Welcome to Hansen IP Law
Hansen IP Law provides intellectual property services of the type and caliber found at typical “Big Law” firms using a small firm platform. This allows us to deliver legal services at a value that cannot be matched by other firms. We do not operate on a “leveraged” model. Our clients’ matters are handled exclusively by an attorney with over a decade of experience in major law firms. We strategically employ the best practices learned from “Big Law” without saddling clients with the burdens of a leveraged practice.
Recent News
October 6, 2023
Hansen IP Law is pleased to report that Steve Hansen has been named a Michigan "Super Lawyer" in the field of intellectual property for 2023. Mr. Hansen said, "Especially in this, my 25th year of practicing intellectual property law, I am humbled and gratified to have received this recognition from my peers. I am fortunate and grateful to have been able to enjoy a long career in such an interesting and exciting field."
March 21, 2023
Hansen IP Law has returned to "virtual" operations. During the pandemic, lawyers across the country began working remotely and firms began shedding office space. We have followed suit, and the reduced overhead helps us keep our fees down. For the first couple years of our existence, we operated virtually and have had the technology in place to do so since our inception. Our practice is global, and we have found that local office space is not critical to our business. However, remaining reachable is important to our business, and we remain committed to ensuring that our clients can receive timely advice no matter where they are located.
January 26, 2012
On January 26, 2012, Steve Hansen spoke to the IT Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan on “Strategies for Litigating Software Copyright Cases.” This presentation described techniques for overcoming hurdles imposed by the legal standards for evaluating software copyright infringement. Mr. Hansen described some of the “expressive” aspects of software that are potentially protectable by copyright and how to use those aspects to build a non-infringement defense.
February 7, 2012
On February 7, 2012, Hansen IP Law Owner Steve Hansen and Enoch Liang of Lee Tran & Liang presented “Protecting Your Footwear Designs—Design Patent and Trade Dress” to a group of footwear companies at the ENKWSA show in Las Vegas. “We were very pleased by the number of attendees as well as their insightful questions and level of engagement, ” said Mr. Hansen. “The unauthorized use of intellectual property is rampant in the footwear industry, and we explained how design patents and trade dress protection can be used to protect valuable shoe designs. Enoch and I are very grateful to have had this opportunity to share our experience with the ENKWSA attendees,” said Mr. Hansen.
April 5, 2012
On April 5, 2012, Steve Hansen will present a webinar on the Yahoo v. Facebook case. The webinar is entitled “Yahoo v. Facebook, Statutory Subject Mater Defense May be Key.” The webinar will discuss the scope of the lawsuit and the subject matter of the Yahoo patents as well as how recent statutory subject matter case law may provide Facebook with a defense to many of Yahoo’s claims. The webinar is being offered by NALS, the National Association for Legal Professionals and is open to both members and non-members of NALS. For registration information, click here. The webinar will expand on the initial discussion of the case which we posted on the Business of Patents blog.
April 18, 2012
On April 18, 2012 the American Bar Association’s Intellectual Property Litigation Newsletter published an article by Steve Hansen entitled “The Increased Scrutiny of Reasonable Royalty Damages Awards.” The article examines the evolving and increasing standard of proof applied to reasonable royalty patent infringement damage awards by the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals and whether such standards may conflict with the statutory mandate that patent holders be awarded at least a reasonable royalty upon a finding of patent infringement. For a copy of the article, click here.
May 25, 2012
In its May 2012 issue, IP Management & Valuation published “Strategies for Keeping Your Patent Applications on Track” by Steve Hansen. The article discusses how to improve the value of patent portfolios by implementing strategies to ensure that they remain aligned with changing business conditions and strategies. “Patent applications are prepared and filed at a point in time based on the state of development of products or business conditions,” said Mr. Hansen. As product development progresses or competitors make new moves in the marketplace, it is important to take a fresh look at your patent applications and, to the extent possible, make necessary changes or amendments. Such reviews may reveal that new patent applications are required,” said Mr. Hansen. For a copy of the article, click here.
August 1, 2012
In its August 2012 issue, Business Valuation Update published “10 Key Patent Damages and Valuation Takeways from Google v. Oracle” by Steve Hansen. This hotly contested case produced several rulings on methodologies for determining patent infringement damages, and the article explores some key lessons from those rulings. For a copy of the article, click here.
September 15, 2012
Hansen IP Law is proud to announce that Super Lawyers Magazine has again named Steve Hansen a “Rising Star” in Intellectual Property for the State of Michigan in 2012. “I am grateful to have received this recognition last year and this year and will continue to strive to provide the type of client-focused, strategic intellectual property representation that led to my nomination,” said Mr. Hansen.
October 16, 2012
Hansen IP Law is pleased to announce that Steve Hansen authored a chapter of an upcoming eBook entitled IP Law for Businesses: Protecting Yourself & Your Company for ExecSense, the world’s largest publisher of professional webinars, eBooks, eDocuments, & Podcasts (www.execsense.com). The chapter is entitled “Developing and Maintaining a Patent Portfolio” and is now available as a stand-alone item on Amazon.com by clicking here.
September 15, 2013
Hansen IP Law is pleased to announce that Steve Hansen was named as a Southern California “Super Lawyer” for 2013 by Super Lawyers Magazine. “I began my legal career in Los Angeles and continue to litigate patent cases through my affiliation with the Los Angeles office of Lee Tran Liang & Wang,” said Mr. Hansen. “I am grateful for the honor of being named a Super Lawyer in Southern California.”
October 15, 2013
Steve Hansen of Hansen IP Law serves as Senior Counsel to Los Angeles-based firm Lee Tran Liang & Wang (“LTLW”). LTLW and the Glaser Weil firm represent VIZIO, Inc. in several patent infringement actions, many of which involve non-practicing entities (NPEs) or “patent trolls.” One October 2, 2013 the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California granted summary judgment of non-infringement and partial summary judgment of invalidity in favor of VIZIO in one such case, Oplus Technologies, Ltd. v. VIZIO, Inc.
In Oplus the patent holder asserted that VIZIO infringed two patents related to mathematical algorithms for converting television signals from an “interlaced” format to a “progressive” or “deinterlaced” format which is now prevalent the television market. The Court held that neither patent was infringed and that one of the two patents was invalid due to anticipation by the prior art.
