RatnerPrestia attorney, Stephen D. Harper presented, "Inequitable Conduct in the Prosecution of Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Patents", at Temple University Beasley School of Law. The symposium entitled, Access to Essential Medicines, Biotechnology Patents, and Global Cooperation, was presented by the Temple Journal of International and Comparative Law and the Temple Journal of Science, Technology and Environmental Law.
RatnerPrestia shareholders Robert Seitter and Christopher Dervishian spoke to senior, in-house IP counsel who are members of the Intellectual Property Committee of the Aerospace Industries Association in Arlington, VA. The presentation, entitled “A Corporate Reorganization? Don’t Leave Your IP Licenses Behind”, highlighted the differences in transferability between IP Licenses and other contracts when corporations reorganize their subsidiaries with forward and reverse mergers.
RatnerPrestia IP attorneys Jonathan H. Spadt and Glenn Murphy recently completed a series of presentations made in partnership with German and Swiss law firms in European cities including Frankfurt, Basel and Zurich. The primary focus of their presentations was a discussion of the ongoing changes to the U.S. patent system which can make it easier for European innovators to send their products into lucrative U.S. markets. Particularly emphasized were ideas on the strategic use of U.S. Patent Reexamination proceedings to reduce liability and leverage risk. Many companies, from various technology sectors, took advantage of learning about the strategic importance of proper timing and the use of patent reexamination as a tool to mitigate their IP exposure. Spadt is a member of the Management Committee of RatnerPrestia and chairs its IP Strategy and Risk Management Group. Murphy, in addition to being fluent in German, has been with RatnerPrestia for two years, having previously spent 10 years as in-house patent counsel at a German-owned chemical company.
RatnerPrestia teamed up with The Legal Intelligencer (TLI) to conduct a 2.5 Credit CLE Panel Discussion entitled “Managing IP & Commercial Disputes in a Challenging Economy,” held in the firm’s Valley Forge office on May 18th. Bob Seitter and Harrie Samaras served as moderators for the panel, which included Anthony DiBartolomeo, Vice-President, Head of Global Litigation Group for SAP; Charles DiNardo, President of Aesculap, Inc.; Vincent A. Maffeo, Senior Vice-President & General Counsel of ITT Corporation; and Cynthia Raposo, Vice-President, IP and Litigation for Under Armour, Inc. Topics discussed included evaluating business injury in resolving disputes, improving communications with outside counsel, and performing early case assessment.
RatnerPrestia participated in the Inaugural In-House Counsel Conference hosted by Delaware Valley Association of Corporate Counsel (DELVACCA) at The Union League in Philadelphia, PA on April 1. Shareholders Chris Dervishian, Chris Lewis, and Robert Seitter presented, “Emerging Intellectual Property Issues that Can Blindside Corporate Counsel” along with three experienced in-house counsel, Alex Plache, Sr. Intellectual Property Counsel, Saint Gobain Corporation; John Gregory, General Counsel and IP Manager, Streamlight, Inc.; and Michelle Pilotte, Associate General Counsel, Johnson Matthey. The speakers provided the audience of corporate counsel with the ability to identify some of the key IP issues of today, including noncompete agreements and trade secrets, the shifting case law on remedies, open source software issues, and the Federal Circuit's answer to forum shopping.
