Erika Drees applies her deep familiarity with European patent law and cross-cultural business practices to provide insightful counsel to U.S. and Japanese clients who are navigating the European patenting system, with a particular focus on complex patent drafting.
Raised in both the U.S. and Japan and fluent in Japanese, German, and English, Erika has extensive experience representing international clients in patent prosecution matters before the European Patent Office (EPO) and the German Patent and Trademark Office, as well as providing opinions and analyses. Erika’s clients appreciate her approachable demeanor and her ability to communicate complex legal concepts in accessible, plain, and precise language. Whether drafting patents or delivering opinions, she prioritizes her clients’ practical business needs and tailors her legal work to best anticipate and meet those needs.
Erika has also represented clients in Japan, Germany, and the U.S. in post-grant opposition proceedings before the EPO. Prior to joining Fish & Richardson, Erika served as in-house counsel for a European subsidiary of a Japanese company, where she gained significant experience in licensing negotiations, particularly with respect to German employee invention law, as well as a first-hand perspective of the pressures and challenges that clients face.
With extensive technical experience spanning mechanical and electromechanical inventions, Erika has worked with technologies including connected devices, consumer products, automotive engineering, manufacturing equipment, medical devices, and oil extraction and production.
