RJ Zayed

Intellectual Property

RJ’s experience includes counseling, investigating, developing, asserting, and defending patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secret claims for many Fortune 500 companies including manufacturers and providers of medical devices, pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, healthcare services, semiconductors, software products, electronic products, wireless communications and systems, precision tooling, fertilizers, paints, and chemicals.

RJ’s technical and patent attorney background has enabled him to handle matters involving the design and operation of computers, wireless devices and telecommunications systems and protocols, electronic consumer products, electronic control systems, Coriolis flowmeters, encryption devices, memory devices, digital and analog circuitry, electrical transmission, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals and nutritional supplements, multi-modal polymers, adhesives, composites, and electrical, chemical, and mechanical processes.

Prior to law school, RJ worked seven years as a hardware and software design engineer for Honeywell, Inc., designing microprocessor-based instrumentation and digital and analog circuitry for environmental control systems used in commercial buildings and complexes. He received the Honeywell Technical Excellence Award for his design of software and hardware-controlled memory device and circuit board testing system.

RJ has successfully led numerous trade secret misappropriation, patent and trademark litigation matters in the following areas, among others:

• Defending a $4 billion misappropriation of trade secrets case involving systematic mathematical investment models.
• Prosecuting a $40 million misappropriation of trade secrets case involving mining processes.
• Defending a $60 million patent infringement case involving atrial septal occluder devices.
• Prosecuting a $27 million patent infringement case involving cardiovascular stents.
• Prosecuting a $100 million misappropriation of trade secrets case involving paint formulas.
• Defending a $750 million misappropriation of trade secrets case involving semiconductor manufacturing.
• Defending a $130 million trafficking in counterfeit goods federal investigation involving water filters.
• Defending a multi-million trademark infringement and trademark counterfeiting case involving tactical flashlights.
• Defending and obtaining dismissal of all charges in a federal indictment alleging misappropriation of trade secrets and false statements involving large software system for administrating state unemployment insurance benefits.

Government Enforcement and Corporate Investigations

RJ’s government enforcement background includes extensive experience in investigating, prosecuting, and defending complex federal investigations and actions. As an Assistant United States Attorney, RJ led the investigation and prosecution of hundreds of criminal cases, including economic espionage; theft of trade secrets; criminal copyright and trademark cases; multi-defendant international drug-trafficking and money laundering conspiracies; bribery and corruption; fraud (bank, computer, healthcare, mail, securities, tax and wire fraud); aggravated identity theft; conspiracies to defraud the United States; false statements and claims; violent crimes; firearm offenses; and environmental crimes (including some of the largest criminal fines in the history of Minnesota).

Since returning to private practice, RJ has defended and tried white-collar and multi-defendant international drug trafficking and money laundering cases. RJ has also successfully represented numerous corporate clients and state and private universities in government enforcement actions and in internal investigations, involving:

• Bribery, corrupt practices and fraudulent schemes (including alleged FCPA violations, corrupt practices and fraudulent schemes in Brazil, China, Colombia, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Jordan, Malaysia, Panama, Qatar, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom);
• Economic espionage;
• Trade secret misappropriation;
• Patents and inventions;
• Federal research grants;
• False statements and claims;
• Trafficking in counterfeit goods;
• Import and export violations;
• Criminal environmental violations;
• Fraud (bank, computer, healthcare, mail, securities, tax, and wire);
• Adulterated and misbranded drugs and medical devices; and
• Off-label promotion
• Defending $350 million ERISA healthcare case and prosecuting a $50 million healthcare fraud and conspiracy counterclaim case
• Defending $150 million False Claims Act case and obtaining governmental declination, dismissal of FCA claims and jury verdict of no retaliatory discharge in the manufacturing of aluminum curtain wall windows for commercial and governmental buildings
• Conducting extensive internal investigations for national public universities involving allegations of faculty misconduct, false claims, and misappropriation of intellectual property
• Conducting extensive internal investigations for national and international corporations involving allegations of bribery and public corruption
• Representing senior corporate executives against allegations of internal and external misconduct.

RJ has also represented non-English speaking clients whose native languages are Arabic and Spanish in criminal and civil matters in federal court.

RJ was the court-appointed Receiver in the SEC v. Cook, et. al, Case No. 09-cv-3333, CFTC v. Cook, et. al, Case No. 09-cv-3332, and SEC v. Beckman, et. al, Case No. 11-cv-574 (D. Minn.) cases involving a $194 million Ponzi scheme with hundreds of vulnerable victims.