1100 Peachtree Street NE Suite 2800, Atlanta, GA USA 30309
Dean Russell advises multinational companies on implementing strategies for protecting intellectual property rights worldwide. He is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and has served as an adjunct professor of intellectual property law at the University of Georgia School of Law and at the University of Tennessee College of Law.
Prior to practicing law, Mr. Russell participated in developing computer simulations of the guidance and detonation equipment of the U.S. Army’s PATRIOT missile system.
Mr. Russell is a former two-term member of the firm’s Executive Committee. He was recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® for Patent Law in 2025 and each of the 24 years immediately preceding. He was also recognized as a 2009 Georgia "Super Lawyer" for Intellectual Property law by Super Lawyers magazine. Mr. Russell was listed in the International Who's Who of Patent Lawyers in 2011 and 2013 and also in the International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers for Patents in 2011, 2013 and 2014. He was named Pro Bono Volunteer of the Year in 2011 by Atlanta Legal Aid Society, Inc. Mr. Russell was named a top patent practitioner in 2022 and the ten years immediately preceding by IAM Patent 1000 – The World’s Leading Patent Practitioners. He was named among Georgia Trend's 2012 "Legal Elite" in the area of Intellectual Property Law. Mr. Russell received Lexology’s Client Choice Guide - International 2013 Award in the Intellectual Property: Patents category for Georgia. In 2014, he was recommended by Legal 500 US for Patent Prosecution. Mr. Russell is AV® rated by Martindale-Hubbell.*
Experience
Provide patent procurement and counseling services to Zodiac Aerospace, a world leader in aerospace equipment and systems for commercial, regional and business aircraft, as well as helicopters and space applications. The firm works intimately with in-house patent counsel and the inventors to understand the inventions and their importance in the company’s overall business strategy. Through these efforts, we take an active role in shaping the company’s overall patent and trademark strategy, including identifying and protecting innovations, as well as evaluating and designing around third-party intellectual property rights.
Represented Andritz AG in the acquisition of the hydro power equipment business of General Electric, including GE’s majority interest in GE Hydro Inepar do Brasil S.A., its research, design and production facilities in Canada and a multibillion dollar contract backlog.
Represented Zodiac Marine & Pool in its sale of the "Sevylor" inflatables and towables business in the United States, Canada, Australia and Europe.
Represented a large, worldwide manufacturer of pool and recreational products that sought to acquire an early-stage company whose initial products had only recently been introduced to the market. The early-stage company was the licensee of multiple patents but assured our client no royalties would be due for sales of any of the initial products. However, our assessment of the patents and of the license agreement was to the contrary. The firm advised our client that a substantial risk existed that the licensor would complain, helped our client craft specific warranty language for the acquisition agreement, and assisted our client in negotiating a separate escrow fund relating to any royalty claims. Within weeks of closing of the acquisition, our client received a demand letter from the licensor and was able to use the warranty to access the escrowed funds to resolve the matter.
Represented an aerospace products and parts manufacturer in the acquisition of stock in a company engaged in the design, manufacture and assembly or aircraft galley equipment for corporate aircraft, regional jets and military transportation jets.
Representing third party requester in challenging a significant patent portfolio relating to binders for formaldehyde-free insulation products through multiple inter partes and ex parte reexaminations. The examiner agreed that our client’s prior patents and publications were invalidating prior art, and ordered reexamination of each patent based on the client’s prior art references. The cases are currently on appeal to the United States Patent and Trademark Office Patent Trial and Appeal Board.
The firm served as lead counsel on behalf of Zodiac Pool Care Inc., a worldwide manufacturer of pool and recreational products, in a patent infringement litigation against a major competitor, Pentair Water Pool and Spa, Inc. We filed suit asserting that four of Zodiac's patents related to automatic swimming pool cleaners covered several Pentair products. We obtained a favorable confidential settlement for the client early in the case.
The firm served as lead counsel on behalf of Zodiac North America, a worldwide manufacturer of pool and recreational products, in an enforcement of their patent rights related to improved hulls for boats. Zodiac North America, Inc. v. Ontario Limited, No. 08-0157 (W.D. Wash. filed Jan. 31, 2008).
Represented Zodiac Aerospace in its acquisition of C&D Aerospace, an aircraft interiors manufacturer with operations in the United States, Canada, France, Brazil, and Mexico.
Represented Zodiac Marine & Pool in its $327 million acquisition of Polaris Pool Holdings Corporation from private equity fund Quad-C Management.
Insights View All
Asset Creation - Prosecution & Counseling
Licensing, Transactions & Monetization
University of Georgia J.D. (1987) summa cum laude
University of Alabama at Huntsville M.S. (1984) Engineering
Georgia Institute of Technology B.S. (1982) Electrical Engineering,
Georgia (1987)
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (1989)
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