Mark Dukes is a partner of the firm and chairs the Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP Intellectual Property Law and Litigation Group. His practice involves patents, trademarks, litigation, unfair trade practices, advertising and international law. Mr. Dukes represents leading U.S. corporations in all areas of intellectual property law. He has extensive experience in strategic client counseling and intellectual property portfolio management, as well as defense and enforcement of intellectual property rights in the United States, Europe and Asia.

From 1984-86, Mr. Dukes served as an examiner with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and following graduation from law school, returned to Washington, D.C. to serve as a judicial clerk for Judge Jean G. Bissell of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the court with exclusive jurisdiction over patent appeals. Mr. Dukes is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina.

Mr. Dukes is listed in The Best Lawyers in America (2005-2012). Additionally, Mr. Dukes has been selected as a fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America (LCA), a trial lawyer honorary society that recognizes deserving, experienced and highly qualified lawyers.
 
A member of the South Carolina Bar and former chair of its Intellectual Property and Unfair Trade Practice Committee, Mr. Dukes has served as adjunct professor of Intellectual Property Law at the University of South Carolina School of Law. Additionally, Mr. Dukes has been a member of the Blue Ribbon Committee on South Carolina Intellectual Property Law. Mr. Dukes also is a member of the American Bar Association; the Carolina Patent, Trademark and Copyright Law Association (former board member); the Columbia Information Technology Council of the Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce; the Federal Circuit Bar Association; the Richland County Bar Association; the South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys' Association; and a permanent member of the U.S. Fourth Circuit Judicial Conference.

Active in the community, Mr. Dukes serves on the Clemson University Board of Visitors and is a member of the Business Leadership Council of the South Carolina Governor's School for Science & Mathematics Foundation. Mr. Dukes also serves on the board of the South Carolina Youth Shooting Foundation.

In 1989, Mr. Dukes earned a Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the University of South Carolina School of Law where he was named to The Order of the Coif. He was a member of the South Carolina Law Review, and the Order of Wig and Robe, and received American Jurisprudence Awards for Torts, Professional Responsibility and Administrative Law. Mr. Dukes earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Clemson University in 1984.

Representative U.S. Cases 

• Jacobs Chuck Manufacturing Company and Power Tool Holders Incorporated v. Wengdong Honfa Machine Company, Ltd., Shandong Weida Machine-Tool Means Group Company, Hutchin Enterprises, Limited and Northern Hydraulics - Represented Plaintiffs in patent infringement litigation relating to keyless drill chucks.
• Easco Hand Tools, Inc. v. Thorsen Tools, Inc. - Represented Plaintiff in trademark infringement case.
• Stephen C. Baer v. Leica Microsystems, Inc. and Leica Microsystems, GmbH - Represented Defendants in patent infringement litigation regarding super-resolution confocal microscopy.
• Hunter Engineering Company v. Hennessy Industries, Inc. - Represented Defendant in patent infringement litigation regarding automotive maintenance equipment.
• Paul N. Ware and Systems Innovation, L.L.C. v. Abercrombie & Fitch Stores, Inc. et al - Represented Defendant in patent infringement litigation regarding computer methods.
• Fiskars Brands, Inc. v. Leatherman Tool Group, Inc. - Represented Defendant in patent infringement litigation regarding multi-tools.
• Leatherman Tool Group, Inc. v. Fiskars Brands, Inc., Target Corporation, Academy, Ltd., Recreational Equipment, Inc. and Bass Pro, Inc. - Represented Plaintiff in patent infringement litigation regarding multi-tools.
• Santronics, Inc. v. Fluke Corporation - Represented Defendant in patent infringement litigation relating to electronic test equipment.
• Masonite Corporation v. JELD-WEN, inc. - Represented Defendants in patent infringement litigation relating to construction materials.
• Radiological Imaging Technology, Inc. v. Cardinal Health, Inc., 3Cognition, LLC and Fluke Electronics Corporation - Represented Defendants in patent infringement litigation relating to electronic devices.
• Ettem USA, Inc. v. Kollmorgen Corporation - Represented Defendant in trade secret litigation relating to bearing systems and submarine periscopes.
• Easco Hand Tools, Inc. v. The Stanley Works and Hi-Five Products Developing Co., Ltd.  - Represented Plaintiff in trademark infringement litigation relating to hand tools.
• Veeder-Root Co., Gilbarco, Inc. and Vapor Systems Technologies, Inc. v. Healy Systems, Inc. - Represented Plaintiffs in patent infringement litigation relating to fueling systems.
• Touchcom Inc. and Touchcom Technologies Inc. v. Gilbarco, Inc. - Represented Defendant in patent infringement litigation relating to fuel dispensing apparatus and computer software.
• Ircon, Inc. v. Raytek Corporation - Represented Defendant in patent infringement litigation relating to electronic test equipment.
• Machine Design Incorporated v. E. Frank Robertson and Cayvon, Inc. - Represented Plaintiff in patent infringement, trade secret and copyright litigation relating to automated machinery.
• Jacobs Chuck Manufacturing Company and Power Tool Holders, Inc. v. Shandong Weida Machinery Co. Ltd., One World Technologies, Inc., and Techtronic Industries Co., Ltd.-  Represented Plaintiffs in patent infringement litigation relating to drill chucks.
• MTV Networks, a division of Viacom International Inc. v. Cameron Weaver - Represented Plaintiff in internet-related litigation.
• The Towne House, Inc. d/b/a Towne House Restaurant v. Anderson Towne House Restaurant, L.L.C. - Represented Plaintiff in trademark infringement litigation.
• Summit Tools, Inc. v. Sears Roebuck and Company and Danaher Corporation - Represented Defendants in patent infringement litigation regarding hand tools.
• U.S. International Trade Commission Investigation No. 337-TA-483 in the matter of Certain Tool Handles, Tool Holders, Tool Sets and Components thereof - Represented Defendants in ITC patent infringement litigation relating to tools. 
• Allen-Pal, LLC v. Danaher Tool Group and Danaher Corporation - Represented Defendants in patent infringement litigation relating to tools.
• Easco Hand Tools, Inc., Armstrong Tools, Inc., Kingsley Tools Inc., Lea Way Hand Tool Corporation, and Matco Tools Corporation v. Hu, Hou-Fei a/k/a Bobby Hu - Represented Plaintiffs in patent infringement litigation relating to tools.
• Easco Hand Tools, Inc., Armstrong Tools, Inc., Kingsley Tools Inc., Lea Way Hand Tool Corporation, and Matco Tools Corporation v. Hu, Hou-Fei a/k/a Bobby Hu - Represented Plaintiffs in patent infringement litigation relating to tools.
• Stephen H. Smith v. The Sun Publishing Company, Inc. d/b/a The Sun News and Horry-Georgetown Homebuilders Association, Inc. - Represented Defendant in copyright infringement litigation.
• Hennessy Industries, Inc. v. Sun Standard, Inc. and Sun Tool Company, a division of Sun Standard Inc. - Represented Plaintiff in patent infringement litigation regarding automobile service equipment.
• Matnick v. Hennessy Industries, Inc. - Represented Defendant in patent infringement and trade secret litigation regarding automobile service equipment.
• Quoizel, Inc. v. The Brinkmann Corporation - Represented Plaintiff in patent infringement litigation regarding light fixtures.
• Quoizel, Inc. v. Bright Yin Huey Co., Ltd. and J.C. Penney Company, Inc. - Represented Plaintiff in patent infringement litigation regarding light fixtures.
• Shakespeare Company, LLC v. Pure Fishing Inc. - Represented Plaintiff in patent infringement litigation regarding fishing equipment.
• Shakespeare Company, LLC v. Fuji Kogyo Co., Ltd. - Represented Plaintiff in patent infringement litigation relating to fishing equipment.
• Jacobs Chuck Manufacturing Company and Power Tool Holders Incorporated v. Rohm GmbH S-B Power Tool Company and Northern Hydraulics - Represented Plaintiffs in patent infringement litigation regarding drill chucks.
• Jacobs Chuck Manufacturing Company v. QVC - Represented Plaintiffs in patent infringement litigation regarding drill chucks.
• Jacobs Chuck Manufacturing Company and Power Tool Holders Incorporated v. LFA Industries, Inc. and Etablisments Amyot S.A. - Represented Plaintiffs in patent infringement litigation regarding drill chucks.
• Jacobs Chuck Manufacturing Company and Power Tool Holders Incorporated v. SUMEC Hardware and Tools Co., Ltd. - Represented Plaintiffs in patent infringement litigation regarding drill chucks.