J.D. Houvener

Patent Attorney and Owner/Founder
Mountlake Terrace

J.D. Houvener is a Registered USPTO Patent Attorney who has a strong interest in helping entrepreneurs and businesses thrive. He specializes in patents, trademarks, and IP brokering, helping solo or small business inventors research, protect, and commercialize their IP to give them exclusivity and confidence in the marketplace. J.D. leverages his technical background in engineering and experience in the aerospace industry to provide businesses a unique perspective to their patent needs. He works with clients who are serious about investing in their intellectual assets and provides counsel on how to capitalize their patent in the market.

J.D. is a good listener and enjoys hearing the big picture goals of clients and helping them realize it through smaller process-based steps. His background in business and experience as an engineer and patent attorney empowers him to clearly communicate to a broad range of clients about their immediate and long-term needs for patenting in order to protect assets, leverage opportunities, and limit liabilities. Some key areas of his patent prosecution practice are: patentability searches, patent applications, office actions, infringement opinions, post-grant actions and consultation on patent strategy and portfolio management.

J.D.’s passion for business and technology started well before he began his legal career. He worked as an engineer at Boeing for nearly 10 years. He spent his time at Boeing in payloads design, regulatory compliance, systems integration and project management on the new 787 airplane. J.D. brings this experience earned at the cutting edge of technology to his clients by recognizing the complexities and subtleties of the problems being solved today.

Academically, J.D. has earned a law degree and an MBA from Seattle University. He earned his law degree in the evening program, while working full-time at Boeing. He focused his coursework on intellectual property law and clinic courses where he applied his newfound knowledge to help small businesses. Even so, J.D. found time to take a leadership role as the secretary for the Intellectual Property Law Society at the University and to study for and pass the Patent Bar while in law school. Prior to starting his legal education, he earned his B.S. in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the University of Washington in 2007 and then an MBA from the Albers School of Business at Seattle University in 2010 where he focused on entrepreneurship and lean operations management.

J.D. is a member of the King County Bar Association and the Washington State Bar Association, where he is an active member in the Intellectual Property Law sections. He is also a licensed professional engineer through the state of Washington in industrial engineering. Outside the office, J.D. offers pro-bono legal services to the Washington CASH organization in South Seattle, who helps those with little to no means with their business startup ideas. J.D. is admitted to practice in Washington State (2014), and U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. He is also registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (since 2012).

From the small mill-town of Camas, Washington, J.D. hasn’t always lived in the big city. He is married to his best friend and wife, Mai Houvener, and they live in the Moses Lake area with their three children, Stella, Emma, and Hamilton. He enjoys playing sports, coaching, and playing tabletop games.

Professional Introduction:

Patents, Trademarks, and IP Brokering. We help solo or small business inventors research, protect, and commercialize their IP to give them exclusivity and confidence in the marketplace.

Personal Note:

I am married to my best friend and wife, Mai Houvener, and we live in Moses Lake area with our three children, Stella, Emma, and Hamilton. I enjoy playing sports, coaching, and playing tabletop games.

Practice Areas:

  • Patent strategy

Experience Overview:

I’m a good listener, and I enjoy hearing the big picture goals of clients and helping them realize it through smaller process-based steps.

Bar Admissions:

  • Washington State 2014. USPTO Since 2012.

Education:

  • Seattle University School of Law B.S. Industrial/Systems Engineering from University of Washington (2007), M.B.A., Seattle University (2010)

Professional Memberships:

  • Washington State Bar Association