Bio
Olivia’s experience encompasses all areas of IP — patents, trade secrets, copyrights, and trademarks — and covers a variety of industries, including medical devices, computer programs and software, cellphone technology, and manufacturers of audio products, paintballs, and power tools. An experienced trial lawyer, Olivia has litigated and tried significant cases before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and other federal courts across the country, and she has also briefed and argued patent appeals before the Federal Circuit. Olivia serves on three judicially appointed committees for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois: Local Rules Advisory, Local Patent Rules, and Racial Justice Diversity.
Olivia’s experience also encompasses many aspects of civil litigation, including general business disputes and product liability investigations and litigations. She recently represented a global manufacturer in the gas and energy space working closely with technical and damages experts.
Before practicing law, Olivia spent five years as a patent examiner for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). There she gained extensive experience and deep knowledge of USPTO procedures, which she leverages on behalf of clients as she advises them on business decisions and litigates disputes.
Olivia is dedicated to increasing inclusion, equity, and diversity in the legal profession. In addition to her service on the Racial Justice Diversity Committee for the District Court, she also serves as a board member of the Chicago Committee for Minorities in Large Law Firms and on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee for the Economic Club of Chicago.
Olivia devotes a substantial amount of her time to pro bono service. In 2018, she received the Excellence in Pro Bono Service award, presented by the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and the Chicago Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. Her dedication began when she represented a Chicago high school student charged with first-degree felony murder in People v. Shannon, which received national attention after a videotape of the incident went viral. Olivia remains dedicated to her pro bono clients and continues to fight for their cause through petitions and appeals. She received the Sandra Day O’Connor Award for Professional Service in 2011 for that representation.
Experience
Representative Engagements
- Represented medical doctor inventors in a successful claim for arbitration over patent licensing agreements involving biomedical devices.
- Represented a global information company in a trade secrets dispute involving computer software programs.
- Represented a global audio products leader asserting patent infringement claims against a competitor.
- Represented a paintball manufacturer asserting trademark claims against a competitor.
- Represented a health care accreditation organization in asserting copyright claims against a software program vendor.
- Represented a patent owner asserting patent infringement claims involving cell phone technology against a global electronics company through two jury trials.
- Represented a company asserting trademark infringement claims against a competitor in the automotive industry through bench trial.
- Represented a propane tank valve manufacturer in products liability matters.
Credentials
Education
American University Washington College of Law, J.D., 2005
Georgia Institute of Technology, B.S., 2000
Bar Admissions
IllinoisSupreme Court of Illinois
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois (Trial Bar)
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Professional Memberships
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois Local Rules Advisory Committee, Member
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois Local Patent Rules Committee, Member
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois Racial Justice Diversity Committee, Member
Richard Linn American Inn of Court; Executive Director, Co-Founder, and Former President
Economic Club of Chicago, Vice Chair of Membership (2020-2021), Chair of Membership Subcommittee III (2019-2020)
Ladies in IP Society; Co-Founder and Organizer
Women's Coalition, Delegate
Women’s Bar Association of Illinois, Past IP Committee Chair
Chicago Bar Association, Past Judicial Evaluation Committee Member
Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago
Federal Circuit Bar Association, Past PTO Committee Chair, Past Law Students and Law Clerks Chair, and Past Membership Chair
Teaching Appointments
Guest Professor and Lecturer, Advanced Trial Advocacy Course, Notre Dame Law School (2017)
Guest Professor and Lecturer, Patent Law Course, Loyola Law School (2019)
Guest Professor and Lecturer, Patent Law Courses, Chicago-Kent School of Law
Guest Professor and Lecturer, Patent Law Courses, Northwestern Law School
Honors & Awards
Notable Minorities in Accounting, Consulting & Law, Crain’s Chicago Business (2020)Salute! Women in Law Awards, Chicago Daily Law Bulletin and Chicago Lawyer (2020)
The Best Lawyers in America, Best Lawyers® (Litigation – Intellectual Property, Litigation – Patent, and Patent Law, 2018-2025)
Illinois Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters (2014-present)
Top 50 Women Illinois Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters (2018-present)
Top 100 Illinois Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters (2018)
Top 100 Under 50 Executive Leaders, Diversity MBA (2018)
Award for Excellence in Pro Bono Service, United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois and the Chicago Chapter of the Federal Bar Association (2018)
40 Illinois Attorneys Under Forty, Law Bulletin Media (2014)
Top 250 Women IP Attorneys, Managing Intellectual Property Magazine (2014)
New Look of Leadership Award, YWCA (2014)
Sandra Day O’Connor Award for Professional Service, American Inns of Court (2011)
Linn Inn Alliance Distinguished Service Medal, Linn Inn Alliance (2011)
Languages Spoken & Fluency
Cantonese, Conversational
Publications & Presentations
“Texas Judge Bans Courtroom Slams on ‘Yahoo’ Jurors, ‘Fake News,” (quote) Bloomberg Law (January 25, 2023)
“Patent Firms Recruit Undergrads in Pipeline Diversity Push,” (quote) Bloomberg Law (September 01, 2022)
“The State of Asian American & Pacific Islander Attorneys in 2022,” (co-panelist) Chicago Committee (February 25, 2022)
“How to Protect Your Trade Secrets in Non-Employee Contexts,” (moderator) the IPLAC Trade Secrets Summit—Part II: Protecting Trade Secrets in Transactional & Employee Contexts (December 13, 2021)
“3 Successful Strategies for Patenting Diagnostic Technologies,” (co-author) Med Device Online (August 10, 2021)
“Promoting Inclusion, With or Without Golf: A Conversation With NGE's Olivia Luk Bedi,” (interviewee) Law.com (June 4, 2021)
Community Service
American University Washington College of Law, Program on Information Justice & Intellectual Property, Alumni Advisory Council Member (September 2023-present)
Georgia Institute of Technology, GT Mentor Jackets (mentoring students interested in intellectual property law) (October 2019-present)
Illinois IP Alliance, Founding Member (January 2020-present)
Chicago Inventors Organization, Past Member, Board of Directors