Jackson Walker celebrates the momentum of Austin-based Cirrus Logic, a leader in low-power, high-precision mixed-signal processing solutions. With about 4,130 patents issued and pending worldwide, the fabless semiconductor supplier is benefiting from solid growth opportunities and the mind of one of the world’s most prolific inventors, John Melanson.

A senior technical fellow at Cirrus Logic, John Melanson this year reached a new milestone and registered his 500th patent with the U.S. patent office. His innovations have helped transform how humans interact with their devices and have positively impacted the environment. Of his 500 registered patents, the Jackson Walker team has proudly assisted in registering 123. John also has another 60-plus pending patent applications, of which we are responsible for 30.

“Given the large number of inventions that John has conceived, and given that Cirrus Logic technology lives in so many mobile devices in the market, a majority of people, whether they know it or not, carry John’s innovations with them wherever they go,” stated Brian K. Prewitt, Austin partner and leader of the Jackson Walker team representing Cirrus Logic. He added, “It has been an absolute privilege for me to work with John over the last decade in assisting him and Cirrus Logic in protecting their cutting-edge innovations. It is an immense honor to have played a small, behind-the-scenes role in John’s amazing accomplishments.”

Under Brian’s leadership, the team, which includes Jackson Walker attorneys Temple Keller, Andrea Thai, and Tori Emery, has assisted Cirrus Logic in obtaining 670 granted U.S. patents and 293 foreign patents since 2012. In fact, Cirrus Logic’s outstanding number of patent registrations over recent years has landed the company among the Patent 300 in 2019 and 2020. Produced by the Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO) in collaboration with Harrity Analytics, the Patent 300 uses data obtained from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to list the top 300 U.S.-issued patent assignees each year.

Meet Brian

Brian K. Prewitt is an intellectual property attorney focusing on matters relating to patents, trademarks, copyrights, technology development, technology acquisition, strategic alliances, intellectual property licensing, intellectual property due diligence, counseling, and litigation. With over a decade of experience in IP law, and with industry experience in the areas of integrated circuit design, semiconductor manufacturing technology, computer architecture, and computer systems, Brian possesses both the legal and technical talents necessary for providing top-notch legal representation to leading technological companies throughout the world.

Meet JW

Since Jackson Walker’s founding in 1887, our attorneys have represented some of the most influential companies and business leaders in the world. Today, we remain firmly rooted in Texas while serving clients around the globe. Our Patents team works with inventors and companies to file and prosecute patent applications to protect their inventions, both domestically and abroad. Working closely with attorneys in the venture capital and tax disciplines, the Intellectual Property team also drafts and coordinates various transfers of technological assets for commercial development and marketing.