Darrin A. Auito

I am an intellectual property attorney and business advisor (JD/MBA/MSE) with over 15 years of experience counseling clients on a range of matters, including portfolio development, patent preparation and prosecution, trademark and brand protection, litigation, licensing, and corporate due diligence. I am registered to practice before the United States Patent Office (USPTO) (Reg. No. 56,024) and admitted to practice in the State of Michigan, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. I have prepared, filed and prosecuted thousands of patent applications in fields such as automotive, autonomous vehicles, blockchain, drones, AI, medical devices, manufacturing systems, mobile payments, sporting equipment and heat exchangers. I have assisted clients on branding strategies, including advising on selection of new trademarks, conducting clearance searches, filing applications, and asserting and defending trademarks in district court and at the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. I serve on the Business Growth Council (BGC) and on the Advisory Board of the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council (SBEC) in Washington DC - influential voices for entrepreneurship and small business growth in the United States and across the globe. I also advise and represent several technology startups in the mobile payment, UAV, blockchain, and esports industries. Prior to forming HEA, I was an equity partner for several years at a former top 25 intellectual property firm in Washington DC, where I divided my time between patent prosecution and litigation. Prior to that, I was a project engineer at Applied Safety & Ergonomics, Inc., an engineering consulting firm in Ann Arbor, Michigan.