Alan B. Samlan

Alan B. Samlan is a partner at the Chicago intellectual property firm Knechtel, Demeur & Samlan, where his practice encompasses patent prosecution, counseling, and litigation. His technical background is in mechanical engineering, and his firm's litigation activity includes matters in the mechanical and e-commerce sectors. The firm's practice involves advising clients on patentability and infringement, preparing and prosecuting applications, and representing clients in infringement disputes.

Based on available data, Mr. Samlan has recently represented a patent owner on the plaintiff side. In the tracked case, he represents plaintiff Swift Paws, Inc., an operating company, in a patent infringement suit against Zhende Tech and other online marketplace sellers. This litigation, filed in the Middle District of Florida, concerns patents on mechanical pet toys described as "looping lure systems." In a notable outcome, the district court granted a preliminary injunction in April 2026, enjoining the defendant from further infringement. The case is currently on appeal to the Federal Circuit.

Mr. Samlan has been a partner at Knechtel, Demeur & Samlan since 1992. His prior experience includes serving as group patent counsel for Bell & Howell Company and working at several other firms. No significant record of appearances in IPR or other PTAB proceedings has been found in public searches.

He is a registered patent attorney with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and is admitted to practice in Illinois, the U.S. Supreme Court, the Federal Circuit, and the Northern District of Illinois. He earned his J.D. from The John Marshall Law School and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois.