William J. Hurles

William Hurles is an intellectual property attorney with more than 10 years of experience advising clients on domestic and international patent, trademark, and copyright matters. His practice includes patent and trademark prosecution, portfolio management, and counseling on competitor IP rights, product development, and infringement avoidance. He also represents clients in patent validity challenges, including inter partes review and ex parte reexamination proceedings.

William works with clients across the automotive, medical device, consumer products, software, and sporting goods industries. He also advises on Amazon product listing disputes, including matters involving the Amazon Patent Evaluation Express (APEX) program. Beyond his practice, he provides pro bono intellectual property assistance to startups, nonprofit organizations, and students.

• Prepares and prosecutes domestic and international patent applications involving automotive powertrain, suspension, braking, cooling, HVAC, and closure systems, as well as medical devices, LED lighting, car wash systems, and consumer products.
• Advises clients on Amazon product listing disputes, including matters handled through the Amazon Patent Evaluation Express (APEX) program.
• Conducts patentability, freedom-to-operate, infringement, and validity analyses to support product development and intellectual property protection.
• Represents clients in inter partes review and ex parte reexamination proceedings and provides patent litigation support.
• Handles trademark and copyright applications, counseling, and intellectual property portfolio management.

• Author, “Accelerating Innovation for New Inventors: Inside the First-Time Filer Expedited Patent Pilot Program,” Dickinson Wright IP Blog, April 2024
• Presenter, “Intellectual Property Basics for Small Businesses,” Goldman Sachs 10KSB Legal Clinic Alumni Event, Goldman Sachs / Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, August, 2023
• Author, “A Seller’s Guide to Navigating Intellectual Property Law on Amazon,” Dickinson Wright Client Alert, Apr 2023
• Panelist, “Goldman Sachs 10KSB Legal Clinic,” discussion on intellectual property strategies for small business owners, Goldman Sachs / Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, 2022-2023
• Presenter and panelist, “Accelerating Startup Partnership and Investment Readiness” event, intellectual property business strategy topics for medical technology startup companies, ASPIRE / Venturewell, Detroit, MI, November, 2017–2021
• Author, “Amazon’s New Utility Patent Neutral Evaluation Process,” Dickinson Wright IP Brief Blog, December 2020
• Presenter and panelist, “Fortify Writers Retreat,” Intellectual Property topic discussion for writers, Write-A-House, Detroit, MI, 2018
• Presenter, “Design Patent Challenging Tools,” Dickinson Wright clients, Troy, MI 2018
• Presenter, “Intellectual Property for Engineers & Entrepreneurs,” Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 2014–2015