Stephen K. Yam

Stephen K. Yam is a Partner at Venable LLP, specializing in patent litigation before district courts and post-grant proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). His practice spans diverse technology areas, including mechanical, electrical, computer, and business method arts. Specific technologies he has handled include smartphones, ink jet and laser printing, satellite communications, medical devices, automotive components, and information management systems. Before joining private practice, Mr. Yam served as a primary examiner at the USPTO, where he examined patent applications related to photocell and image sensing technology.

Mr. Yam's patent litigation experience encompasses both asserting and challenging patent rights. He has acted as lead counsel for plaintiffs in district court, as evidenced by his representation of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation against RAILWARE, INC.. This case also involved parallel PTAB proceedings, with an Inter Partes Review (IPR2026-00135) filed by Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation against Railware, Inc..

A significant portion of his practice is dedicated to PTAB proceedings. Mr. Yam has secured favorable outcomes in this arena, including an IPR win on behalf of Gilead challenging the University of Minnesota's hepatitis C virus treatment patent in May 2021, and another notable win in a post-grant review in May 2019. His involvement in the Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation v. RAILWARE, INC. matter further highlights his experience in navigating the interplay between district court litigation and PTAB challenges.

Mr. Yam earned his J.D. cum laude from George Mason University School of Law in 2010, where he was the managing & submissions editor for the Federal Circuit Bar Journal. He also holds an M.Eng. (2002) and a B.S. cum laude (2001) in Computer Science from Cornell University. He is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and Virginia and is a registered patent attorney with the USPTO.