Stephen F.W. Ball, Jr.

Mr. Ball has experience in all areas of intellectual property. He regularly counsels clients on protecting, defending, and exploiting their patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets. He is a registered patent attorney and has prepared and prosecuted numerous patents in a wide range of technologies including computer hardware/software, mechanical devices, consumer products, business methods, medical devices, and electronics. Mr. Ball’s experience also extends to infringement litigation, opinion work, due diligence, and preparing invalidity studies.

Mr. Ball has several years experience in the high-tech industry. Before law school he worked in information technology consulting and later designed and developed web-based software. While at Vermont Law School he earned certification as a general legal practitioner and clerked for the Honorable Rita Flynn Villa in Vermont as well as in the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor for Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. Mr. Ball is a trained mediator and has acted as a court-appointed mediator in both the New Hampshire and Vermont courts.

Education

J.D., Vermont Law School
IPSI, The Franklin Pierce Law Center
B.S., Computer Science, University of Vermont
Cert. International Relations, University of St. Andrews (Scotland)

Honors/Awards

Vermont Law School Merit Scholar and recipient of Academic Excellence Award
Inducted into Upsilon Pi Epsilon, the National Honor Society for Computer Sciences

Court admissions

Commonwealth of Massachusetts
U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Publications

  • “Design Protection for Apparel: Know Your Options”, Apparel, January 8, 2010
  • “Ongoing IP Due Diligence”, Business Law Today, Vol. 19, Num. 2, Nov./Dec. 2009
  • “Export Control Laws”, ExportRules.com, May 14, 2009
  • “Stimulus law, green technology and IP rights: a happy nexus”, N.H. Business Review, Vol. 31, No. 10, p. 53, May 8, 2009
  • “Green tech, the stimulus package, and IP protection”, Mass High Tech, Vol. 27, Issue 16, p. 14, April 17, 2009
  • “Outsourcing Your Intellectual Property Work May Be Illegal”, IPFrontline.com, December 19, 2008
  • “Outsourcing Your Intellectual Property Work May Be Illegal”, Intellectual Property Update, November 2008
  • “Intangible Business Assets: Value in Unregistered IP”, Science and Technology Quarterly Newsletter, ABA Section, Vol. 1, Issue 2, Oct. 2008
  • “Achieving Patent Protection for Software Inventions”, The Computer & Internet Lawyer, Vol. 25, Num. 8, Aug. 2008
  • “Beware of Export Control Laws”, Mass. Bar Association YLD Journal, Summer 2008
  • “Challenges with Patenting Software”, Vermont Bar Journal, Winter 2007/2008
Not admitted in Connecticut.
986 Bedford Street, Stamford, Connecticut 06905-5619      +1 203 324-6155