“Serious intellectual fire power”
“Obsessive” “Immense understanding”
“Treats things like they are his own”
“Creativity” “He cares” “Integrity”
“Deep understanding of what it is like to be a start up”
These are just a few of the words current and former clients have used to describe Elliot Furman. A one-of-a-kind patent prosecutor, Elliot got his start in patents when he designed, patented, and manufactured an FCC approved device that encrypted telephone calls. Elliot has done graduate level research on quantum semiconductor devices. He has written papers on neural networks and genetic algorithms while at Stanford University. As an engineer, he has designed and tested mixed-signal integrated circuits used in some of the most popular cell phones in history. Elliot has architected and led the design of groundbreaking 3D graphics chips used in computers for gaming. Elliot has also founded or been instrumental to the founding of several successful companies. Examples include a GPS navigation and wireless mesh network company acquired by Magellan, a high speed Internet company acquired by UTStarcom, and an anti-SPAM and email deliverability company sold to Return Path. Elliot also led the patent prosecution group of a major legal outsourcing company that was acquired by Thomson Reuters. Elliot is an inventor on several patents and applications for various startups. He is also a mentor at Harvard Business School where he advises and counsels MBA students on all aspects of intellectual property and how to effectively use it to start, grow, and protect their businesses. Elliot has also lectured at MIT and counseled students on intellectual property for startups.
Elliot knows first-hand the complexities of developing new, cutting-edge technologies and the challenges and stresses of starting and growing a company.
It’s no wonder that companies such as Internet media giant Buzzfeed, gig economy pioneer WorkMarket (acquired by ADP), former gossip blogging empire Gawker (sold to Univision), groundbreaking FinTech company On Deck Capital (IPO and then acquired by Enova International) and others, when they were virtually unknown startups, sought out his guidance and expertise to develop their intellectual property portfolios and prosecute their patents. Entrepreneurs, executives, startups, growing companies, law firms and investors throughout the world turn to Elliot for his deep well of experience, wide swath of knowledge, no-nonsense advice, prowess at identifying and protecting valuable IP, and ability to communicate to business professionals, engineers, scientists, and the layperson in practical, appropriate, and understandable terms.
Elliot Furman is licensed to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office and has worked on a wide range of domestic and international patents for individual inventors, start-ups, large companies, and venture capital firms. His expertise in patent law is complemented by more than twenty-five years of combined business and engineering experience, and a Master’s Degree in Engineering from Stanford University.
Elliot provides a unique range of services including patent preparation and prosecution, product analysis and patentability assessments, guidance in defending against infringement accusations, advice on designing around competitors’ patents and products, product design and prototyping guidance, and patent training. He also routinely participates in engineering design meetings and business strategy meetings with an eye towards developing valuable patent portfolios that maximize opportunities for successful enforcement, defense, licensing, acquisition, and marketing.
Elliot has a deep level of expertise in nearly every area of engineering and science. He serves clients in a variety of established and emerging fields including: computers, apps (e.g. iPhone, Android), blockchain, software, integrated circuits (analog and digital ICs), semiconductors and semiconductor devices; microprocessors, electronics, AI (neural networks, genetic algorithms, etc.), wireless, networking, telecom, complex communication and data processing systems, encryption, GPS, IoT, Internet (applications, services, software, hardware, etc.), social networking, online advertising and publishing, business methods, B2B, SaaS, finance/FinTech, databases, optical communications, signal processing, medical devices, mechanical devices, robotics, apparel, musical instruments, games, toys, novelty items, consumer products, and design patents.
Elliot has a Masters of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University and a Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering and mathematics from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He is registered to practice before the US Patent and Trademark Office.