Lou has helped many businesses in the greater Boston area strengthen their positions in their industry by developing strong patent strategies.  Her approach with clients is to first carefully listen to her client’s challenges and goals, and then educate them on a patent approach and available options.  Mary Lou played a key role in the patenting of technology at Lotus Development Corporation, Digital Equipment Corporation, Hewlett Packard, Aspen Technology Inc., and Wang Industries Inc.  Then, as those companies were acquired or developed into new businesses, Mary Lou was able to retain those long term relationships.

Mary Lou’s work in patenting technology spans many technology innovations and leading companies in their fields.  For Lotus Software, Mary Lou developed one of the early spreadsheet patents in that industry.  Working with Digital Equipment Corporation, she procured one of the earlier patents on fonts for printer applications that became critical in their business.  Mary Lou has worked on patents for technologies such as an artificial pancreas for diabetics and educational systems for autistic children.  She also obtained patents for some of the first speech-to-text translation technologies.  Mary Lou’s patent prosecution work includes prosecuting a U.S. patent on Fast Face Detection by Viola-Jones, which is an authority in the digital image processing field, and prosecuting early U.S. patents for the Alta Vista search engine, which was the precursor of the Google search engine.

Outside of the firm, Mary Lou has contributed to the Women’s Bar Association (WBA), Boston Patent Law Association (BPLA), Licensing Executive Society (LES), the Asian American Law Association of Massachusetts (AALAM) and Women Entrepreneurs in Science and Technology (WEST).  In 2016, she was also a MassChallenge judge.  Mary Lou enjoys the opportunity to speak at local events that show the roles women can play in business careers, to show that females can do just as much as males regardless of career field.  She has spoken to many Girl Scout Groups, school groups and women’s groups.
 

Publications

• The answers to all the patent problems in HBO’s ‘Silicon Valley’, Boston Business Journal, May 28, 2015

• Prepared combined software-hardware use license with service agreements for a corporate maker of chemical and bio-tech manufacturing process equipment and components.
• Counseled a major computer industry corporation on use of open source software components and effects for future software product release, upgrade download and access to supporting libraries/files.

• Patents
• Design Patents
• Licensing
• Copyrights
• Counseling
• Post-Grant Proceedings
• Trade Secrets
• Trademarks
• IP Litigation
• Agreements

• Computer Software
• Internet of Things
• Computer Hardware
• Clean Technology
• Bioinformatics
• Mobile
• Medical Imaging
• Network Infrastructure
• Medical Devices
• Chemical Engineering
• Business Methods
• Pharmaceuticals
• Telecommunications
• Material Sciences
• Robotics
• Chemistry
• Mechanical Engineering
• Biotechnology and Life Sciences
• Optics
• Biologics and Immunotherapies

• University of Colorado, B.S. in Applied Math and Computer Engineering
• University of New Hampshire School of Law (formerly the Franklin Pierce Law Center), J.D.

Articles

• Open Source Software Solutions (Part 3): Educating your Employees about Open Source Software Issues, Hamilton Brook Smith Reynolds, December 2, 2016
• Open Source Software Solutions (Part 2): Understanding Open Source Software License Trigger Points and Resulting Obligations, Hamilton Brook Smith Reynolds, October 28, 2016
• Open Source Software Solutions (Part 1): Getting to Know the Open Source Software in Your Products, Hamilton Brook Smith Reynolds, October 4, 2016

IP News Alerts

• Court Rules That Design Patent Scope Can Be Limited By Prosecution History, Hamilton Brook Smith Reynolds Alert, January 17, 2014
• U.S. Supreme Court Copyright Non-Infringement Ruling Results in Global Expansion of the First-Sale Defense, Hamilton Brook Smith Reynolds Alert, April 3, 2013

• “Smart Cyber Security, Patent and Trade Secret Protection for Startups,” MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge/Hamilton Brook Smith Reynolds Lecture, Cambridge, MA, November 17, 2016
• “Strategies for Commercial Software Developers Using Open Source Code in Proprietary Software,” Hamilton Brook Smith Reynolds Webcast, October 4, 2016
• “Which U.S. Patent Applications Are Getting Granted,” Association of University Technology Managers’ (AUTM) Eastern Region Meeting, Philadelphia, PA, September 29, 2016
• "Block Chain Innovations are Changing the Digital World," Hamilton Brook Smith Reynolds Webcast, March 30, 2016
• “Engineering & Intellectual Property Law,” Tau Beta Pi 2015 Convention, Providence, RI, October 29, 2015
• “What Not to Patent: Steps for Strategic IP,” MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge Webinar, October 22, 2015
• “10 Intellectual Property Considerations for Protecting Your Company’s Innovations,” MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge/ Hamilton Brook Smith Reynolds Lecture, Cambridge, MA, October 14, 2015
• "Strategies for Managing Open Source Software," Hamilton Brook Smith Reynolds Lecture, Cambridge, MA, May 20, 2015
• "Intellectual Property Strategies for Start-ups," Hamilton Brook Smith Reynolds Lecture, Boston, MA, September 25, 2014
• "The Revival of the Design Patent - A Look at Design Patents and the Implications of Apple v. Samsung," Hamilton Brook Smith Reynolds Lecture, Waltham, MA, April 24, 2013
• "A Better Plan for Software Technology Rights", WPI Lecture, Worcester, MA, January 31, 2013
• "Monetizing Your Business Assets Through Patents, Trademarks and Copyrights", Hamilton Brook Smith Reynolds Webcast, November 15, 2012
• "Software: To Patent or Not To? Algorithms and Automation as Patentable Subject Matter", Hamilton Brook Smith Reynolds Lecture, Waltham, MA, November 8, 2012
• "Monetizing Your Business Assets Through Patents, Trademarks and Copyrights", SBANE Lecture, Waltham, MA, October 3, 2012

• American Bar Association
• Boston Patent Law Association
• Licensing Executives Society
• Association of University Technology Managers
• Massachusetts Bar Association
• Tau Beta Pi, the National Engineering Honor Society

• Firm's Client WPI Licenses Technology To Apprendis, a MassChallenge Participant more
• Firm is Coaching Sponsor of 2010 New England Venture Summit more
• Firm is Coaching Sponsor of 2009 New England Venture Summit more
• Firm is Platinum Sponsor of WEST Event "Acquiring IP From Universities" more

• Ronald Demsher Joins Hamilton Brook Smith Reynolds more

• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
• U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts
• U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
• Massachusetts