Tim Markison

Tim Markison, Founder, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Legal Counsel

Member, IIT IP Management & Markets Advisory Council

Tim Markison is getting back to his creative roots. Backed by an engineering degree, the intellectual property (IP) attorney was told early in his law career to “stop creating—you’re supposed to write patents, not invent them.” As COO of the Caerus Institute of Open Innovation, he can now do both, acting as an agent of change in the IP process.

In addition to having drafted over 1,000 patent applications as a patent attorney, Markison is also an accomplished inventor with 40 issued patents, and an experienced IP executive, having developed solutions that enhance IP protection and utilization, lower costs, reduce cycle time, and improve quality. Among his many achievements are the development of a six sigma-based patent application drafting process that significantly improves quality and cycle time; a custom patent database that improves patent docketing, patent tracking, and patent utilization; and a systematic approach to identifying valuable present and future patentable subject matter. He is also credited with developing one of the first virtual law firms.

Markison’s law practice focused on preparing and prosecuting patents in wireless telecommunications, semiconductors, mixed signal technologies, networking, and computers; developing and administering patent application drafting and prosecution quality control programs; leading advanced inventing programs; training associate attorneys; docket management; and client management. In addition, Tim’s practice included developing patent infringement litigation offensive and defensive positions, analyzing patents for acquisition, and patent licensing.

Subscribing to the belief that wisdom should be shared, Markison leveraged what he has learned and is contributing to the country’s first Masters program in Intellectual Property Management, at the Illinois Institute of Technology, his alma mater.

Prior to joining the Institute, Markison served as Managing Partner of Garlick, Harrison & Markison; Vice President & General Counsel of SigmaTel, Inc.; Managing Partner of Markison & Reckamp; Director of Patents, Wireless Networks at Nortel Networks; Senior Associate, Jenkens & Gilchrist; Patent Agent and Senior Patent Attorney at Motorola, and various engineering positions at MicroEnergy, Northrop, and Power Conversion Products.

Markison earned his Juris Doctorate from Loyola University of Chicago, and Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology. He is a member of the United States Patent and Trademark Office Bar and the Illinois Bar.