George “Trey” Lyons III litigates and appeals intellectual property matters for clients before the United States Patent and Trademark Office, U.S. District Courts and U.S. Courts of Appeals. Clients value the rigor he brings to complex issues as well as the insight he provides on litigation strategy. Lyons is an experienced litigator and former U.S. Court of Appeals clerk.

Mr. Lyons also helps clients – from startups to Fortune 100 companies – obtain and enforce patent, copyright, and trademark rights in the U.S. and around the world. He has worked with clients to establish intellectual property programs and build, sustain and monetize their IP portfolios. He draws on his prior experience as a research physicist at The National Center for Physical Acoustics and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) to bring technical sophistication to his work on clients’ innovations.

Mr. Lyons is co-Chair of several of the firm’s practice groups, including IP Licensing & Transactions, Opinions & Counseling and MBHB’s Ethics Committee. He also founded the firm’s Cannabis Practice Group.

In addition to his legal career, Mr. Lyons is a singer-songwriter, recording as the artist LYON$. Mr. Lyons also collects vintage musical instruments (particularly early Fender, Gibson, and Martin guitars).

• Represents clients on both sides of the “V.” in IP litigations across the U.S.:
  • Defended large telecommunication company to a favorable settlement with a non-practicing entity.
  • Represented inventor of foundational drone technology against two multinational drone manufacturers and negotiated a favorable settlement.
  • Defended large textile manufacturer against competitor copyright claim.
  • Represented a photographer in a copyright dispute with multinational clothing manufacturer and negotiated a favorable settlement.
• Represents clients in a variety of PTAB matters, including both preparing and defending against petitions for inter partes review (IPR) and ex parte re-examination, all involving high-tech innovations.
• Authored several briefs in patent cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
• Prosecuted hundreds of patent applications for a variety of high-tech inventions and devices.
• Advises companies regarding their patent, copyright, and trademark rights and related portfolios. Created IP programs for a number of high-tech clients.
• Represented a pro bono plaintiff under 42 U.S.C § 1983 and negotiated a favorable settlement.

• American Bar Association – Section of Intellectual Property
• PTAB Bar Association – Chicago Coordinator, Young Lawyers and Agents Committee
• International Trademark Association
• Lawyers for the Creative Arts

• Law Clerk for the Honorable E. Grady Jolly, U.S. Court of Appeal Judge in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
• Judicial Extern to the Honorable Michael P. Mills, U.S. District Court Judge in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi.

Federal Circuit Overhauls Rules of Practice and Forms: Important Takeaways, Snippets Alert (July 2, 2020)

2019 Patent Trial and Appeal Board Key Practice Updates: A Year in Review, Snippets (2019 Vol. 17 Issue 3)

Pot of Gold?, Intellectual Property Magazine.

Navigating the Chaos of Soft IP, Cannabis Business Times.

The Green Rush to the Patent Office, Cannabis Business Times.

What You Can Do to Prevent Multiple Petitions (or How You Can Successfully File One) — Part I: The PTAB’s “Multiple Petition Study”, Patent Docs (Mar. 25 2018, 11:59 PM).

Charting the Waters of International Service Requirements in the Wake of Water Splash v. Menon, Intellectual Property Magazine.

Sessions’s War on the Cole Memo and the New Frontier for the Canna-IP Industry, Patent Docs (Jan. 4 2018, 11:59 PM).

Biotech Institute’s Growing Patent Portfolio — U.S. Patent No. 9,095,554 and the Path Forward, Patent Docs (Nov. 16 2017, 11:59 PM).

High Risk, High Reward: An Overview of Navigating IP Rights in the Green Rush, Snippets (2017).

Practice tips for copyright owners in the wake of Star Athletica v. Varsity Brands, Westlaw Journal Intellectual Property (Sept. 27, 2017).

Intellectual Ventures I LLC v. Symantec Corp. — Judge Mayer on the First Amendment, Patent Docs (Oct. 24 2016, 11:59 PM).

The Analysis for Design Patent Infringement Post-Egyptian Goddess, Snippets (2014) (reprinted as “Tests For Design Patent Infringement Post-Egyptian Goddess,” Law 360 (Sept. 26, 2014, 10:08 AM)).

New Habits and Hard Law: Putting Old Soft Law ‘Sanctions’ and the Space Debris Epidemic Out to Pasture, 39 2 J. SPACE. L. 453 (2014).

The Current State of American Air Travel: Checking Your Baggage and Dignity at the Gates, 84 MISS. L.J. SUPRA 1 (2014).