Mr. Banowit, a director in the Litigation Group, focuses primarily on intellectual property litigation, playing a principal role in the enforcement of intellectual property rights and the defense of intellectual property disputes before the federal district courts, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the Central Reexamination Unit and Patent Trial and Appeal Board at the United States Patent and Trademark Office.  He has represented clients from each of the firm’s core technology practice groups (mechanical, electronics/software and chemical/biotechnology) in patent infringement actions, and has litigated trademark and copyright disputes. 

Mr. Banowit has extensive experience managing complex pre-trial issues common to intellectual property litigation, including issues arising from infringement and invalidity contentions, electronic discovery, use of technical and financial experts, and claim construction.  He has appeared before magistrates and judges in oral argument of numerous pre-trial motions.  He has successfully resolved patent cases prior to trial by way of summary judgment.  He has also achieved favorable results for the Firm’s clients through settlement and in arbitration and mediation. 

At trial, Mr. Banowit's experience includes obtaining a favorable verdict of non-infringement after a five-day jury trial in the District of Delaware.

Mr. Banowit's knowledge of patent law, developed through more than fifteen years of practice in the preparation and prosecution of domestic and foreign patent applications, and his education as a “rocket scientist,” provide an invaluable foundation for complex patent litigation.  Together with this expertise, he incorporates patent forensics and reexamination strategy as effective tools to control litigation costs and achieve early settlement or summary judgment disposition.

Mr. Banowit also counsels clients on a wide range of patent, trademark and trade-secret issues, including clearance and due diligence investigations, infringement and validity opinions, non-disclosure, non-compete and joint development agreements, licensing and assignment of intellectual property, intellectual property valuation, patentability opinions and prosecution strategy.  Mr. Banowit advises clients on Internet-related trademark and copyright issues, including disputes involving domain names and other aspects of website design and content, and has obtained favorable results in arbitration proceedings under the ICANN Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP).  He has experience in ex parte and inter partes reexamination and interference proceedings at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.  He represents clients in diverse industries, including consumer products, medical devices, software, agriculture, automotive, aerospace, and financial services.

Mr. Banowit is a contributing author of Patent Office Litigation, a two-volume set focused on the new contested proceedings under the America Invents Act published in 2012 by Thomson Reuters Westlaw. This book examines how the proceedings interact with other aspects of patent procurement and enforcement, and delivers practical analysis and advice. While studying law at Georgetown University, Mr. Banowit was an Articles Editor on the Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics.  He is a member of Sigma Gamma Tau (the National Aerospace Engineering Honor Society) and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).