Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear LLP

Assessing Risk and Avoiding Disaster from Adverse Patents

The Surprise No Manager Wants:
Assessing Risk and Avoiding Disaster From Adverse Patents

The U.S. Patent Office issues many patents every year that are applicable to your products. At best, they are directed to inventions you don't use. At worst, they prevent outside investment in your company, or allow a competitor to shut down your production line.

Do you know which patents you should be reading?

What should you know about your competitors' patents?

How can you tell when it's time to get lawyers involved?

An interactive presentation with real world examples from high technology and life sciences, the speakers at this event will give you their best strategies for assessing and removing obstacles to business growth.

Speakers:

Joseph Reisman is a partner in the San Diego office of the law firm of Knobbe, Martens, Olson & Bear. Mr. Reisman has a B.S. in Chemistry from Yale University, a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of California San Diego., and a J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall), where he was Executive Editor of the Berkeley Technology Law Journal. After attending law school, he spent two years as a Law Clerk to the Honorable Alan D. Lourie, Circuit Judge, at the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Dr. Reisman's practice involves patent prosecution and strategic counseling, as well as patent litigation and appellate work, chiefly for clients in the pharmaceutical industry. He also writes and speaks on a variety of intellectual property matters. He is currently an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of San Diego, where he has taught "Patent and Trade Secret Law" since the Fall semester of 2000.

Katherine White is a Registered patent attorney and a Principal at Enterprise Partners Venture Capital, Southern California's largest early-stage venture capital firm. Katherine manages technical and intellectual property due diligence prior to investment by the firm. Once invested, Katherine oversees the intellectual property strategies for the firm's high tech and biotech investments.

Katherine earned a degree in electrical engineering from Virginia Tech and a J.D. from the University of San Diego. She is a named inventor on 7 issued U.S. patents as well as several pending applications.

Thomas Arno is also a partner in the San Diego office of the law firm of Knobbe, Martens, Olson & Bear. He received a B.S. in Physics from California Polytechnic State University, and a Masters in Physics from University of California at San Diego. He received a J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law.

He specializes in patent protection for a variety of industries, including analog and digital electronics, computer hardware and software, communications, and drug discovery technologies. His practice is focused on both U.S. and foreign patent-related matters, technology licensing and client counseling in connection with intellectual property strategies.

Jonathan Spangler is Chief Patent Counsel and Group Director of Intellectual Property for Nuvasive, a venture funded company specializing in the development and marketing of innovative tools, procedures, and implants for spinal surgery. Mr. Spangler received a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Marquette University, and a J.D. from the University of Dayton School of Law. Prior to joining Nuvasive, Mr. Spangler was Chief Patent Counsel for A-Med Systems. Mr. Spangler also practiced with the law firms of Arnold, White, & Durkee, and Haugen & Nikolai, where he practiced as a litigator and patent prosecutor in the medical device arena. Mr. Spangler also worked as an Examiner at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.