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Hean L. Koo

Partner
Northern Virginia

Partner, Northern Virginia

T: +1.703.770.7598
T: +1.703.770.7598

Areas of Focus

Hean is very communicative and understands our business incredibly well.
—Client Quote, Chambers USA

Hean Koo focuses his practice on patent prosecution and IP counseling in a variety of sectors, including computer software, blockchain, AI, machine learning, digital medicine, retail point-of-sale (POS) systems, software relating to retail touch points, wireless communication systems, medical devices and haptic-enabled devices.

In addition to preparing and prosecuting patent applications, Hean has experience with a wide range of patent-related matters including re-issue applications, ex parte and inter partes reexamination requests, appeals before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences, IP reviews, non-infringement and invalidity opinions, and litigation support and strategy. Hean also counsels clients on a wide range of open-source matters, including source code audits and open-source policies.

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Prior to entering the legal profession, Hean led a team of biologists that sequenced the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana at a prominent genome research organization. He later managed a team of engineers responsible for software and data deliverables for multimillion-dollar contracts. In this capacity—along with his team—he designed, developed and implemented software, relational databases and directories for storing, mining, displaying and managing terabytes of genomic data.

Representative Experience

  • Counseled various clients in drafting generative AI patent applications directed to automated drafting platforms for a wide range of verticals, including document drafting, video editing/creation, and video summarization based on generative AI prompts.
  • Represents a Fortune 200 fintech company that has a large patent portfolio directed to AI applications and identity authentication. Draft and prosecute applications directed to a wide range of ML algorithms, including classification and regression tasks.
  • Represents an international pharmaceutical company in ongoing patent prosecution and strategic IP counseling in connection with a growing portfolio of inventions relating to diagnostic prediction, prognostic evaluation/decision support, and patient classification.

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  • Represents a premier research university in ongoing patent prosecution and strategic IP counseling in connection with their cutting-edge research in biotechnology.
  • Represents a global financial exchange that has a mid-sized portfolio, including AI models that use BERT and other language models for text classification, summarization and sentiment analysis. Draft and prosecute applications in connection with their electronic trading venues and provide strategic IP counseling.

Professional Highlights

  • Hean is a contributor and co-author for a number of studies published in major, well-respected scientific journals, including Nature and Science.
  • Adjunct professor of patent law at The George Washington University Law School.
  • Named a Go To Intellectual Property Lawyer in Virginia by Virginia Lawyers Weekly (2022).

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  • Publications & Speaking Engagements
    • Live CLE speaker/presenter, 2022 CLE presentation entitled: “Overview of IP trends and Legal Issues in Digital Health”
    • Chapter on open source issues in Cloud Computing Legal Deskbook (2018)
    • Open Source Software in M&A and Finance Transactions, Patent Issues with Open Source Software (OSS), Thomson Reuters, Open Source and SaaS, Considerations for Developing Corporate Open Source Policies, Thomson Reuters, June 5, 2018
    • Important Open Source Ruling Confirms Enforceability of Dual-Licensing and Breach of GPL for Failing to Distribute Source Code, JD Supra, May 16, 2017
    • Federal Circuit is In Sync with Patent’s Validity Under Section 101, JD Supra, Sept. 16, 2016
    • Coauthor on multiple peer-reviewed publications in major scientific journals, including Nature and Science
    • One of “The World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds,” Thomson Reuters, 2014 and 2015
    • Live CLE speaker/presenter, Recent Legal Developments in Open Source and Strategies and Tools to Manage Risk, Nov. 13, 2014

Education

  • J.D., Intellectual Property, George Mason University School of Law, 2009

    B.S., Biology, University of Maryland, 1997

Admissions

  • Virginia

    U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Hean's Insights

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