Timothy L. Tang

Timothy L. Tang is a director in Sterne Kessler’s Electronics Practice Group. Tim is an experienced patent portfolio builder and patent office litigator before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). Tim combines his experience both challenging and defending patents before the PTAB with strategic patent prosecution to obtain patents and build portfolios that are technically precise and developed to withstand invalidity challenges. In addition, Tim’s extensive patent drafting and prosecution experience provides an edge for both Petitioners and Patent Owners during PTAB proceedings.

Tim also specializes in Standard Essential Patent (SEP) prosecution, litigation, and licensing obligations. His SEP practice focuses on developing strategies for both SEP holders and SEP implementers. As part of his standards work, Tim completed a year-long secondment to one of the world’s largest technology companies where he served as Standards Counsel to several business units on worldwide standards issues and participation in Standards Development Organizations (SDOs).

Tim’s patent prosecution, patent office litigation, and SEP experience covers a broad variety of technical fields, including standardized technologies, wired and wireless communications, communications theory, digital signal processing, video encoding, streaming video, blockchain, data compression, database management, computer-networking, financial technology, business methods, consumer electronics, computer-based applications, and Internet applications. Tim previously worked in the aerospace industry, testing and troubleshooting air management systems utilized in various commercial aircrafts, and while earning his engineering degree, he developed a relay health monitoring device used to detect faults in nuclear reactor protection systems.

Beyond his legal practice, Tim is actively committed to mentoring and developing the next generation of IP professionals. Tim not only serves on the firm’s Professional Development committee but also designed the Electronics Practice Group’s current onboarding and training program where he personally trains every new attorney and technical specialist that joins the group. Tim was also one of the first PTAB Legal Experience and Advancement Program (LEAP) participants and currently mentors junior LEAP attorneys. The program provides associates with training and development opportunities in PTAB proceedings, including oral argument.

During law school, Tim served as a judicial intern for the Honorable Judge Jimmie V. Reyna of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Tim also competed on behalf of the law school in the AIPLA Giles Sutherland Rich Moot Court Competition and served as an articles editor on the George Mason Law Review.

Tim received his B.S. in electrical engineering, summa cum laude, from the University of Florida. He received his J.D., cum laude, from the George Mason University School of Law.