Robert N. Blackmon

MEMBER
Registered Patent Attorney

Merek, Blackmon & Voorhees
673 S. Washington St.
Alexandria, VA 22314
p: 703.684.5633
f: 703.684.5637
e: RNB@MBV-IP.com

CONTACT MBV

Education and Work Experience

• Robert Blackmon has a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Clemson University.
• Mr. Blackmon received his law degree at George Mason University with a concentration in Corporate and Securities Law.
• He is licensed to practice law by the State of Virginia and is registered as a Patent Attorney with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
• Mr. Blackmon has worked for the Navy as an Aerospace Engineer at NAS Alameda, California.
• Mr. Blackmon was a Patent Examiner for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office working in the fields of Pumps and Jet Engines. He also has experience reviewing patent applications as an Examiner in the fields of Lubrication, Bicycles and Golf.

Areas of Practice

Mr. Blackmon is actively involved in the prosecution, licensing, and litigation of Patents, Trademarks and Copyrights. He counsels clients in diverse mechanical fields as well as computer and electronic arts. In particular, Mr. Blackmon has experience in the fields of Energy Production, including Oil/Gas Drilling and Production, Fracking and Coal Mining; Manufacturing; Medical; Transportation, including Aircraft, Automobile, Bicycle and Agricultural Equipment; Communications, including Telecommunication and Television Broadcasting; and Electronics, including LED Lighting, Medical Uses of UV light, Fiber Optics, Computer, Wireless Communication, Internet Technologies and other Business Method applications.

James J. Merek

MEMBER
Registered Patent Attorney


Merek, Blackmon & Voorhees
673 S. Washington St.
Alexandria, VA 22314
p: 703.684.5633
f: 703.684.5637
e: JJM@MBV-IP.com

CONTACT MBV

Education and Work Experience

• James Merek earned a Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of Maryland.
• Mr. Merek is a former Patent Examiner.
• Mr. Merek received his law degree from Georgetown University with honors.
• He is registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and is also licensed to practice law in the District of Columbia.

Areas of Practice

Mr. Merek’s practice areas include litigation of patent, trademark, copyright and unfair competition matters before District Courts throughout the United States and before the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Mr. Merek has fifteen years of litigation experience and has acted as lead counsel on Intellectual Property cases pending in the states of Alabama, California, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington. Mr. Merek has been lead counsel on numerous appeals before the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Mr. Merek has also represented a Fortune 500 company in a European Opposition proceeding.

Mr. Merek’s practice also includes appearances before the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences as well as the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. James has extensive experience in initiating and defending reexamination proceedings and also files and prosecutes patent and trademark applications in the United States and foreign countries. Mr. Merek also counsels corporations and individuals on licensing, infringement, validity, enforceability and patentability matters.

Mr. Merek has experience in the following fields: Automotive; Computer; Environmental; Telecommunications; Medical Devices; Manufacturing; Coal Mining; Water and Wastewater Filtration; Air Filtration, Testing and Monitoring Equipment; Agricultural Equipment; Railroad; Containers; Electromechanical Devices; Coal Tar Emulsions; Chemical Additives; Oil/Gas Drilling; Fuel Storage and Supply Systems; Industrial Refuse Equipment; Food Processing; and, Golf equipment.

David H. Voorhees

MEMBER
Registered Patent Attorney

Merek, Blackmon & Voorhees
673 S. Washington St.
Alexandria, VA 22314
p: 703.684.5633
f: 703.684.5637
e: DHV@MBV-IP.com

CONTACT MBV

Education and Work Experience

• David Voorhees earned a Civil Engineering degree from Kansas State University.
• David Voorhees is a former Examiner for the United States Patent and Trademark Office where he focused on Packaging, Metallic Receptacles and Article Carriers.
• Mr. Voorhees earned his law degree from George Mason University School of Law concentrating in Patent Law.
• He is licensed to practice law in Virginia and the District of Columbia, and is registered as a Patent Attorney with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Areas of Practice

Mr. Voorhees is actively involved in the prosecution, licensing and litigation of Patents, Trademarks and Copyrights. He counsels clients in diverse mechanical, biomechanical and electromechanical fields as well as industrial compositions and processes. He has handled many complex procedures in the United States Patent and Trademark Office including: Reexaminations, Reissues, Appeals to the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences, Trademark Oppositions and Interference Proceedings and has participated in Opposition Proceedings at the European Patent Office. Mr. Voorhees has considerable litigation experience in numerous Federal District Courts throughout the United States and in the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

John P. Shannon

MEMBER
Registered Patent Attorney

Merek, Blackmon & Voorhees
673 S. Washington St.
Alexandria, VA 22314
p: 703.684.5633
f: 703.684.5637
e: JPS@MBV-IP.com

CONTACT MBV

Education and Work Experience

• John Shannon specializes in domestic and foreign patent prosecution and counseling, patent validity and infringement analysis, and trademark prosecution and counseling.
• He has more than thirty years of experience in the patent field, including experience as a Patent Examiner at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in diverse areas of mechanical technology.
• Mr. Shannon has a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Detroit and a law degree from the George Washington University.
• He is licensed to practice law in the District of Columbia and is registered as a Patent Attorney with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
• Prior to entering the patent field, Mr. Shannon worked as an engineer in the development and sale of air and gas compressors and in engine research.

Areas of Practice

In addition to helping clients obtain patents and trademark registrations, Mr. Shannon renders opinions regarding patent infringement and validity and helps clients design products that avoid infringement. He has advised clients in the retailing industry, including electronic retailing, on avoiding patent infringement and acquiring and enforcing their own patents. For corporate clients, he has developed and helped administer intellectual property programs that allow the clients to identify and protect intellectual property. These programs include procedures and forms for: identifying intellectual property, evaluating inventions for patenting and trademarks for registering, and maintaining the confidentiality of the intellectual property. Mr. Shannon has handled patent matters in diverse technologies including machine tools, windows, endless tracks for construction vehicles and tanks, blood products, automated teller machines ("ATM"), fire loss prevention, model trains, construction systems, automobile parts, composite reinforcement, masonry, valves, computers, semiconductor manufacturing, engines, airplanes, power plants, coke production, railroad couplers, transmissions, containers and fluid dispensing.