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William R.Allen, Ph.D.

Partner
Cincinnati

O 513.352.6668

William R.Allen, Ph.D.

Partner

William, a partner in the firm's Intellectual Property Prosecution, Transactions & Portfolio Management practice, counsels clients on an array of patent and trademark issues, helping them manage, protect and capitalize on their IP assets. He prepares and prosecutes domestic and international patent and trademark applications, conducts due diligence, prepares legal opinions and represents clients’ interests in post-grant review proceedings.

Prior to practicing law, William spent over a decade as a laboratory physicist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. He also served as an adjunct professor in the Materials Science and Engineering Department at the University of Tennessee.

Best Lawyers 2025

Selected by peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® for 5 years or longer.

Focus Areas

A sampling of William’s experience includes:

  • Representing corporations, entrepreneurs, individual and startups with regard to the preparation and prosecution of patent applications with a focus on securing patent protection in a timely, cost-effective manner to protect technical innovations.
  • Developing worldwide strategies for protecting intellectual property assets and portfolios.
  • Managing global patent portfolios or portfolio segments for multinational corporations.
    • Serves as outside U.S. patent counsel for an $8 billion travel technology company.
    • Serves as outside U.S. patent counsel for a $6 billion semiconductor foundry.
    • Serves as outside U.S. patent counsel for a division of a $9 billion specialty pharmaceutical company.
  • Procuring over 900 U.S. patents protecting various technical innovations developed by a high technology client, including securing protection for technologies covering core inventions.
  • Responding to several thousand domestic and foreign Office Actions.
  • Prosecuting to grant several thousand U.S. patents and their foreign equivalents.
  • Advising clients on effective replies to cease-and-desist letters.
  • Preparing broadening reissue and continuation reissue applications to extend the scope of client patent protection.
  • Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2018 to 2025 for Patent Law and Technology Law

Professional Associations

  • Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
  • Intellectual Property Owners Association
  • International Trademark Association
  • Northern Kentucky University Research Foundation, Board of Directors, 2016-2019
  • All Ohio Annual Institute on Intellectual Property, Planning Committee, 2015-2016

Professional Activities

  • Judge for the 2025 National Patent Application Drafting Competition
  • Mentor for the Supreme Court of Ohio Lawyer to Lawyer Mentoring Program, 2017-2024

Education

  • University of Tennessee College of Law, J.D., 1999
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Ph.D., 1986
  • Emory and Henry College, B.S., 1980

Bar Admissions

  • Ohio

Court Admissions

  • U.S. Patent and Trademark Office