For about twenty years, John Moetteli has been a practicing patent practitioner/attorney-at-law, licensed before the US and Swiss Patent Offices. He’s also admitted to practice before the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the District of Columbia Bar (Washington DC). Further, he’s a registered Professional Engineer, currently on inactive status. Since 1997, Mr. Moetteli has been based in Europe and has represented individuals as well as the U.S., European and Asian corporations, both small and large, before the US, Swiss and International patent and trademark authorities.
He holds an Engineering degree, a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree, and a Masters in International Management (with emphasis on Doing Business in China). In addition, he’s followed courses on Chinese Patent Law, including co-editing a well-known manual on industrial property. He is also trained in mediation and arbitration through WIPO courses.
His technical specialty is mechanical, IT, software, medical devices, and sports products. He is particularly specialized in preparing the freedom to operate, invalidity, and unenforceability opinions on US patents, as well as preparing US and International patent and trademark applications. His experience preparing legal opinions has trained him in the ability to objectively assess infringement and validity, all helpful to fair and thoughtful determination in arbitration as well as in providing strategic litigation advice. Knowing where the strengths and weaknesses of a case lie help in mediation efforts as well.
Mr. Moetteli is a member of the Association of International Business Lawyers (AIBL), the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA), and the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI). He’s been inducted into the Order of the Barons and Order of the Coif, well-known honorary legal fraternities. He’s also the founder of the North American Attorney’s Association in Geneva and a former member of the managing committee for the Association of International Business Lawyers. He’s lectured for the Da Vinci School of Intellectual Property, the Swiss Patent Office, WIPO (as a WIPO Patent Expert) and the European Commission, and has served as IMD faculty for the Program for Executive Development (PED). He’s published several articles on the subject of intellectual property law as well.
Prior to moving to Switzerland, Mr. Moetteli worked in the intellectual property section of Haynes & Boone LLP, a large general litigation firm with offices in Texas, Washington D.C., and Mexico City. He earned his Doctor of Jurisprudence magna cum laude from the University of Houston Law Center, a highly ranked law school. Prior to his experience with Haynes & Boone, Mr. Moetteli worked at NASA where his responsibilities included technology management. During this time, his work was featured on the Discovery Channel’s Invention Series cable television program.
Mr. Moetteli speaks fluent English, French and German.
