Whether you go with our law firm or another, please take action to protect your IP because delaying will only hurt your situation. Now a little about me – my law practice focuses on the prosecution and strategy associated with patents and trademarks. IP strategy, particularly patent strategy, patent portfolio audits, patent portfolio mining, and competitor portfolio analysis, is an area of expertise and passion, as well as product clearance, freedom-to-operate, developing invalidity positions, trademark clearance, trademark prosecution, strategic trademark portfolio maintenance, projects. I have significant experience as a design engineer and am one of the few IP attorneys that is a registered Professional Engineer (and meet the continuing education requirements to keep my registration active).
I use the education obtained while earning my M.B.A. and my interest in branding and trademark protection to help businesses understand and develop processes that result in strong trademark portfolios, and have a particular interest in the beauty and power of suggestive trademarks.
My passion for, and recognition of the power of, IP has drawn me to give back to the profession. For example, since 2010 I have served on the editorial board of Landslide® magazine, the flagship publication of the IP Section of the American Bar Association, and just wrapped up my term as the Editor-in-Chief. My past roles have included Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Intake Editor, Social Media Coordinator, Webinar Coordinator, Issue Editor, and Meeting of the Minds Editor. Additionally, I previously served as the President of the Columbus Intellectual Property Law Association, also known as CIPLA, as well as serving as the Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer.
Over the years I have been fortunate to have my contributions to the field of IP law recognized by several organizations. Most recently, in 2017 I had the privilege of being elected a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. Members are nominated by their peers and elected by the Board of the American Bar Foundation. Additionally, from 2008-2011 was fortunate to be selected to be one of the first YLD IP Fellows (2008-2011) of the ABA, and was selected to be a member of the Columbus Bar Association’s Barrister Leader Class of 2004-2005.
My love of technology and IP has led me to spend a lot of time researching and learning how IP influences my hobbies. During the day I help clients protect their inventions and trademarks, guiding them through IP clearance and strategy decisions, while at night I read patents and patent applications directed to my hobbies, and share the most interesting aspects with the public through 3 blogs that I have created. First, back in 2007 I created the Golf-Patents blog, and more recently have created the EatMyRubber blog (yes, a play on the classic line from Chevy Chase in the movie Christmas Vacation) and the SportingIP blog.
For the past 14 years I have been a regular guest on the nationally syndicated The Small Business Advocate® radio show hosted by Jim Blasingame, one of the world’s foremost thought-leaders on small business and entrepreneurship. I am honored to be a member of Jim Blasingame’s Brain Trust®, which is the largest community of small business experts in the world. If you are thinking of starting a new business, click HERE to listen to my past interviews, which will save you at least 6-figures! A few of the most interesting interviews include:
- Competitive Intelligence
- IP Goals for a New Year
- Patent Myths
- Launching a New Product? Start by Understanding the Types of Patent Research that may be Needed, Part II
- Innovation Without Protection is Philanthropy; Have an IP Strategy to Avoid becoming a Non-Profit, Part II, Part III
- Small Business Funding and IP: Don’t Get Your IP Education from Shark Tank, Part II, Part III
- Small Businesses Need an IP Strategy, Which is Different from IP Management, Part II, Part III
- Capitalizing on the R&D Investments of Others, Part II, Part III
- Understanding the Business of Registering a Trademark
- Naming a Product or Service (Part II, Part III)
- Contracts and Intellectual Property – Small Businesses Must Understand the Hidden Risks, Part II, Part III
- IP Legal Mistakes That Can Sink Your Boat, Part II, Part III
- Important IP Considerations if You Hope to Sell Your Small Business, Part II, Part III
- Taking Action – Overcoming the Fear of Intellectual Property, Part II
