UPDATE: View the video below to learn more about The Girl Scout IP Patch! 

On December 13, 2016, Kelly McDow and Abbey Lopez from The Procter and Gamble Company will discuss ways that lawyers can serve others beyond the provision of legal services.  Lawyers have traditionally donated their time through pro bono legal work and other community service. The aspiration to serve runs deep in the legal profession, to the point that it is expressed in our professional creed. Many lawyers desire to serve others in one way or another, but are challenged with finding the time and the best way to make an impact. This program will include a discussion of a lawyer’s call to community service and the role of the lawyer in the community.

Ms. McDow and Ms. Lopez will also discuss The Girls Scout IP Patch. The Girl Scout IP Patch was developed under a partnership between the United States Patent & Trademark Office, the Intellectual Property Owners Education Foundation and the Girls Scouts Council of the Nation’s Capital. The initiative is aimed at exposing school aged girls to innovation and the laws that protect and encourage innovation. This presentation will focus on the implementation of this program in Cincinnati and how lawyers can become involved to expand the program’s reach.

The ideals of this program are in line with those of IP attorneys.  Article I, Section 8, Clause 8 of the U.S. Constitution, in which intellectual property law is rooted, aims to “promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries….” The implementation of this program offers IP attorneys a unique opportunity to foster the ideals of intellectual property and professionalism by introducing individuals to the legal mechanisms available for them to protect their ideas and creations.

CincyIP also welcomes to the December meeting representatives from the Pro Bono Partnership to discuss initiatives and opportunities for involvement.

About the Speakers

Kelly McDow is a University of Michigan graduate with degrees in chemistry and cellular and molecular biology. She joined Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals as an organic synthetic chemist in 1992. Her work with P&G included the design and synthesis of new chemical entities for musculoskeletal indications. Following her research work, Ms. McDow obtained her J.D. degree in 1997. She joined the Legal Division of The Procter & Gamble Company in 1997, providing intellectual property and other legal support for corporate research, food and beverage, beauty care, and health care technologies. Ms. McDow spent a substantial part of her career as counsel for P&G’s Global Health Care Business where she managed multiple litigations for its Actonel and Asacol pharmaceutical products, as well as the divestiture of the pharmaceutical business in 2010. Afterwards, Ms. McDow led P&G’s intellectual property needs for Global Corporate Functions, having responsibility for P&G’s Transformative Platform Technologies and the Connect + Develop open innovation program. Ms. McDow now holds the position of Associate General Counsel, Innovation, for P&G’s Global Oral Care and Health Care businesses. Her work has included global intellectual property strategy development and freedom to market assessments, legal due diligence assessments in anticipation of licensing and acquisition deals, negotiating and executing transactions, enforcement strategy development, dispute resolution, and litigation management. Ms. McDow served on the Board of Managers for CincyIP (and as the CincyBIO steering committee chair for several years), and currently serves on the Board of Directors for LifeCenter (our region’s organ and tissue donation procurement organization). She is also an active member of the Intellectual Property Owners’ Women in IP Committee (and its Inventor of the Year and Push Forward Initiative subcommittees) and serves non-profit organizations in a variety of pro bono capacities.

Abbey Lopez is Senior Innovation Counsel at Procter & Gamble. She is the global intellectual property coordinator for P&G’s air care business, which includes Febreze and Ambi Pur product lines that together generate over a billion dollars in revenue each year. In this role, she drafts and prosecutes patent applications, advises on freedom to practice and contract issues, handles enforcement matters, and provides day to day counseling on a variety of IP issues. She joined P&G in 2011 after graduating from Michigan State University College of Law. Abbey has a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan. She is a member of CincyIP and the Ohio Women’s Bar Association. Abbey is leading the implementation of the USPTO/IPO Girl Scout Patch initiative at P&G and throughout the Cincinnati area.

Presentation Materials Available Upon Request

On November 8, 2016, CincyIP welcomes Todd Tucker of Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP to lead a discussion on protecting innovations in China.  Todd will review best practices for entering the Chinese market, running effective partnerships with Chinese companies, and protecting IP in the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

Specifically, Todd will discuss the following:

1) Crafting Joint Development Agreements that protect your IP and encourage
responsible/ethical business behavior;

2) Navigating the difficult waters of Chinese inventor reward/remuneration policies;

3) Implementing effective Chinese patent filing strategies; and

4) Understanding the weird (and sometimes counter-intuitive) world of Chinese utility models.

About the Speaker:

Todd focuses his practice on intellectual property litigation and intellectual property counseling.  He has served as lead trial counsel in patent litigation actions before district courts and the International Trade Commission, including numerous jury trials.  He has also argued before the Federal Circuit.  Additionally, he counsels companies on the procurement of intellectual property assets and the management of their worldwide intellectual property portfolios with a particular emphasis on protecting IP assets in China.  He also provides Chinese companies with general counseling on doing business in the United States.

Todd has developed and managed global patent enforcement programs for a variety of clients.  These programs include obtaining preliminary injunctions in the United States while managing worldwide counsel seeking to enforce related patent rights throughout Europe and Asia.  As part of his global IP experience, he assists clients with protecting business interests and inventions in China.  He has formed and managed several Chinese R&D centers and is well-versed in many aspects of Chinese IP Law including procurement and enforcement of Chinese patents, utility models and trademarks. Todd has also managed Chinese invalidation proceedings and is experienced with the nuances of IP licensing in China.

Todd is licensed to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and is a member of the Cleveland Intellectual Property Law Association, AIPPI, AIPLA, and INTA.  He is recognized as one of America’s Leading Lawyers in Chambers USA.

On August 9, 2016, CincyIP welcomes Matthew Molloy and John Luken, both of Dinsmore & Shohl, to discuss recent opinions from The United States Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

In particular, Mr. Molloy and Mr. Luken will discuss recent USSC opinions regarding enhanced damages for willful infringement (Halo/Stryker), IPR claim construction standards (Cuozzo), and attorney’s fee awards in Copyright Cases (Wiley v Kirtsaeng).  Additionally, they will discuss pending Supreme Court matters directed to design patent damages (Apple v Samsung), patent laches (SCA Hygiene v First Quality Baby Prods), the copyrighting of useful articles (Star Athletica v. Varsity Brands), and the patent implications when supplying subcomponents of a patented invention abroad (Lifetech v Promega).

From the CAFC, Mr. Molloy and Mr. Luken will discuss recent patent decisions regarding Section 101, venue (In re TC Heartland), the 102(b) on sale bar (Medicines Co v Hospira), and international patent exhaustion (Lexmark v Impression Prods).  Finally, regarding trademark law, they will discuss the CAFC’s opinion on disparaging marks in In re Tam.

** REGISTER HERE **

Matthew A. Molloy

Matt is a member of Dinsmore’s Intellectual Property Prosecution and Opinion Practice Group. He is admitted to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office and has extensive experience in the preparation and prosecution of patents in the U.S. and abroad. Matt manages international patent portfolios and his practice encompasses a variety of technical areas such as chemical/chemical engineering, materials, polymers, petroleum refining, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, mechanical engineering, software, and business methods.

Additionally, Matt is experienced in rendering patent opinions, including freedom to operate, validity, state-of-the-art, patent landscape, patentability, and due diligence opinions.  He is adept at negotiating, drafting and analyzing IP licensing agreements, and has counseled a broad range of clients, from Fortune 500 companies to small startups, regarding the protection of intellectual property and innovation.  In addition to his intellectual property knowledge, Matt also has experience with FDA regulatory matters.

Matt’s patent and intellectual property knowledge has led to speaking engagements over the last year related to Supreme Court and Federal Circuit intellectual property and patent law decisions.

John D. Luken

John focuses his practice primarily on patent infringement litigation as well as complex commercial and other intellectual property litigation. He has handled patent infringement cases involving a variety of services and products, including commercial forms and related software, software-related business method patents in the printing and financial services industries, metal beverage cans and closures, surface coal mining blasting methods, service station petroleum equipment, and retail security products.

While his practice now focuses largely on patent infringement matters, John has handled a wide variety of other types of complex litigation matters, ranging from securities, commodities, RICO and fraud claims arising out of complicated derivatives transactions to shareholder derivative litigation, environmental litigation, business and government contracts cases, and ERISA class action cases. John’s approach is to focus first on client needs and objectives and to approach matters flexibly and creatively, rather than in a one-size-fits-all manner, so that complex matters can be resolved favorably, expeditiously, and cost-effectively.

John also chairs the firm’s e-Discovery Group and is an active member of the influential Sedona Conference Working Group on Electronic Document Retention and Production (WG-1), participating in several Sedona drafting teams, including the Case for Cooperation (urging more rational, expeditious, and less expensive discovery processes).