Curtis counsels a broad range of international clients – from startups to Fortune 500 companies and universities – on intellectual property strategy, commercialization, licensing, and complex business and technology matters.
Curtis' practice includes patent prosecution and portfolio development, copyright and trademark protection, corporate development and entity formation, transactional counseling, and startup, growth-stage, and litigation financing. He regularly advises clients in technologies, including software and applications (such as artificial intelligence algorithms, commercial applications, medical diagnostics, and big-data platforms), wearable and consumer devices, aerospace and satellite systems, sensors and IoT, quantum devices and computing, imaging and photonics, security technologies, medical devices, and hardware systems. His work includes securing patent protection in the United States and internationally, including China, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Brazil, Mexico, and Taiwan.
Curtis brings substantial commercialization experience to his practice. His early career as an entrepreneur and business owner resulted in more than 100 issued patents as an inventor, the substantial majority of which were licensed, sold, or commercialized with industry, resulting in aggregate eight-figure outcomes. He regularly assists clients in assessing the commercial value of technology, structuring licensing and intellectual property enforcement strategies, defending allegations of infringement, and aligning intellectual property portfolios with broader business objectives. This background informs his practical, business-oriented approach to advising startups, growth companies, universities, and investors.
Curtis also serves as trusted counsel to public, private, and not-for-profit organizations, including research universities in the United States and abroad. He advises executives, entrepreneurs, and boards of directors on infringement and freedom-to-operate matters, strategic investments, opinion work, equity financing, and commercial transactions.
Curtis is the office managing partner of the firm's Boulder office. Under his leadership, the office has expanded its intellectual property, contract, and strategic advisory offerings, as well as its work with university and innovation-driven clients. His team now handles nearly 1,000 U.S. and foreign patent filings per year across utility, PCT, and design matters.
Curtis served four years in the Air Weather Service of the United States Air Force, where he was stationed primarily in the United Kingdom. He maintains a regular presence in both the United States and Northern Europe, supporting his international practice.
Before entering private practice, Curtis worked as a design, systems, and project engineer with BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin IR Imaging Systems, Loral Infrared & Imaging Systems, Honeywell's Electro-Optics division, and Hughes Aircraft's Electro-Optics and Data Systems Group. His engineering background provides a deep technical foundation that enhances his ability to develop effective and commercially focused intellectual property strategies.
Curtis earned a B.S. and M.S. in engineering (optics) and a B.A. in history from the University of Rochester, a J.D., cum laude, from New England School of Law, and an M.B.A. from the University of Denver's Daniels College of Business.