Chad Thorson is an associate in Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough’s Charlotte office, where he practices intellectual property law. Mr. Thorson focuses his practice on patent preparation and prosecution and clearance work. He is admitted to practice in North Carolina and before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Mr. Thorson has extensive practical and theoretical technical training in mechanical, electrical and nuclear engineering technologies. He was initially trained as an electronics technician to operate and repair radar and communications equipment and later qualified as Engineer Officer onboard a Navy nuclear submarine. This qualification included a rigorous course of study in reactor plant system design and operation and also required extensive practical experience in the operation, maintenance, and repair of complex electronic, mechanical, and steam systems. Plant operations also provided Mr. Thorson with extensive experience relating to hydraulic, refrigeration and atmosphere control systems as well as reactor protection circuitry, nuclear instrumentation, power generation equipment and power distribution systems.

After leaving the Navy, Mr. Thorson worked as a patent agent focusing mainly on patent prosecution relating to electronic semiconductor devices, medical imaging devices, liquid crystal display devices, power generation and distribution equipment and gas/steam turbine technologies. He also has extensive experience in preparation and prosecution of patent applications relating to software applications, business methods, and telecommunications network technologies, devices, and services.

His representative experience includes:

• Preparing and prosecuting numerous patent applications, both in the U.S. and internationally, directed to telecommunication software applications, audio processing, speech conversion, user interfaces, wireless communication standards, virtual machines, data compression, machine controllers, gateway devices, routers, medical imaging devices, supply chain management software, and video and image processing techniques.
• Preparing and prosecuting numerous patent applications, both in the U.S. and internationally, directed to devices and technologies in the optical, mechanical and electro-mechanical fields including lasers, cutting devices, lumber handling devices, automated truss assembly devices, food preparation devices, aircraft design, power generation equipment, hand held tools, battery powered equipment and lawn care equipment.
• Advising start-up companies on Intellectual Property related issues.
• Conducting freedom to practice studies and preparing opinions related to validity and infringement issues.

Mr. Thorson received his J.D. from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 2005. He received a B.S.E.E. from the United States Naval Academy in 1996, graduating with academic distinction and was a member of Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society. Mr. Thorson has lectured abroad, including most recently in China and Taiwan, on topics related to effective patent prosecution strategies. He was selected in 2011 as a Super Lawyers-Rising Star in North Carolina.