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As a patent attorney, Julie Daulton knows that a narrow focus on the U.S. can hurt inventors in an increasingly global economy. She focuses on strategy and patent applications for best practices around the world to create strong global patent portfolios for her clients.

Julie Daulton is a shareholder in the Minneapolis office of Merchant who practices intellectual property law with a focus on patents (utility and design). She has written and prosecuted hundreds of patent applications, several of which have been successfully enforced through licensing or litigation. Julie is experienced in conducting invalidity investigations, infringement studies, non-infringement design-around counseling, and competitive patent portfolio analyses. Julie has prosecuted inter-partes and ex-parte reexaminations and patent reissues, and she has coordinated foreign patent oppositions on behalf of both the patent holder and the opposer.

While in law school, Julie was a Patent Examiner with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in Washington, D.C., gaining experience as a student that she uses in her practice to navigate the inner workings of the Patent & Trademark Office.

At Merchant, Julie serves as the corporate secretary and is the former co-chair of the Mechanical Practice Group.  She has represented children pro bono through the Children's Law Center of Minnesota and has served on the Board of Directors for a local non-profit organization.  She is a lifetime Minnesota Twins fan.

  • George Mason University, J.D., 1994,

    with distinction, Patent Track, Law Review

  • George Mason University, M.E. Industrial Engineering, 1990
  • Iowa State University, B.S. Industrial Engineering, 1989,

    Tau Beta Pi, Phi Kappa Phi

  • Minnesota State Bar, 1994
  • U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, 1992
  • U.S. District Court - District of Minnesota, 1995

Selected for inclusion in Minnesota Super Lawyers (2014-2018)

  • American Intellectual Property Law Association
  • Minnesota State Bar Association
  • Minnesota Intellectual Property Law Association
  • The Federalist Society
  • The Modern Art of Design Protection: Issues Relating to Design Protection After Egyptian Goddess, Managing IP Webinar (May 19, 2010)
  • Patenting Green: Issues Relating to the Emergence of Patents Concerning Green Technologies, Midwest Intellectual Property Institute (September 2009)
  • Prosecution Practice in View of the Broadening Definition of Estoppel to Application of the Equivalents Doctrine, AIPLA Mid-Winter Institute (January 2005)
  • Reaching the Summit – Prevailing at the Federal Circuit, IP Value 2005 (January 2005)
  • Ten Tips for Maximizing Provisional Rights Protection, MSBA Advanced Patent Practice Seminar (February 2004)
  • Is There Failure to Communicate? Examining Recent Developments in Reexam & Reissue Practice, AIPLA Meeting (May 2003)
  • Claim Drafting in View of Recent Litigation, AIPLA Meeting (August 2001)
  • Five General Principles of Method Claiming, AIPLA Meeting (October 2000)
  • Egyptian Goddess v. Swisa: A Tale of Two Tests, The IP Book (September 2009)
  • The Case Against Patents: Negative Perceptions About Patents, How They’re Playing Out in the Law, and What It Means for Your Practice and Your Clients’ Valuable Assets (October 2008)
  • A New Look at Global Design Protection: Strategies and Recommendations, The IP Book (October 2004)
  • Examining Provisional Rights: Some Observations Regarding Practice Under 35 U.S.C. 154(d), IP BookIntellectual Property Institute (October 2003)