Matthew S. Bethards
PEOPLE

Matthew S. Bethards

Partner
bethards.matthew@dorsey.com

Overview

MATT HELPS CLIENTS ALIGN THEIR PATENT STRATEGY WITH THEIR BUSINESS OBJECTIVES THROUGH STRATEGIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY COUNSELING AND U.S. AND FOREIGN PATENT PROCUREMENT AND PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT.

Matt’s practice focuses on patent-related matters for medical device, life science and chemical technology companies.

Matt is regularly involved in helping clients assess infringement risk through the IP due diligence process, product clearance analysis, and providing opinions regarding infringement and validity. He helps his clients develop and deploy comprehensive, worldwide patent strategies to maximize exclusivity for client products and avoid and defeat infringement claims. Matt has also developed the strategies for numerous opposition and appeal proceedings at the European Patent Office and in other opposition proceedings worldwide.

Matt’s work has been the basis for protecting critical technologies that generate billions of dollars in annual sales revenue. His patents have been central to and scrutinized in major (billion-dollar) transactions. Matt also serves on Dorsey’s Management Committee as Business Group Head, covering the Patent and Trademark Practice Groups.

Education & Admissions

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), School of Law (J.D., 2003), Order of the Coif; Editor-in-Chief and Managing Editor of the UCLA Journal of Law & Technology

Brigham Young University (B.S., Chemistry, 2000)

Admissions

  • Utah
  • United States Patent and Trademark Office
  • U.S. District Court for the District of Utah

Experience

Representative Experience

Medical Device, Pharmaceutical, and Life Science Industries
Matt’s experience in the medical device industry is extensive, with particular experience in cardiovascular, oncology, and interventional radiology technologies, orthopedic technologies, biomaterials, and radiation protection systems. More specifically, Matt has experience in vascular access and endovascular technologies, stents and stent delivery systems, grafts, inflation systems, embolics, orthopedic implants, hip replacement and spinal systems and related biomaterials and surgical technologies, dialysis technologies, wound therapy systems, vascular filters and vascular snares, surgical tools, needle systems, biopsy devices, antimicrobial and thromboresistant coatings and polymers, and neurovascular appliances and treatment systems.

In the pharmaceutical industry, clients have come to rely on Matt’s experience with small-molecule pharmaceuticals, drug formulations, hematology dye reagents, and drug delivery technologies such as drug-eluting microspheres, implantable drug-eluting pumps, chemoembolization technologies, aerosolized drug delivery, and transdermal drug delivery devices.

Representative Work

  • Currently managing all aspects and strategy of a significant worldwide medical device patent estate covering large product offerings representing over $1 billion per year in revenue
  • Developed the patent strategy to obtain patent protection for a $140 million per year Orange Book listed drug delivery technology
  • Developed the worldwide patent prosecution and clearance strategies for a $1.4 billion per year Orange Book listed small-molecule pharmaceutical
  • Drafted the patents and developed the patent strategy that was central to a $1 billion acquisition for a drug delivery technology

Chemical and Agricultural Industries
Matt has experience with disruptive agricultural technologies such as environmentally friendly superabsorbent polymers used for drought resistance, explosive technologies used in mining and seismic exploration, metathesis catalysts, chemical processing, composite materials, and biological hazard detection.

Representative Work

  • Currently managing the strategy of a significant worldwide patent estate for one of the largest worldwide explosives manufacturers
  • Currently managing the worldwide patent portfolio for a technology that was the subject of a Nobel Prize for chemistry
  • Represented a detergent company in an IP-centric transaction just shy of $1 billion

Renewable Energy Industry
Matt has deep experience in the solar and biofuel technology space including technologies used for the development of electronic-grade silicon, next-generation solar module systems, and cellulosic ethanol production and ethanol production from other non-food biomasses.

News & Resources

News & Press Mentions

201 Dorsey Lawyers Recognized in 2025 Best Lawyers in America, Lawyers of the Year, and Ones to Watch
Super Lawyers Recognizes 17 Dorsey Attorneys in Boise, Missoula, and Salt Lake City
Dorsey & Whitney Recognized Among World’s Leading Patent Firms in IAM Patent 1000
Chambers USA 2024 Recognizes Dorsey Lawyers and Practices
200 Dorsey Lawyers Selected for Inclusion in 2024 Best Lawyers in America, Lawyers of the Year, and Ones to Watch
Super Lawyers Recognizes 16 Dorsey Attorneys in Boise, Missoula, and Salt Lake City
IAM Patent 1000 Recognizes 20 Dorsey Attorneys in World’s Leading Patent Professionals 2023
21 Dorsey Attorneys and Four Practices Recognized in 2023 Utah Legal Elite
Chambers USA 2023 Recognizes 23 Dorsey Lawyers and Four Practices in Salt Lake City
Chambers USA 2023 Recognizes Dorsey Lawyers and Practices
Utah 2023 Legal Elite
Chambers USA 2022 Recognizes Dorsey Lawyers and Practices
Dorsey Salt Lake City Office Adds Leading Talent

Matt has published scholarly law review articles on various intellectual property topics, including publication in the AIPLA Quarterly Journal. He has also authored intellectual property strategy pieces in industry and business publications.

Matt has taught law school classes at the University of Utah (Chemical & Biotechnology Law) and Brigham Young University (Technology Licensing). He has also taught patent strategy classes at the Utah School of Medicine and the Marriott School of Management (BYU). He has been a frequent presenter at life science, bioscience and small-business industry events.

Industries & Practices

  • Energy & Natural Resources
  • Food, Beverage & Agribusiness
  • Healthcare & Life Sciences
  • Intellectual Property
  • Patent Prosecution & Strategy
  • Technology

Professional & Civic

Professional Achievements

  • Founding member of the David K. Winder IP Inn of Court (Salt Lake City, Utah)
  • Utah IP Summit Planning Committee (all-day CLE event for 400+ intellectual property practitioners)
  • Utah and Sacramento Innovation Awards Programs, Subcommittee Chair for Medical Devices, Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals, Chemicals & Materials Science, 2005–2019

Accolades

Chambers USA 2024 Dorsey LogoChambers USA 2023

  • Included in The Best Lawyers in America® (currently: Patent Law), 2015–2025
  • Selected as one of “America’s Leading Lawyers for Business” (Utah) by Chambers USA (currently: Intellectual Property), 2015–2024
  • Listed in Intellectual Asset Management’s IAM Patent 1000 – The World’s Leading Patent Practitioners, 2018–2021, 2023-2024
  • Included in Utah Business Legal Elite (Intellectual Property), 2004–2021
  • Listed in Mountain States Super Lawyers® (Intellectual Property), 2019–2024 (Rising Stars 2008-2016)
Matthew S. Bethards