Philip E. Rettig

Mr. Rettig is an intellectual property attorney with almost 40 years of experience focused on obtaining and enforcing patents, trademarks, and copyrights, with a particular emphasis on the automotive industry. He advises clients on intellectual property protection, licensing, and strategic portfolio management across a range of technologies.

In addition to private practice, Mr. Rettig served as Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary of a Tier One automotive supplier, where he was also a member of the Executive Management Committee. His prior corporate experience in automotive engineering and sales provides a technical and business foundation for his intellectual property practice.

Mr. Rettig is the Division Director for DW’s Intellectual Property Division. In this senior leadership role, Mr. Rettig actively manages over 110 intellectual property professionals working across five different Practice Groups and has been instrumental in the recruitment and development of the firm’s second-largest division.

Mr. Rettig advises clients on patent, trademark, trade secret, and licensing matters involving technologies including:

• Automotive drivetrains: Transmissions, transfer cases, power take-off units, rear drive modules, and axles.
• Automotive suspension systems: Coil and leaf springs, shocks, struts, independent suspensions, and linkages.
• Electric and hybrid vehicles: Electric drive modules, thermal control systems, hybrid architectures, and battery assemblies.
• Other technologies: HVAC systems, automotive seating systems, and surgical and medical devices.