Brad Rademaker began his practice as an intellectual property lawyer in 1991, after working three years in research at a Chicago area medical center. His practice covers domestic and foreign patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, false advertisement, and related unfair competition issues. He has acted as trial counsel before courts and at jury trials, and has been lead counsel in transactions and licensing, patent acquisition and portfolio management, trademark counseling, and with the U.S. Customs Service to block importation of infringing goods. A main aspect of Mr. Rademaker’s law practice includes strategy and work aimed at devising intellectual property asset portfolios for businesses. This includes practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the U.S. Copyright Office, as well as patent and trademark offices in nations around the world. His experience with patent acquisition has involved numerous types of products and methods, including the following examples: consumer products and packaging; medical/surgical devices and methods; transactional business methods; and manufacturing machinery or methods. His experience with trademark acquisition ranges from counseling and prosecution of U.S. Federal Trademark Registrations for conventional word trademarks and design marks, to strategic counseling and acquisition of product configuration trademarks.
Mr. Rademaker’s foreign intellectual property practice often involves comprehensive planning for world-wide portfolio programs to protect business ventures and product launches, including planning and budgeting global portfolios of patent and trademark assets. He has prepared and negotiated license agreements, cross-licenses, technology transfer agreements, confidentiality agreements, and employee and vendor restrictive covenants. He has counseled clients through due-diligence investigations, and is often involved with patent searches and opinions regarding business “freedom to operate” with new technologies.
Another main aspect of Mr. Rademaker’s practice is his representation of clients before U.S. Federal Courts and other tribunals. As trial counsel in numerous intellectual property cases before judges and juries, he has litigated issues ranging from utility patents, design patents, dilution, trade practices, trade dress, trademark counterfeiting, trade secrets, license agreement rights, and false advertisement. His experience in such cases includes all aspects of case preparation, budgeting, litigation discovery, motion practice, claim-construction briefing, evidence preparation, settlement negotiations, jury selection, and trial. He has also acted as lead counsel in appeal briefing, and has presented oral arguments before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the court with exclusive appellate jurisdiction in patent cases.
Professional Background
Rush St. Luke Medical Center, Department of Immunology/Microbiology (Research Assistant, 1985–88)—Mr. Rademaker’s industry experience includes three years of immunology and microbiology research relating to cell growth and glycolipid effect on growth hormone binding. His work included assistance with technical journal submissions and research conferences regarding the research results.
Practice Credentials
- United States Supreme Court
- U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
- Supreme Court of the State of Illinois
- U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
- Federal Trial Bar Member (N.D. Illinois)
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin
Professional Affiliations
- American Bar Association (ABA)
- Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA)
- Chicago Bar Association (CBA)
- Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago (IPLAC)
