Jennifer M. Stec

Jennifer M. Stec serves as Intellectual Property Counsel at Ford Global Technologies, Inc., a division of Ford Motor Company, where her responsibilities encompass intellectual property counseling, litigation, and prosecution management. Her practice primarily focuses on automotive technology, particularly patents related to fuel management systems, engine technology, and emissions, as evidenced by her involvement in significant patent disputes.

As in-house IP Counsel for a major operating company, Ms. Stec is involved in both asserting and defending Ford's intellectual property interests. The tracked case, Ford Motor Company v. Massachusetts Institute of Technology et al., highlights her work on the plaintiff side, protecting Ford's innovations. This engagement demonstrates her role in managing the intellectual property portfolio of an automotive leader.

A notable aspect of her practice involves inter partes review (IPR) proceedings. Ford, with Ms. Stec's team's involvement, successfully challenged multiple patents owned by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and licensed to Ethanol Boosting Systems, LLC, at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). These patents related to "Optimized Fuel Management System for Direct Injection Ethanol Enhancement of Gasoline Engines," with the PTAB finding various claims unpatentable. These decisions were subsequently affirmed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, representing a significant outcome for Ford.

Ms. Stec earned her B.S.E.E. from General Motors Institute in 1985 and her J.D. from the University of Detroit in 1990. She was admitted to the Michigan bar in 1991 and is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.