STEVEN STEGER

Steven G. Steger is a founder and the managing partner of the Global IP Law Group, where he concentrates on all aspects of monetizing intellectual property through sales, licensing, and litigation.

Mr. Steger has a broad range of intellectual property experience in private practice and as Chief IP Counsel at both large and small companies. His experience includes strategic IP counseling, patent and trademark prosecution and portfolio management, licensing, infringement litigation, and patent acquisition and sale activities.

Mr. Steger has developed IP policies and procedures for mature patent portfolios and for start-up IP management, and has built internal capabilities for management, licensing and prosecution of multiple patent portfolios. He has also spearheaded the licensing of significant patent portfolios and has closed the sale of a large patent portfolio. Steve has been involved in patent monetization efforts, including litigation, that have returned in excess of $50M in value to his clients.

Prior to founding Global IP Law Group, Mr. Steger was Vice President of Licensing and Chief Intellectual Property Counsel for Ygomi LLC, a privately held company that controls five operating companies. At Ygomi, Mr. Steger was responsible for patent licensing activity and all aspects of IP protection for each operating company. Ygomi’s technologies include multi-antenna array systems and spatial division multiple access (SDMA) communication, telematics systems, distributed call center operations, and point of service software. Mr. Steger developed IP policies and procedures for the operating companies, including management of a mature patent portfolio and start-up IP management, and built internal capabilities for management and prosecution of multiple patent portfolios. He also spearheaded the licensing of a significant SDMA patent portfolio and the sale of a large patent portfolio.

Prior to joining Ygomi, Mr. Steger was Deputy General Counsel and Chief Intellectual Property Counsel for Brunswick Corporation, a Fortune 500 company that manufactures marine engines, recreational boats and related technology, marine electronics, GPS navigation equipment, fitness equipment, and bowling and billiards equipment. Mr. Steger was responsible for managing Brunswick's intellectual property portfolio, including overseeing the prosecution of patent and trademark applications, as well as enforcement or Brunswick’s intellectual property portfolio.

Prior to Brunswick, Mr. Steger was Senior Patent Counsel and Global Trademark Counsel for Accenture where he was involved in the overall development of intellectual property strategy across Accenture and was responsible for all IP activity for several business divisions with revenue in excess of $4 billion annually. He was also responsible for worldwide management of Accenture’s trademark portfolio and assisted in the negotiation of IP issues on complex consulting and outsourcing contracts.

Prior to moving in-house, Mr. Steger was in private practice, first with Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione and then with Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw. While in private practice, Mr. Steger was primarily involved in patent infringement litigation. He also was involved in patent and trademark prosecution, IP due diligence for corporate transactions, and strategic IP counseling.

Mr. Steger’s combination of in-house and major law firm experience gives him particular insight into what is important to a business from an IP perspective, and how outside counsel can best add value to a corporate IP program.

Mr. Steger holds a degree in Electrical Engineering, with a minor in Mathematics, from Marquette University; he holds a JD, with honors, from the John Marshall Law School. Mr. Steger has been named as an Illinois “Rising Star” in intellectual property every year since 2007. He is registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office and is licensed to practice law within the state of Illinois.

Mr. Steger is also active in pro bono activities, and currently serves on the board of directors of CARPLS. CARPLS is an innovative legal aid service that offers an immediate response to the every day legal problems confronting low-income residents of Cook County. CARPLS' Legal Aid Hotline and court-based Advice Desks give low-income clients direct access to experienced attorneys who are trained to quickly assess and respond to a wide range of civil legal problems.