Jessica Marks

Jessica L.A. Marks is a Senior Patent Counsel and SEP & Foreign Managing Counsel at Unified Patents, where she specializes in challenging the validity of patents typically asserted by non-practicing entities (NPEs). Her practice is consistently on the plaintiff/challenger side, as indicated by all four of her tracked appearances being on behalf of Unified Patents. Prior to joining Unified Patents in April 2019, Ms. Marks practiced for over a decade at Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP, gaining experience in district court, International Trade Commission, and post-grant proceedings.

Ms. Marks’s practice encompasses a diverse array of technologies, with a particular focus on areas frequently targeted by NPEs. Her background includes electrical, business method, and biological technologies, such as video surveillance systems, Blu-ray disc players, image processing, artificial intelligence, medical devices, and pharmaceuticals. In her current role, she frequently handles matters involving video codec methods (including H.264/AVC/HEVC standards), wireless communication, networking, and near-field communication (NFC) payment technology. This is evident in cases like Unified Patents v. Malikie Innovations Ltd., which involved video codec and Wi-Fi-related patents, and challenges related to CardWare's NFC payment patents. Her position as SEP & Foreign Managing Counsel also highlights a significant focus on Standard Essential Patents.

Ms. Marks demonstrates extensive experience in post-grant proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), which is a core component of Unified Patents' strategy to deter abusive patent assertions. She has acted as counsel in numerous Inter Partes Review (IPR) and ex parte reexamination proceedings. Notably, she represented Unified Patents in the Federal Circuit appeal Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corp. v. Unified Patents, LLC, where Dolby's appeal concerning a video codec patent was dismissed due to lack of standing. She has also been involved in IPRs challenging patents related to video codecs and data transformation, and has been a speaker on PTAB practice, including topics like "Amplifying Underrepresented Voices at the PTAB."

Ms. Marks earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Maryland (now Francis King Carey) School of Law. She also holds an M.B.E. and a B.A. in Biology from the University of Pennsylvania.