Praised by Jones Day clients as "technically and legally excellent," John Marlott has been recognized as an "Intellectual Property Trailblazer" (National Law Journal) and one of the world's leading patent professionals (IAM). John brings more than 30 years of intellectual property law experience to his role as lead counsel in complex IP disputes. He focuses on high-stakes district court and International Trade Commission (ITC) patent litigation, post-grant patent proceedings before the Patent Trial & Appeal Board (PTAB), and appeals to the Federal Circuit.
John was part of the team representing SAS Institute in its U.S. Supreme Court victory (138 S. Ct. 1348) that fundamentally transformed the way patents are litigated before the PTAB. Acting for SAS in that same case, John's earlier win at the Federal Circuit (825 F.3d 1341) was named by IP Law360 as one of the top America Invents Act-related decisions of the year. Among other recent engagements, John has acted as lead PTAB counsel for R.J. Reynolds and Qualcomm in multiple inter partes reviews (IPRs).
John is particularly valued by clients for his strategic thinking and his ability to identify strengths and weaknesses in patents and patent portfolios. He has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America and Illinois Super Lawyers for his intellectual property litigation experience.
John is a member of the Northern District of Illinois Trial Bar. He is a registered patent attorney and a former patent examiner at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
"Technically and legally excellent."IAM Patent 1000
- The George Washington University (J.D. with high honors 1995; Order of the Coif; Moot Court Board); University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (B.S. in General Engineering 1990)
- Illinois; District of Columbia; Supreme Court of the United States; U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit; Northern, Central, and Southern Districts of Illinois, Western District of Wisconsin, and various other U.S. District Courts; and registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
- Patent Examiner, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (1990-1993)
National Law Journal — "Intellectual Property Trailblazer" (2019)
The Best Lawyers in America for intellectual property litigation (2018-2022)
Illinois Super Lawyers for intellectual property litigation (2012-2021, 2024-2025)
Intellectual Asset Management Patent 1000 — The World's Leading Patent Professionals where he has been lauded for "positioning cases to meet whatever commercial objectives [clients may] have"