Eric S. Schlichter

Eric Schlichter is a partner in the Intellectual Property Practice Group in the firm's Houston office. 

Areas of Practice

Eric provides strategic counsel in all aspects of intellectual property law, including litigation, prosecution, counseling and portfolio management. Eric also regularly counsels clients regarding protection and enforcement of trade secrets and has served as lead counsel in theft of trade secret litigation matters. Over the course of his career, Eric has been lead counsel in numerous patent litigation matters involving oil and gas drilling technology, downhole tools, and environmental protection equipment. He has also served as counsel in a number of patent litigation matters involving microprocessor technology, consumer electronics technologies, and website functionality.

His experience includes serving as lead trial counsel; trial witness examination; trial preparation; Markman hearings; preliminary injunction hearings; contempt proceedings; all aspects of discovery, mediation and settlement negotiations; and appellate practice before the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.  He has litigated extensively in the United States District Courts for the Western and Eastern District of Texas, both hotbeds for patent litigation, and has also served as counsel in investigations before the International Trade Commission (ITC). 

Eric also has experience in multiple inter partes review proceedings and ex parte reexaminations. He also counsels clients on intellectual property enforcement and procurement matters, litigation strategy, licensing, and due diligence investigation for acquisitions and divestitures, as well as preparation of noninfringement, invalidity and freedom-to-operate opinions. In addition, Eric has managed worldwide patent portfolios for various clients.

Experience

Eric’s experience includes numerous litigation matters in federal and state courts, including multiple jury and bench trials in the federal courts in Texas. Eric’s recent experience includes the following:

• Represented a global manufacturer of power generation and distribution equipment in patent infringement litigation and Inter Partes Review proceeding involving circuit breakers with integrated grounding switches.
• Represented an oil and gas service company in an International Trade Commission investigation involving drill bit technology.
• Represented multiple oil and gas service companies in patent infringement litigation involving float equipment technology.
• Represented numerous microprocessor manufacturers in patent infringement litigation involving power reduction methods in integrated circuits.
• Represented numerous microprocessor manufacturers in patent infringement litigation involving testing and debugging of integrated circuits.
• Represented an oil and gas equipment and services company in multiple Inter Partes Review proceedings involving fracking equipment.
• Represented multiple offshore drilling contractors in separate patent infringement litigations regarding multi-activity offshore drilling vessels.
• Represented a major retailer in multiple patent infringement litigations involving website functionality.
• Represented a drilling contractor in the horizontal directional drilling industry for infrastructure development in a theft of trade secrets litigation.
• Represented an oil and gas equipment and services company in a patent infringement litigation regarding oil and gas well drilling rigs.
• Represented an oil and gas equipment and services company in a patent infringement litigation regarding pumps for oilfield equipment.
• Represented an oil and gas equipment and services company in a patent infringement litigation regarding cementing equipment for oil and gas wells.
• Represented an oil and gas equipment and services company in multiple patent infringement litigations regarding environmental protection equipment used on oil and gas well drilling rigs.
• Represented an oil and gas equipment and services company in a patent infringement and theft of trade secret litigation regarding casing liner running equipment.
• Represented a wireless telecommunication equipment and services company in a patent infringement litigation involving telecommunications, data access, and processing technology.
• Represented an oilfield services company in several Inter Partes Reviews (IPRs) on patents related to plunger lift equipment for gas wells.
• Represented an oil and gas exploration company in patent infringement litigation regarding methods of drilling oil and gas wells.
• Represented an oilfield services company in several patent infringement litigations and an appeal regarding plunger lift equipment for gas wells.
• Represented oilfield equipment and services providers in multiple patent infringement litigations regarding composite downhole plugs for oil and gas wells.

Honors

Best Lawyers in America, Best Lawyers, 2024-2025

The Best Lawyers in America, Litigation - Intellectual Property, Litigation - Patent, Woodward/White, Inc., 2021-2023

Leading Lawyer, Intellectual Property, Texas, Chambers USA, 2019-2021

“Rising Star,” Texas Monthly, 2006-2010

Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation

Articles

Eric is a frequent author of timely thought leadership articles which have appeared in the Houston Business Journal, and he authored numerous annual updates of the Thomson Reuters Employee Noncompetition Law Treatise.

Speaking Engagements

• Eric is a frequent presenter on CLE topics which include “Patent Litigation,” “Defend Trade Secrets Act and Strategies to Maintain and Enforce Your Trade Secrets,” and “Surviving the Civilized Interrogation: Effective Deposition Strategies.”

Memberships

Member, Houston Bar Association

Member, Houston Intellectual Property Law Association

Barrister, The Honorable Nancy F. Atlas Intellectual Property American Inn of Court