Mr. John J. Doll
Commissioner for Patents
United States Patent and Trademark Office
John J. Doll is the Commissioner for Patents, responsible for all aspects of the patent granting process for the United States, more than 5,000 employees, and an annual budget of more than $970 million.
Previously, Mr. Doll served as Deputy Commissioner for Patent Resources and Planning, and on a detail assignment as Special Assistant to Jon Dudas, Director of the USPTO. Before his detail, Mr. Doll was the Director of Groups 1610 and 1630 that examine organic chemistry, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology.
Mr. Doll joined the Patent and Trademark Office in 1974 as a Patent Examiner and was promoted to Primary Examiner in 1979, reviewing patent applications encompassing pharmaceuticals, herbicides, pesticides, and dyestuffs. As a Supervisory Patent Examiner in Groups 1100 and 1800, he was responsible for applications drawn from a variety of arts, including inorganic chemistry, hydrometallurgy, zeolite catalysts, buckministerfullerenes, proteins, and peptides. In 1992, he was promoted to Deputy Director of Group 1100 and 2900, which examined chemical, chemical engineering, and design patent applications. In 1995, he became the Director of Group 1800, which examined biotechnology patent applications. He was then one of the Directors of the Chemical Matrix that transitioned into Technology Center 1600.
As a Director, Mr. Doll led the development and implementation of the 35 United States Code (USC) 112, paragraph 1, Enablement Examiner Training Materials. He was a key member of the team that developed and implemented the 35 USC 101, Utility Guidelines, and the 35 USC 112, paragraph 1, Written Description Guidelines, as well as the associated Examiner Training Materials. He was also part of the team that led the Patent Corps Business Process Image File Wrapper implementation of image-based electronic patent applications.
Mr. Doll has received the Department of Commerce Bronze Medal for examination and supervisory accomplishments; a Bronze Medal for his work on the implementation of Patent Application Location and Monitoring (PALM); a Silver Medal for his work on the development of automated examiner office action tools; the Vice Presidential Hammer Award for his work in establishing the Biotechnology Customer Partnership; and a Gold Medal for his work on the Image File Wrapper system.
Mr. Doll received a bachelor of science from Bowling Green State University in chemistry and physics, and a master of science from The Pennsylvania State University in physical chemistry.
Dr. Forrest Bird
National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductee
Dr. Forrest M. Bird was born in Stoughton, Massachusetts. His father, a World War I pilot, encouraged him to solo in an airplane by age 14, and by 16 Forrest had been tutored toward earning major flight authorizations.
During World War II, as an officer with the Army Air Corps, Dr. Bird became a technical air-training officer, which allowed him to fly almost every airplane then available. At that time supercharged airplanes were beginning to exceed the altitudes at which pilots could breathe unaided. This provided Dr. Bird his first chance at developing technology for aiding breathing. After an Air Corps physician presented him textbooks on mammalian pathophysiology, he became a lifelong student of the subject.
By 1955, after receiving a broad medical education and experiencing patient care within diverse residencies, Dr. Bird developed the advanced prototype Bird Universal Medical Respirator for acute or chronic cardiopulmonary care. He was able to evaluate the respiratory device by traveling in his own airplanes to familiar medical institutions employing his prototypes on the most critically ill patients.
In each case known therapies had failed and the patient was expected to die of cardiopulmonary failure. Although many times “the Bird” succeeded, some patients died. These cases only pointed the way for further improvements in the device. “The Bird” was a little green box which became familiar to hospital patients throughout the world after it was introduced in 1956. It was the first highly reliable, low-cost,
mass-produced medical respirator in the world.
The "BabyBird" respirator, introduced in 1970, reduced infant mortality due to respirator problems form 70 percent to less than ten percent. This was the first life support respirator for infants in the world. The BabyBird was then mass produced and sold on a worldwide basis.
Forrest Bird describes himself as a product of fate, time and circumstance. As he puts it, “None of us have any control over where or to whom we are born. Neither do we control the socioeconomic circle into which we arrive.”
Last year, Dr. Bird developed five new high tech medical products in the cardio/pulmonary life support products. These new products have gone through all of the product commercialization stages and are selling throughout the world.
Dr. Bird was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in the mid 1990’s. In a newspaper interview he once said, the greatest rewards for all biomedical technologists, is what we are able to do to; improve the quality of life and often sustain life itself.
Ms. Pamela Riddle Bird, Ph.D.
Founder and CEO, Innovative Product Technologies, Inc.
Dr. Pamela Bird is an internationally recognized commercialization expert. She was recently selected as a "Product Evaluator" for ABC television's new series titled, "American Inventor." She is the Founder and CEO of Innovative Product Technologies, Inc. (IPT, Inc.). IPT, Inc. is a product and technology based market commercialization corporation located in Gainesville, FL with a branch office in Sandpoint, Idaho. Board of Advisors to this company include: Mr. Lloyd Bell, physicist and former advisor to J. Louis Reynolds (Reynolds Aluminum) and Kenneth Parker (Parker Pens); Dr. Robert Cade, inventor of Gatorade® with worldwide sales of $1.25 billion annually; Mr. Harris Rosen, successful hotelier and entrepreneur; Mr. Ed Shadd, a member of the development team that created the UPC bar coding system; Mr. John Weber, founder and former CEO of Monchik-Weber Corporation--sold to McGraw-Hill in 1984; Mr. Philip Bart, developer and manufacturer of the Cabbage Patch doll, Mr. Jim Fergason, inventor of liquid crystal display (LCD); Dr. Robert Rines, inventor of sonar, Ms. JoAnne Hayes-Rines, Publisher, Inventors Digest Magazine® and Dr. Forrest Bird, inventor medical respirator/ventilator.
Dr. Bird is a "key player" in the technology-transfer process. She is a liaison between inventor organizations, venture capital organizations, entrepreneurial networks and research park facilities. In fact, Dr. Bird was interviewed and has served as a consultant to ABC television network 20/20 as a national new product development and commercialization expert. She works diligently with her clients (inventors) to bring new products to the end consumer with "hands on" experience by working with national buyers in retailing, pricing, promoting, packaging, and distributing products. She also works with manufacturers regarding production of new products and with investors to capitalize new business ventures.
Dr. Bird is the author of over 70 publications and has been quoted and featured in numerous newspapers throughout the country including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Barron's - The Dow Jones Business and Financial Weekly, Forbes Magazine and the Miami Herald. She has appeared as a guest on numerous television shows including the GOLDEN LIFESTYLES TV Show.
Dr. Bird is the author of Inventing for Dummies® published by Wiley Publishing Company, owner of the Dummies® series. At the request of the U.S. Consulate, Dr. Bird served as the "keynote" via satellite conference with China officials regarding new product commercialization and evaluation in the United States.
Dr. Bird is the Founder of the Inventors Educational Foundation. This is a non-profit public charity to assist in the educational, as well as commercialization needs of innovators and entrepreneurs with new ideas, products and technologies from all ages and walks of life. She co-branded the first credit card in the nation with MBNA (one of the largest credit card companies in the world) to start the first credit card for innovators, patent attorneys and patent agents. All proceeds Dr. Bird receives from this card are donated to the Inventors Educational Foundation.
Dr. Bird is a licensed pilot, as well as licensed commercial and residential building contractor.
Mr. Paul Brown
Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago
Paul Brown is of the law firm Emrich & Dithmar LLC. I've been a registered patent practitioner for 33 years and have prosecuted patent applications in a wide range of technologies. I also handle trademark matters for my clients and related matters such as domain-name dispute resolution. I received a B.S. in Chemistry from Monmouth College in 1961 and a M.S. in Chemistry from DePauw University in 1963. I received my J.D. from Michigan Law School in 1966.
Ms. Lynne H. Browne
Supervisory Patent Examiner, Technology Center 2100
United States Patent and Trademark Office
Lynne Hambleton Browne is a Supervisory Patent Examiner (SPE) at the United States Patent and Trademark Office, a position she has held since 1998. She is currently a SPE in the Electrical Technology Center 2100 where she supervises examiners who examine computer and digital processing systems. Prior to joining the management team for Technology Center 2100, she was a SPE in the Mechanical Technology Center 3600.
Ms. Browne holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Wright State University and a Juris Doctorate Degree from George Mason University School of Law. Ms. Browne is a member of the Virginia Bar Association and the American Intellectual Property Law Association, and she is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Virginia and the United States Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit.
Before joining the Patent and Trademark Office, she worked for the United States Air Force Logistics Command at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, OH as a Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative. Ms. Browne began her career at the United States Patent and Trademark Office in 1990, as a Patent Examiner. She examined applications involving medical devices, exercise equipment, and tobacco products for a period of 8 years. During that period she served on a detail to the Office of Patent Legal Administration and completed an externship as a law clerk at the International Trade Commission in the Office of Unfair Import Investigations. As an examiner Ms. Browne received numerous awards including the Bronze Medal of the Department of Commerce for Superior Federal Service.
As a SPE, Ms. Browne was given the opportunity to clerk for the Chief Administrative Patent Judge on a work assignment to the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences. Ms. Browne has been actively involved with the Inventor Assistance Program since its creation in 1999.
Mr. John J. Calvert
Supervisory Patent Examiner, Technology Center 3700
United States Patent and Trademark Office
Since October 1998, John has been responsible for supervising as many as 21 examiners in the area of textile technology in Art Unit 3765.
John graduated from North Carolina State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Textile Technology in May 1971. He worked for Milliken and Co. and J. P. Stevens in various management positions including Division Director of Human Resources Development before returning to N.C. State University to pursue a Master of Science Degree in Textile Management. In February of 1990, John joined the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as an examiner in Group 240 specializing in textile technology. In February 1995, John became a Primary Examiner. Since then he has worked on detail as a Petitions Examiner. John also was selected for work assignment in the Search and Information Resources Administration where he worked in PALM as liaison between the Office of Patent Legal Administration and SIRA instituting changes reflective of changes in patent rules and formulating changes in the manner in which OIPE communicates with the customer. He also served as Sr. Project Manager for the Office of Electronic Patent Application Processing dealing with changes in the patent application format bringing a standard application format into compliance with US practice, the Patent Law Treaty and PCT.
As the former Acting Director for the Office of Independent Inventor Programs, John remains actively involved with the ongoing campaign to educate inventors about invention promotion firms and will continue to expand the outreach initiative to the inventor community.
Mr. Calvert has received numerous achievement awards, including the Department of Commerce Bronze Medal for superior Federal service and the United States Patent and Trademark Office Exceptional Career Award. Mr. Calvert completed studies in the Syracuse University, Maxwell School certificates program of Advanced Public Management and completed the Executive Development Seminar sponsored by the Office of Personnel Management.
Mr. Jeff Canfield
Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago
Mr. Canfield has extensive experience in patent prosecution, patent infringement and validity analysis and general intellectual property counseling. Mr. Canfield has prepared and prosecuted patents in numerous arts. He has prosecuted a number of groundbreaking Internet commerce related patents, including commercial transaction algorithms, session tracking, web advertising and on-line airline ticketing and reservation systems. He has also worked on many other software and business method related inventions, including complex derivative financial instruments and software for formulating capitalization plans for small businesses. Other technologies include video processing, bandwidth allocation systems, optoelectronics and automated production equipment.
Mr. Alan Douglas
Supervisory Patent Examiner, Technology 2900
United States Patent and Trademark Office
Alan Douglas is a supervisory patent examiner in Technology Center 2900, was born and raised in a suburb of Washington, D.C., and graduated from the University of Miami with a BA in electronic communications. He attended Temple University Law School. He has been a design patent examiner for over 35 years, and a supervisor for the last 15 years. He was president of the Patent Office Professional Association from 1977-1981. He has served on assignments in Search and Information Resources developing the automated patent system, and in the Office of Petitions. He enjoys bicycle racing, travel, reading and sailing.
Ms. Yvonne (Bonnie) Eyler
Supervisory Patent Examiner, Technology Center 1600
United States Patent and Trademark Office
Yvonne (Bonnie) Eyler joined the USPTO in 1995 and became an SPE in November of 2000 and a tQAS in May of 2004. Bonnie holds B.S. degrees in both Biology and Chemistry and a Ph.D. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where she specialized in viral immunopathology. Before coming to the USPTO, Bonnie worked for Eastman Kodak studying DNA tumor viruses and HIV and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the NIH’s Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) studying DNA tumor viruses and the immune response thereto.
Mr. Louis J. Foreman
Chief Executive of Enventys
Louis Foreman is founder and Chief Executive of Enventys, an integrated product design and engineering firm with offices in Charlotte, NC and Hong Kong. Louis graduated from The University of Illinois with a Bachelors of Science degree in Economics. His interest in starting businesses and developing innovative products began while a sophomore with his first company founded in his fraternity room. Over the past 20 years Louis has created 5 successful start-ups and has been directly responsible for the creation of over 10 others. A prolific inventor, he is the inventor of 9 registered US Patents, and his firm is responsible for the development and filing of well over 100 more.
The recipient of numerous awards for entrepreneurial achievement, his passion for small business extends beyond his own companies. Louis volunteers his time teaching small business classes at Central Piedmont Community College and is a frequent guest lecturer on the topics of small business creation and product development. He also gives back to the small business community by mentoring aspiring entrepreneurs.
Louis currently serves as a board member for the University of North Carolina Charlotte Technology Commercialization Committee, The Entrepreneurial Leadership Council at Queens University, The Central Piedmont Community College Small Business Advisory Board, as well as, serving other community and charitable organizations. In 2005, Louis was a founding member of The Inventors Network of the Carolinas, a non-profit organization that empowers inventors through education, support, and networking opportunities. Most recently, Louis is serving as product advisor and judge for a new inventor’s show called Everyday Edisons. The show will appear on PBS stations this fall.
Mr. Greg Hart
Modern Marvels Semi-Finalist
And Inventor of Candlewatch®
Semi-Finalist Greg Hart, is the inventor of Candlewatch®, the World's First Automatic Candle Extinguisher. At 44 years of age, Greg has been a full-time Realtor since joining his Father's Real Estate Brokerage Firm, Hart of Ohio Realty, Inc., in 1983, which merged with HER Real Living in 1988. Greg has been married to his wife, Deana, for over 20 years and is the proud father of 3 sons whose ages range from 16 – 12 years old.
Greg has received many local, state and national awards through-out the years for being a top-producing Realtor. With over 1000 past clients, Greg continues to work hard every day in providing his expertise to many people who seek him out for all their Real Estate needs.
The Invention Idea
Candlewatch is a safety device that automatically puts out the flame of a candle. An automatic candle snuffer sits on top of the container or jar of the candle and uses a timer to put out the flame. The silent spring wound timer can be set from three hours to a half hour. At the time of expiration, the lid shuts and puts out the candle flame.
The History
While reading a magazine on a business flight, Hart became distraught over an image of a firefighter carrying a child's body out of a house fire started by an unattended candle. It was at this moment Hart felt a call-to-action to make safer candles. Having no prior experience with candles, he researched and found that in 2002 there were over 18,000 candle-related fires that caused more than $333 million in property damage in the U.S. He recognized that the candle industry, which is a $3 billion a year business, had not yet thought of creating a safety device that prevented fires caused by candles.
Road to Development
After seeing the image of the candle fire victim, Hart took out a napkin and began to draw the initial concept for Candlewatch. As soon as he returned home from his trip, he headed directly to his barn to gather items for his invention. He gathered a canning jar, wood, a crock pot pointer and glue and managed to create a crude prototype of his concept. Hart's first test with a candle later that same night worked!
Hart found the road to obtaining a patent challenging. Numerous calls to patent attorneys were not returned. Finally, a law intern saw the potential and returned his call. Together they learned there was not anything like the Candlewatch on the market.
In order for his invention to garner consumer interest, Hart recognized that he must improve upon his initial crude-looking prototype and make the invention both attractive and lightweight. His first attempt at a redesign proved too heavy, the second was unattractive, but the third was just right – being both beautiful and light.
Hart's main objective with creating this invention is to obliterate fires started from unattended candles – a savings quantified in both lives lost and dollars spent. Greg has received his second patent and is applying for his third patent which covers his plans to add more safety features including a motion detector and heat sensor, fulfilling his wish to make candles safer for the world.
Mr. Christopher S. Hermanson
Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago
Christopher S. Hermanson, registered to practice before the U.S. Patent
and Trademark Office, is an associate in Seyfath Shaw LLP's Intellectual
Property Practice Group. He concentrates his practice in patent law.
Mr. Hermanson has extensive patent prosecution experience in mechanical,
electro-mechanical, business method, communication and internet related
technologies across a variety of industrial areas. He has drafted
several agreements and licenses and has conducted patent infringement
and product clearance studies. In addition, Mr. Hermanson has organized
transactions involving the sale and transfer of intellectual property,
and has drafted briefs for an appeal to the Court of Appeals for the
Federal Circuit.
Prior to earning his law degree, Mr. Hermanson worked as a senior
engineer with URS Greiner where he evaluated industrial facilities for
compliance with environmental regulations. In coordination with plant
engineers, he re-designed and modified plant processes to meet
environmental standards and decrease operating costs. He also developed
and implemented compliance programs, negotiated regulatory and permit
conditions with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and prepared
regulatory documents for submission to the EPA.
EDUCATION:
J.D., IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law (2000)
B.S.,
University of Illinois (1991)
Mr. Michael Hierl
Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago
Mr. Hierl is a founding partner of Olson & Hierl, Ltd., a Chicago intellectual property law firm which was established in 1986. He has practiced exclusively in the area of intellectual property matters for over 25 years. As counsel for numerous large and small U.S. and foreign corporations, he has successfully handled many patent, trademark, copyright and unfair competition lawsuits, trademark oppositions and several patent interferences. He is also experienced in negotiating and preparing license and other technology-related agreements.
He has worked in a wide range of technical areas including, for example, ceramics, paints and coatings, packaging, medical care devices and delivery systems, sports equipment, machine tools, consumer products, valves, polymer synthesis, paper products, biotechnology including gene therapy, immunology and recombinant DNA techniques, automatic processing machines, semiconductors, furniture, automotive products and communications technologies.
In addition, he has counseled many organizations in the proper use and protection of trademarks; and he has represented authors, publishers, songwriters, musicians and music production company in copyright and contract matters.
BAR ADMISSIONS :
Supreme Court of the State of Illinois
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit
Registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
EDUCATION:
The John Marshall Law School, J.D., 1980
Northwestern University, M.S., 1976
Southern Illinois University, B.S., Chemistry, 1975
BAR/PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION INVOLVEMENT :
Mr. Hierl is a member of the American Bar Association, the Chicago Bar Association, the American Intellectual Property Law Association, the Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago and the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. He has served as chairman of the Inventor Relations Committee of the American Intellectual Property Law Association
Dr. Daniel Kegan
Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago
Dr. Kegan received his BS in Electrical Engineering from Swarthmore
College, his PhD in Organizational Behavior and his JD from
Northwestern University. His legal practice focuses on domestic and
foreign intellectual property, computers, and the Internet; related
federal litigation and counseling; and providing second opinion
counseling to other professional firms.
A member of the Intellectual Property Council of the Illinois State
Bar Association and Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, his
publications and cases include Academia at Risk—Antiquated IP Policy;
Admiralty Trademarks; Architemps Inc v Architemps Ltd, (SDNY 1988-89)
(ARCHITEMPS trademark, concurrent use) and Ory v McDonald (9th Cir
2003 34 year laches).
A registered psychologist and qualified forensic expert witness,
Daniel Kegan has taught at universities in Chicago, Massachusetts,
and San Francisco; and served as the founding director of
institutional research and evaluation at Hampshire College. With Élan
Associates he helps growing businesses transcend the problems of
success and understand their interpersonal and organizational
dynamics, and presents The MoneyLab™ (Twelve Steps to Money Literacy).
Mr. Anthony Knight
Supervisory Patent Examiner, Technology Center 2100
United States Patent and Trademark Office
Tony is a graduate of Drexel University, where he earned a Bachelors of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1985. Upon graduation he joined the United States Patent and Trademark Office as an examiner in the technology of pipefittings. While working at the USPTO, Tony attended George Mason University School of Law and earned his Juris Doctorate in 1990. From 1990 until 1992, he was in private practice. Tony has prosecuted applications for various technologies through out the USPTO. In 1992, Tony returned to the USPTO. After achieving the grade of primary examiner, he was promoted to his current position as a supervisory patent examiner in 1997. Tony is responsible for supervising examiners in the computer controls and artificial intelligence areas.
Ms. Marian C. Knode
Director, Technology Center 1700
United States Patent and Trademark Office
Marian is currently a Director of Technology Center 1700, which examines applications directed to chemical engineering. She joined the USPTO in 1989 as a patent examiner in Group 180, which was newly responsible for biotechnology applications. Marian was promoted to Supervisory Patent Examiner in 1994 and served in that capacity in Technology Centers 1600 and 1700. She also served as a Special Program Examiner for Technology Center 1700 and as a Supervisory Trainer for the Training Art Unit in Technology Center 2600. Marian served on a detail at the Office of the Commissioner for Patents, and also served as Acting Director for TC 1700. She has been awarded two Bronze Medals and an Exceptional Career Award. Marian continues to be a recruiter for the USPTO. She has represented the USPTO at a number of venues including the Society for Industrial Microbiology, the AIPLA, the Advanced Patent Law Institute, the American Indian Science and Engineering Society's National Meeting, and the National American Indian Science and Engineering Fair. She works closely with the Inventors Assistance Program and was a representative of the USPTO at several workshops and conferences. Prior to joining the USPTO, Marian was a researcher at the National Institutes of Health. Marian graduated from The Catholic University of America with a B.S. in Medical Technology.
Ms. Linda Kuczma
Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago
Linda Kuczma is a partner with the IP firm of Wallenstein Wagner & Rockey, Ltd. in Chicago. She has over 24 years of experience in trademark, trade dress, patent and copyright counseling, licensing and litigation matters. Her practice includes prosecution and trial work, including appeals and proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, and practice before the U.S. Customs Service. She is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Has lectured for: INTA (International Trademark Association), AIPLA (the American Intellectual Property Law Association), The John Marshall Annual Intellectual Property Law Conference, Chicago Bar Association, and DePaul University Law School on a variety of intellectual property issues including trademark dilution, Madrid Protocol, practice before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, protection of product configurations, grey marketing, and patent and technology licenses; and has authored articles on dilution and grey marketing.
Served as Past President of the Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago and has been designated a Leading Lawyer and an Illinois Super Lawyer.
Linda Kuczma is active in the
Saul Lefkowitz National Trademark Moot Court Competition sponsored by the Brand Names Educational Foundation of the International Trademark Association (INTA), serving as National Chair 1999-2000.
EDUCATION:
Attended St. Mary's University, Winona, Minnesota (B.A. Biology magna cum laude) , Loyola University of Chicago School of Law (J.D. 1981).
Mr. James E. Malackowski
President and Chief Executive Officer of Ocean Tomo, LLC
James E. Malackowski is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Ocean Tomo, LLC, an integrated intellectual capital merchant banc providing valuation, asset and risk management, corporate finance and expert services. Ocean Tomo assists clients – corporations, law firms, governments and institutional investors – in realizing value from their Intellectual Capital Equity broadly defined.
Mr. Malackowski is an internationally recognized leader in the field of intellectual capital equity management as well as a noted expert in business valuation and intellectual property strategy. Prior to forming Ocean Tomo, he served as a finance and investment advisor working with one of the Nation’s oldest investment banks as well as Chicago’s second largest private equity firm. Mr. Malackowski began his career spending fifteen years as a management consultant and forensic accountant focused on intangible assets. In this capacity Mr. Malackowski served numerous roles as a founding principal including President and Chief Executive Officer of his firm, growing the practice to the nation’s largest before its sale.
Mr. Malackowski has consulted with clients and counsel on business valuation issues as well as all phases of the technology licensing process. He is frequently asked to participate as a member of the Board of Directors for leading technology corporations or firms with critical brand management issues. Mr. Malackowski's expertise extends to intangible asset portfolios as well as business segments and complete entities. He has a unique appreciation for the hidden intellectual capital within emerging markets.
Mr. Malackowski is a current and prior Director of numerous corporate entities, both public and private. He is a Trustee for the National Inventors Hall of Fame, a Director of the International Intellectual Property Institute and a member of the President’s Council for the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. Mr. Malackowski is a Past President of The Licensing Executives Society and a former Resident Advisor for the U.S. Department of Commerce and U.S. Information Agency on matters relating to intellectual capital.
On more than twenty occasions, Mr. Malackowski has served as an expert in Federal Court on questions relating to intellectual property economics, including the subject of business valuation. Mr. Malackowski is a Summa Cum Laude graduate from the University of Notre Dame majoring in accountancy and philosophy. He is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Illinois.
Mr. Greg Mayer
Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago
Gregory Mayer's practice focuses primarily on mechanical and electro-mechanical patent prosecution and patent and copyright litigation.
PRACTICE AREA:
Aerospace/Defense, Business Method Patents, Copyrights, Litigation, Nanotechnology, Opinions and Counseling, Patent Interference Proceedings, Patent Prosecution
TECHNICAL FOCUS:
Diesel engine systems, aircraft/spacecraft systems and controls, consumer products, point-of-purchase products, garments, shoes, and printing and binding systems.
ACHIEVEMENTS AND AFFILIATIONS:
American Bar Association
University of Illinois Department of Aerospace Engineering
2004 Distinguished Alumnus Award
Licensing Executives Society
Field Associates of the Field Museum of Natural History
Auxiliary Board of the Lincoln Park Zoo
Former Trustee, Michael Reese Health Trust (2004-2006)
Chicago Stanford Association
Chicago Bar Association
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
American Intellectual Property Law Association
BAR ADMISSIONS:
The State of Illinois
The United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
The United States Patent and Trademark Office
EDUCATION:
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign Degree: BS - Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering
The University of Chicago Degree: JD
Stanford University Degree: MS - Aeronautics and Astronautics
Mr. Terry Lee Melius
Quality Assurance Specialists, TC 3600
United States Patent and Trademark Office
Terry is one of the Quality Assurance Specialists (TQAS) in Technology Center 3600 at the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Before becoming a TQAS, Terry was the Supervisory Patent Examiner in the same TC. Terry joined the Patent and Trademark Office in 1985. Prior to coming to the Office, Terry was a computer programmer for a large chain store corporation. While being an Examiner, Terry worked mostly in the oil well and harvesting technologies.
Terry received a Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering degree from The Pennsylvania State University in 1983 and also has two years of computer science training from the York Campus of the same university. Terry received the Department of Commerce Bronze Medal Award in 1995 for Superior Federal Service in recognition of his work as a Primary Patent Examiner.
Mr. James P. Muraff
Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago
James Muraff is a shareholder with the firm and has been with the firm since 1992. His practice includes all aspects of intellectual property, including domestic and foreign patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets and unfair competition, including counseling, investigations, transactions, prosecution and litigation. His primary focus is in the computer software, computer hardware, electronics, and Internet technologies.
Mr. Jeff Nichols
Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago
PRACTICE SUMMARY
Jeff Nichols joined Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione in 2000. His practice focuses on patent, trademark, copyright, antitrust and unfair competition law with a focus on litigation, counseling and patent prosecution.
PUBLICATIONS
"Will An Admission of Patent Validity Preclude a Later Validity Challenge?," co-author, BNA's Patent, Copyright & Trademark Journal , Vol. 66, No. 1632, August 1, 2003, pp. 416-419
Summaries of Federal Circuit cases involving intellectual property law, Federal Circuit Case Digest , The Federal Circuit Bar Association, Vol. 5, Nos. 1-12, 2002
PRESENTATIONS
"Resume and Interview Tips for Jobs in Intellectual Property Law"
Presenter, University of Michigan School of Law, Spring 2003
"Intellectual Property Career Tracks"
Panel Speaker, Loyola University Chicago School of Law, Fall 2002
Mr. William Pegg
Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago
Mr. Pegg is an associate with the firm of Jenkens & Gilchrist's Intellectual Property Practice Group. Mr. Pegg's experience includes drafting and prosecuting patent applications in the United States and abroad for both mechanical and electrical technologies. He has rendered opinions on patentability, non-infringement and invalidity and worked with litigation departments on substantially all aspects of the litigation process. Before pursuing his law degree, Mr. Pegg was a mechanical engineer and inspector for the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
EDUCATION
Rutgers University, New Brunswick (B.S., Mechanical Engineering, 1990)
Chicago-Kent College of Law (J.D., Chicago-Kent Law Review , 1998)
LICENSES & ADMISSIONS
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Licensed to practice in Maryland, the District of Columbia and Illinois
Mr. Dean Pelletier
Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago
EDUCATION
Northwestern University, B.S. Biomedical Eng., 1991
Washington University, J.D., 1995
BAR ADMISSIONS
Admitted to practice in Illinois. Member of the bars of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Trial Bar of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
PRACTICE
Intellectual property litigation, including patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret litigation.
Ms. Montia Givens Pressey
Staff Attorney, Policy Office of the Office of the Commissioner for Trademarks
United States Patent and Trademark Office
Montia Givens Pressey is a staff attorney in the Policy Office of the Office of the Commissioner for Trademarks where her duties include providing expert information and guidance on law and policy regarding the federal trademark registration process, maintenance requirements, and the petition process to both internal and external customers. Montia also drafts petition decisions on a wide range of issues in petitions to the Commissioner for Trademarks, including the review of decisions by Examining Attorneys and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. In addition, Montia provides expert legal support to the Post Registration Unit of the Trademark Office, including developing relevant training materials, reviewing relevant proposed legislation, and responding to day-to-day inquiries about legal issues.
Previously, Montia worked as a Trademark Examining Attorney with the Office from 1995 to 1999, where in addition to examining applications, Montia also trained newly hired attorneys and assisted in other management activities. Montia also worked for five years as a trademark associate with a large intellectual property law firm in Washington, D.C. where her practice focused on trademark prosecution, client counseling, and advice in proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Montia received her law degree from Georgetown University Law Center and her undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia.
Mr. Tom Turner
Librarian for the Patent and Trademark Depository Library (PTDL) Program
United States Patent and Trademark Office
Tom Turner is a Librarian with the Patent and Trademark Depository Library (PTDL) Program. Tom joined the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 2001 having completed a five-year stint as the PTDL representative at Arizona State University's Noble Science and Engineering Library. At Arizona State, Tom held positions as Engineering Librarian, Acting Head of Science Reference, and Patent/Trademark Librarian. He has given numerous presentations promoting PTDL services to librarians and inventors. From 1998 to 1999 Tom was the 16th Fellow to the Patent and Trademark Depository Library Program. Previously, he was the librarian for the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography in Savannah, Georgia from 1986 to 1996. He has a B.S. (Education) and a M.L.S. (Library Science), both from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. Tom is active in the Special Libraries Association. He served on the editorial board of the journal Science & Technology Libraries for four years.
Mr. Tony Uranga
Nortel Government Solutions
Office of Patent Automation Search & Information Resources Administration
United States Patent and Trademark Office
Tony works for Nortel Government Solutions as a government contractor with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in the Search & Information Resources Administration (SIRA). Tony began working with NGS in 2002 as a member of the Patent Electronic Business Center where he assisted customers using the USPTO’s e-Commerce systems then later became the PEBC’s technical lead and supervisor. Currently, Tony has spent the last 18 months working extensively on the requirements gathering, development, testing and deployment of EFS-Web.
Tony holds a Bachelor of Science degree with a focus on Industrial Automation from I.T.T. Technical Institute in Portland Or. Tony’s previous work history includes a stint in the United States Navy working as an Electronic Technician supporting weather and communication satellites and other communication devices, Xerox Corp Headquarters in Rochester NY working on their ‘Tiger’ team and also as a network engineer with Digex Inc in Beltsville MD.
Ms. Virginia Michael Wallace
Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago
Virginia Michael Wallace is a registered patent agent and an attorney licensed in Illinois. She attended George Mason University School of Law and Tulane University. Prior to law school, Ms. Wallace worked for several years as a biologist. During law school, she completed internships with George Mason's Department of Technology Transfer and the Patent and Trademark Office.
Ms. Joyce Ward
National Inventors Hall of Fame
National Inventors Hall of Fame Joyce Ward is the intellectual property attorney for the National Inventors Hall of Fame (known as NIHF). She is also a manager for Business Development at NIHF and works out of the Washington, DC office of the organization. Before coming to NIHF, Joyce worked as an attorney with the United States Patent and Trademark Office where she served for several years in a law office dedicated to examining trademark applications in the medical, pharmaceutical, chemical and computer technology and information systems fields. While working at the agency, she developed a trademark curriculum used by the United States Patent and Trademark Office to teach students about the role of trademarks.
Joyce received her undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1987 and her law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, DC in 1991.
Mr. Alan Wernick
Trademark Attorney; Internet Law Attorney
Alan S. Wernick is a partner in the Chicago law firm of Chuhak & Tecson, P.C.. He is a Martindale-Hubbell AV rated attorney and a Leading Lawyer in Computer and Technology Law, admitted in the District of Columbia, Illinois, New York, and Ohio, with 24 years of experience in (1) the private practice of law in Information Technology and Intellectual Property, (2) the handling of numerous large complex transactions, (3) strategic counseling of clients in the management of their intellectual capital assets and technology assets, (4) dispute resolution including litigation, arbitration, mediation, and appeals, and (5) leadership roles. He utilizes education and experience in the law, accounting, and technology in the understanding of client's objectives and counseling clients in connection with their business goals and legal risk management.
Since 1982, Mr. Wernick's practice has focused on computer law, copyright, trademark, trade secret, information technology, Internet, and licensing law, with an emphasis on the legal and business needs of the computer and information industries, and e-commerce. He provides practical legal advice and strategic counseling to clients in connection with significant transactional and dispute resolution matters in technology, intellectual property, e-commerce, licensing, computer system acquisitions, and outsourcing. Mr. Wernick serves in leadership roles in several national and international organizations involved with computer law and e-commerce issues. He is a frequent speaker and writer on computer law and intellectual property law issues, and serves on the advisory boards of several publications. Mr. Wernick has a technical background in computer programming.
Mr. Kim William Zerby
Associate General Counsel, Intellectual Property
The Procter & Gamble Company
Kim is Associate General Counsel for Intellectual Property at The Procter & Gamble Company. His current responsibility is for the global Intellectual Property group supporting the Household Care business unit, including such brands as Tide, Downy, Swiffer, Febreze, and Folgers. Kim has been a patent attorney with Procter & Gamble for 22 years. During his career at Procter & Gamble, Kim has provided patent support for upstream R&D and the current businesses in various P&G product areas, including Rx and OTC health care, beauty care, oral care, fabric care, home care, and feminine protection products.
Kim has a broad range of experience creating agreements and managing IP associated with the relationships Procter & Gamble has with companies of all size, universities and individuals around the world. These include joint development agreements with corporate co-development partners, research agreements with scientists at a wide range of universities, and agreements for licensing in and out of technologies. More recently Kim has been involved in establishing procedures and providing training for implementing Procter & Gamble’s “Connect and Develop” program to more actively seek ideas from outside the company.
Kim received his B.S. degree in Chemistry in 1978 from The Pennsylvania State University, and his M.S. degree in Organic Chemistry in 1981 from The Ohio State University. His law degree is from The Ohio State University’s Michael E. Moritz College of Law in 1983. He is admitted to practice law in Ohio and before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
