Biography
Nathaniel (Nate) St. Clair, II is an Intellectual Property litigator and counselor, and he counsels and represents clients in a wide range of Intellectual Property matters, with an emphasis on patent litigation, and patent portfolio licensing and management. His practice also includes performing infringement and invalidity analyses, patentability studies, risk assessments, and providing general IP counseling, particularly in the electrical and mechanical arts.
His experience ranges from advocating for his clients before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in patent litigation matters to generally counseling clients regarding patent and trademark procurement before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and in providing strategic counsel to clients in the sports, entertainment, media, and publishing industries. His diverse IP practice services clients ranging from Fortune 100 Companies to solo-inventors and first-time patentees. Nate also sits on the Boards of Trustees of various nonprofit organizations.
Nate has counseled clients in numerous technology areas, including automotive and consumer electronics, avionics, computing devices, data networks, digital imaging, electromagnetics, financial services products, medical devices, oil and gas drilling, optics, power distribution, semiconductor devices, signal processing, software, telecommunications, and wireless devices.
In his sports and entertainment practice, Nate has worked with and represented clients, such as professional sports entities, fashion designers, record labels, recording artists, television and movie production studios, publishing houses, and authors. Nate has been published on various legal topics, including his 2016 publication in Inside the Minds: Navigating Fashion Law, published by Thomson Reuters. Nate’s writing titled “Wearable Technology Brings New Concerns to the Fashion Law Arena,” covers the potential legal concerns of 3D printing and wearable technologies including data security, privacy rights, patent infringement liability, and counterfeiting.
Prior to practicing law, Nate worked as a patent engineer/agent for GE Healthcare for several years and as a law clerk for the General Counsel and Vice President of the Milwaukee Bucks NBA Franchise.
Education
B.S.E.E., University of Michigan
J.D., Marquette University Law School
Bar Admissions
Illinois, 2004
Wisconsin, 2004
Texas, 2010
Court Admissions
United States Patent and Trademark Office
United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
United States District Court for the Eastern, Northern, Southern, and Western Districts of Texas
United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin
United States District Court for the Western District of New York
Nate has developed experience in the following areas:
- Intellectual property litigation
- Patent prosecution and counseling
- Patent portfolio management and valuation
- Preparing and negotiating intellectual property agreements
- Developing and negotiating monetization programs
- Preparing and negotiating various entertainment and media production agreements
Nate’s patent litigation experience has involved a wide array of technology areas, including automotive control systems, consumer electronics and mechanical devices, avionics and aviation, computing/signals/semiconductors, data networks, digital imaging and optics, electromagnetics, e-commerce, banking and financial services, medical devices, oil and gas drilling, power distribution, software, and telecom/wireless communication.
Nate has represented Fortune 100 corporations, science laboratories, universities and research institutions, family-owned companies, venture capitalists, investors, individual inventors, first-time patentees, musicians, composers, sports leagues, musicians, entertainers, and writers/composers.
- “Best Lawyers in Dallas,” D Magazine, 2018-2020
- “Best Lawyers Under 40,” D Magazine, 2018
- “40 Under 40,” Dallas Business Journal, 2016
- Legal Honor Society, Texas Bar College, Admission 2015
Speaking Engagements
- “Ethics of Technology in Law Practice: What Lawyers Need to Know,” UT Law’s 29th Annual LLCs, LPs and Partnerships (July 2020)
- “Technology and Intellectual Property in Fashion,” Law x Style Summit, Dallas Bar Association’s Entertainment, Art & Sports Law Section (November 2019)
- Moderator, “College Athletics Panel Discussion,” 30 Years of Sports Law Conference, National Sports Law Institute’s 30th Annual Conference hosted by Marquette University Law School (October 2019)
- Panelist, “Ethical Issues Presented by Changing Technology,” UT Law’s 28th Annual LLCs, LPs and Partnerships CLE (July 2019)
- Keynote Speaker, “Integrity in the Law,” Intellectual Property Law Review (“IPLR”) 20th Anniversary Banquet hosted by Marquette University Law School (March 2018)
Professional
- American Intellectual Property Law Association
- Intellectual Property Owners Association
- National Bar Association – Commercial Law & Intellectual Property
- Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association
- National Sports Law Institute, Board of Advisors, 2020-Present
- Texas Bar College, Legal Honor Society
- Graphic Arts Show, Graph Expo
- Barbara M. G. Lynn IP Inn of Court – Dallas
- Texas Minority Counsel Program, Steering Committee, 2019
- Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, Fellow, Class of 2017
Community
- The Family Place, Board Member
- Big Brothers & Big Sisters Lone Star, Past Board Member
- Impact Church DFW, Board Member and Vice Chairman
- St. Philip’s School and Community Center, Past Board Trustee
- Wesley Matthews’ “Driven-2-Greatn3ss” Charitable Foundation, Past Board Member
Representative Honors & Involvement
- D Magazine’s Best Lawyers Under 40 in Dallas Recipient, January 2018 ed.
- Leadership Dallas, Dallas Regional Chamber, 2017-2018
- Texas Bar College – Legal Honor Society, Admission in 2015
- Dallas Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” Award Recipient, 2016
- Dallas Mavericks’ Wes Matthews’ “Driven-2-Greatn3ss” Charitable Foundation – Board Member, 2016-present
- Impact Church DFW – Board Member and Vice Chairman, 2014-present
- St. Philip’s School and Community Center – Board Member, 2010-2016
- Big Brothers & Big Sisters Lone Star – Jr. Board Member & Former Chairman