Carleton Clauss

Partner

The son of an electrical engineer, Carleton Clauss followed the same path in his undergraduate studies, earning an electrical engineering degree that he now puts to good use for his clients in the complex software and IT industries.

During his studies, he found he enjoyed the challenges that came with designing circuits and other technology. And thanks to a research assistant position, he was able to put theory into practice, manufacturing and testing silicon devices in a clean-room environment. This gave him valuable knowledge regarding semiconductor manufacturing that he uses in his patent practice today.

Having worked directly with some of the same technologies that lie at the heart of his clients’ innovations, Carleton has an invaluable understanding of their business and the science that goes into what they create.

In addition to electrical engineering, Carleton has technical experience not only in semiconductor processing and manufacturing, but also computer architectures and analog circuits. His knowledge extends beyond the physical hardware to programming languages such as Java, C, C++ and Verilog. As a result, clients don’t have to educate Carleton on the basic technology they use. He can spend his time zeroing in on what makes their inventions novel – and the legal strategies for securing a useful, effective patent.

Maintaining a diverse practice, Carleton counsels a variety of clients from different sectors of the tech industry. Particular specialities are the growing areas of silicon photonics, clean energy technologies and touch interfaces for smartphones and tablets.

He prepares and prosecutes patents for some of the largest companies in the software, hardware and networking sectors. Carleton has also helped major entertainment companies secure patents for their image processing inventions, including those involving 3D graphics and virtual reality. He is active in the cloud-computing sector, counseling two of the major providers in that space.

Practice Areas

• Artificial Intelligence + Machine Learning
• Clean Technologies
• Communications Technologies
• Complex Software + IT
• Consumer Products
• Electronics + Semiconductor Technologies
• Financial Technology + Business Methods
• Internet
• Nanotechnology
• Optics
• Patent Preparation + Prosecution
• Technology, Licensing + IP Transactions

• United States Patent and Trademark Office
• State Bar of North Carolina

• J.D., Duke University School of Law, 2010
• B.S., Electrical Engineering, Brigham Young University, 2007