François O. Ecclesiaste

612.349.8500

Experience

François Ecclesiaste is a trial attorney who represents clients in high-stakes intellectual property and business litigation. He has represented both plaintiffs and defendants, including start-up companies, small businesses, individual inventors, and Fortune 500 companies, in matters involving patent, trademark, copyright infringement, trade secret misappropriation, and breach of contract disputes. As a registered patent attorney, Mr. Ecclesiaste has also successfully represented clients in inter partes review proceedings before the United States Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). He has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America: “Ones to Watch” since 2022.

Mr. Ecclesiaste gives back to his community by providing pro bono legal representation and supporting various nonprofits that are dear to his heart, including Haiti Outreach, the Minneapolis-St. Paul Film Society, Breakthrough Twin Cities, and Books for Africa. Outside of his law practice, Mr. Ecclesiaste enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter. He enjoys biking, swimming, singing, and playing the piano.

Representing Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) and Dynamic Advances LLC in patent infringement suit involving natural language processing. Successfully defended against institution of inter partes review seeking to invalidate asserted patents.

Representing Superior Industries, Inc. in ongoing patent infringement suit against a competitor related to conveyor belt technology.

Represented FunitureDealer.Net, Inc. in copyright infringement suit against Amazon.com, Inc. and COA, Inc. dba Coaster Company of America. Obtained favorable settlement for client.

Represented Orthocor Medical, Inc., and its corporate parent Caerus Corporation as defense counsel in a patent infringement suit related to pulse electromagnetic field (PEMF) medical and veterinary devices. Obtained successful dismissal of all claims with prejudice and without payment of any settlement amount. Endonovo Therapeutics, Inc. v. Orthocore Medical, Inc.

Represented Target Corporation and Forever 21 Retail, Inc. in successful defense of trademark infringement case. 

Represented co-defendants INVT Inc. and Inventergy Global in successful defense of alleged antitrust violations resulting in dismissal of complaint with prejudice. Intel Corp. and Apple Inc. v. Fortress Investment Group LLC et al. (N.D. Cal. No. 19-cv-07651).

Represented Hunter Douglas in employment, trade secret, and breach of contract dispute.

Represented Sherwin-Williams Company and Valspar Corporation in defending patent infringement suit against Arch Chemicals. Inc. 

Represented General Electric Company in contract dispute related to silent Medical Imaging Resonance (MRI) technology.

Represented Minnesota-based artist and sculptor in copyright infringement suit related to art and content depicting Bigfoot. Obtained favorable settlement for client.
Best Lawyers 2023
The National Top 40 under 40 Black Lawyers
Northstar Lawyer
  • Listed in The Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch (2023-2024 editions)
  • Selected as "Top 40 Under 40" by The National Black Lawyers (2019, 2020)
  • Named a “North Star Lawyer” by the Minnesota State Bar Association for providing at least 50 hours of pro bono legal services (2017-2022)
Bar Admissions
  • District of Columbia
  • Minnesota
  • New York
  • United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)
Spoken Languages
  • French
Education
  • University of Minnesota School of Law, J.D. 
  • Florida State University, B.S. in Biology and in Chemical Science
Professional Associations
  • American Chemical Society (ACS) – Biochemical Technology Division
  • Minnesota State Bar Association (MSBA)
  • Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers
  • New York State Bar Association (NYSBA)
  • District of Columbia Bar
  • The Legal Risks and Implications of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
    Blacks in Technology Conference (BITCon), Minneapolis, Minnesota (October 11, 2019)
October 12, 2019
Haiti Outreach Fall Gala
Minneapolis, MN
October 9-12, 2019

RESOURCES

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