DIY IP: Protect Yo Self, Don't Wreck Yo Self
Entrepreneurs want to focus on their business, not spend time worrying about legal issues. However, taking a little time early on to think about intellectual property strategy can save money and potentially much heartache down the road. This conversation between two practicing intellectual property lawyers will offer practical tips for entrepreneurs who want to do IP the right way the first time. Ruben and Andy will explain the basics of the major types of intellectual property protection, including trade secrets, trademarks, patents, design patents, and copyrights; discuss how startups can leverage each type to develop a defensible IP strategy (“Protect Yo Self”); and detail some common but easily-avoided IP pitfalls (“Don’t Wreck Yo Self”).
Presenters
Andy Liddell joined the Austin office of Fulbright & Jaworski in January 2010. He recently relocated to San Antonio and splits his time between the Austin and San Antonio offices.
Andy's practice focuses on intellectual property matters, including patent litigation, trademark litigation, and patent prosecution and portfolio counseling. His patent litigation experience includes representing accused patent infringers in federal district court and before the International Trade Commission. Andy is also experienced in trademark litigation, having represented clients in federal district court as well as in opposition proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.
Additionally, Andy has prosecuted utility and design patents involving a wide range of innovative technologies, including gene-sequencing microarrays, surgical instruments, wound therapy devices, semiconducting materials, home exercise equipment, construction tools, and pest control devices. Andy has also counseled companies on their intellectual property strategies and has worked with clients to develop internal policies and procedures to encourage and protect innovation.
Ruben Rodrigues is an associate with Foley & Lardner LLP and a member of the firm’s IP Litigation and Electronics Practices and the Emerging Technologies Industry Team.
Ruben has worked on patent litigation matters for technology companies of all sizes on cases involving software, semiconductors, medical devices, and biomedical research tools. He also represents a number of startup companies in patent acquisition and general IP strategy. Prior to joining Foley, Mr. Rodrigues interned at the Massachusetts Governor’s Office of Legal Counsel and the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Mr. Rodrigues earned his law degree, with honors, from the University of Chicago Law School where he was awarded the Olin Fellowship in Law & Economics. Ruben also holds a master’s degree in Science & Technology Policy from Northeastern University and bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and computer science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Ruben is author of "Privacy on Social Networks: Norms, The Market, and Natural Monopoly," a chapter published in The Offensive Internet (Chapter 13, Harvard University Press, November 2010).
Ruben is admitted to practice in Illinois and Massachusetts and before the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and the Eastern District of Texas.
Tuesday, March 12
