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Constance Gall Rhebergen
Partner
Assistant
Sharanda Mozart713.221.3359
Constance Rhebergen serves as the Head of the firm’s Intellectual Property Section and is a member of the firm's Management Committee. She is a registered patent attorney who counsels and represents business clients in the protection, maintenance, licensing and transfer of intellectual property assets and in providing patent infringement and validity opinions. Ms. Rhebergen leverages her experience in litigating patent, trademark and copyright infringement cases, Internet domain name cases, trade secrets, unfair competition, as well as counseling on the protection of intellectual property assets in acquisitions and financial restructuring.
Ms. Rhebergen advises businesses and government agencies in Latin America, Europe, MENA region, and elsewhere on intellectual property matters and litigates international intellectual property law disputes.
Ms. Rhebergen brings a rich blend of skills developed over years of practice in a range of technologies, including energy, chemical and process applications, mechanical arts, and computer software. Industries served include refining, chemical processing, petrochemicals, agriculture and food, computer software, oilwell drilling, synfuel, sports, education, telephone, wastewater, mechanical equipment, instrumentation, and explosives.
Prior to joining Bracewell & Giuliani, Ms. Rhebergen was employed by ChemShare Corp. as a senior engineering consultant supporting proprietary chemical process software; and by Bechtel Corp. as a chemical process engineer providing new technology evaluation, including design of process flows and detail engineering. She was engaged as a researcher for M. Verfahrenstechnik Institute in West Germany, and was involved in designing and developing system control for high temperature resistant filters and consulting with clients in rheology; and by Koppers Inc., where she provided services managing efficiency standards for polymer production and heat-transfer processes.
Representative Matters
Medical- Legal Consulting Institute Inc. v. McHugh, 1997 U.S. District. Represented plaintiff in copyright case.
Agar Corp. v. Multi-Fluid Inc., 983 F. Supp. 1126. Represented defendant in patent case.
Clearstream Wastewater Systems v. Hydro-Action Inc., 1999 U.S. District. Represented plaintiff in patent case.
Publications and Speeches
"Lame-Duck Patent Reform Goes Almost Entirely Unnoticed," Law360, December 2012
"Intellectual Property Issues in the Oilfield Services Sector," The Institute for Energy Law, October 2011
"Applying Old Methods to New Intellectual Property Challenges," Inside the Minds: Understanding Trademark and Copyright Developments for Online Content (7-20). Eagan, MN: Thomson Reuters/Aspatore, 2010
"Preparing for Hurricane ICANN," Baseline, August 2009
"Dot California or Dot Bust: Striking Gold in ICANN's New Domain Spaces," Internet Retailer, August 2009
"Land Rush in Cyberspace: ICANN’s Proposed Game-Changer and Its Impact on Trademark Rights," Bloomberg Technology Law, July 2009
"Still Under Construction: The Patent Prosecution Highway and the Triway: Are These The Roads To A World Patent Office?" Intellectual Property & Technology Law Journal, 20(11): 23-27 (2008)
Education
J.D., University of Houston Law Center, 1994
M.B.A., University of Houston, 1994
B.S., Chemical Engineering, Northwestern University, 1986
Bar Admissions
Texas
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Court Admissions
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
U.S. District Court for the Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western Districts of Texas
Certifications
Certified Licensing Professional
Affiliations
State Bar of Texas
Houston Intellectual Property Law Association
Texas Women Lawyers
International Trademark Association
Noteworthy
Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business, Intellectual Property, 2006-2012
US Legal 500, Intellectual Property (IP): Patent Prosecution: Utility and Design Patents, 2011-2012
IAM Patent 1000, The World's Leading Patent Practitioners, 2012
PLC Which Lawyer?, 2010-2012
Super Lawyers, Corporate Counsel Edition, 2008
Texas Super Lawyers, 2006, 2007
Houston Business Journal Top IP Litigators in Houston 2011
Languages
German
