| Dennis Crouch is a patent attorney with McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff LLP in Chicago where his practice focuses primarily on patent litigation and patent prosecution. Dennis has written extensively on issues involving patent and intellectual property law. Notably, he is the author of the popular award winning patent law blog Patently-O. It is estimated that a third of U.S. practicing patent attorneys read Patently-O on a regular basis. Additionally, he co-authors bi-annual updates to the book Patent Application Practice, published by Thomson-West. The treatise is used by many organizations as a guide to preparing and prosecuting U.S. patent applications. Dennis also serves as an advisor with the Gerson Lehrman Group Law Counsel. Dennis received his BSE from the department of mechanical and aerospace engineering cum laude at Princeton University, where he also earned a certificate in engineering management systems. His thesis involving internet-based autonomous learning systems was awarded special distinction. Dennis then earned his JD cum laude from the University of Chicago Law School. While at the University of Chicago, he was a Microsoft, Merck, & Pfizer scholar, a member of the Olin program in law and economics, and a leader of the Intellectual Property Law Society. Prior to joining MBHB, Dennis worked as a technical consultant for manufacturing firms in New England, as a research fellow at NASA’s Glenn Research Center, as a software developer at the Mayo Clinic’s department of biomedical imaging, and as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ghana, West Africa. Dennis Crouch grew up on a farm near Pittsburg, Kansas and now lives in Chicago with his family. |
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Robert Ryan Morishita is a founder of the Morishita Law Firm. Robert Ryan Morishita earned a B.S. degree, magna cum laude, in mechanical engineering from the University of Utah in 1995. While an undergraduate, Ryan was inducted into the Pi Tau Sigma mechanical engineering honor society and the Golden Key National Honor Society. Ryan earned a J.D. degree from the University of Utah College of Law in 1998 and was inducted into the Order of the Coif. While attending law school, Ryan was a staff member of the Utah Law Review and authored Patent Infringement After GATT: What is an Offer to Sell?, 1997 Utah Law Rev. 905. |
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| Wesley L. Austin is a shareholder with Madson & Austin. Wes graduated summa cum laude from Utah State University in electrical engineering in 1993 with a minor in computer science. After obtaining his bachelor's degree, Wes worked for Motorola, Inc. as a software engineer from 1993 to 1995. He was heavily involved in digital signal processing, wireless communications, secure telecommunications, cryptography, embedded software and secure internet communications. Wes attended law school at the University of Utah and obtained his J.D. degree in 1998. He graduated in the top 20% of his class and was named a William H. Leary Scholar. Wes was a judicial intern for the District of Utah. Following law school, Wes has worked for the law firm of Parsons Behle and Latimer and as in-house intellectual property counsel for emWare, Inc. |
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| Rob L. Phillips is a shareholder with Greenberg Traurig. Rob has prosecuted patents covering multi-media speakers, methods of doing business, computer software and many other technological disciplines. Previously, Rob maintained his own law office focusing on intellectual property, patent prosecution and litigation. Rob now concentrates his practice on patent prosecution and litigation related to the gaming industry. More particularly, he has successfully prosecuted patents covering gaming devices incorporating biometric identification means, automatic card shufflers, video poker games, live card games, casino promotions, internet based games and numerous other gaming related technologies. Before attending law school Rob obtained a B.S. degree in Aerospace Engineering in 1989 from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. After his undergraduate degree, Rob earned a J.D. degree from the Thomas Jefferson School of Law in 1994. Mr. Phillips is involved in a number of professional organizations. Mr. Phillips is a member of the American Bar Association, the Clark County Bar Association, the Federal Bar Association, the State Bar of California, the State Bar of Nevada, and the AIPLA. Rob is admitted to practice in the states of Nevada and California, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. |
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| James R. Yee is an attorney with Howard & Howard. James (“Jim”) Yee specializes in intellectual property law, with a concentration in electrical, electro-mechanical, computer engineering and software. He spent a significant portion of his early career working in-house with Caterpillar Inc. and DaimlerChrysler Corporation. At Caterpillar Inc., he worked as an electrical engineer (where he, among other things, wrote C++ code for large hydraulic excavators) and was subsequently intellectual property attorney responsible for drafting and prosecuting domestic and foreign patent applications in the electro-mechanic, electro-hydraulic, and computer-related arts. Mr. Yee was also a senior attorney with Solar Turbines, Inc., a subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc., and more recently staff counsel at DaimlerChrysler Corporation, where he handled various intellectual property matters and agreements for the Jeep Platform, Scientific Laboratories and Liberty Technical Affairs. Jim has spent the last five years working almost exclusively in the gaming industry, providing legal counsel to manufacturers, service providers, and casino operators. Mr. Yee graduated from Michigan Technological University with a B.S.E.E. degree in 1988 and received a J.D. degree from The National Law Center at George Washington University in 1995. Mr. Yee is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association, the State Bar of Michigan, and the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA), and is registered practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. |
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| Thomas M. Hardman is a shareholder with the intellectual property law firm of Madson & Austin. Tom's practice focuses on the preparation and prosecution of patent applications, primarily in the computer, electronics, semiconductor, communications and software/Internet fields. Tom also has experience in the preparation of formal legal opinions on a variety of complex legal issues, including patent validity, infringement and enforcement questions. Tom's practice also addresses various other intellectual property matters, including educating clients on intellectual property issues and strategies. Tom is admitted to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the state and federal courts of Utah.
Tom obtained his law degree from the University of California at Berkeley (Boalt Hall). At Boalt, Tom served as an Annual Review Advisor for the Berkeley Technology Law Journal and was awarded the Law and Technology Certificate upon graduation. Prior to law school, Tom graduated cum laude with an Honors Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Utah. Tom was a member of Tau Beta Pi, an engineering honor society, and the Golden Key national honor society. Tom received a Presidential Scholarship, an Electrical Engineering Departmental Scholarship, and the Sy Ramo Scholarship for his undergraduate studies. While attending school, Tom also worked part-time for Lockheed Martin, where he was involved in software development. Tom's publications include Signtech USA Ltd. v. Vutek, Inc., 15 Berkeley Tech. L.J. 147 (2000). |
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| Ryan A. Heck, Ph.D. is an attorney with Klarquist Sparkman. Dr. Heck's practice involves all aspects of intellectual property law, including preparation and prosecution of U.S. and foreign patent applications, preparation and prosecution of U.S. trademark applications, litigation, licensing, and providing opinions regarding patentability, validity, and infringement.
Although he focuses on the chemical and mechanical arts, Dr. Heck has experience in a wide range of fields. Representative technologies that Dr. Heck has experience in include games of chance, pharmaceutical compositions, genetically modified plants, bioinformatics, sheetrock construction and coatings, oil drilling processes and apparatus, desalination systems, power distribution and monitoring devices, software systems, and synthetic fibers. Dr. Heck is admitted to practice in the states of Nevada and Texas and is also registered before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. His court admissions include the United States District Court for Nevada and the United States District Court for Southern District of Texas. Dr. Heck's publications include the following: Catalano, V. J.; Heck, R. A.; Öhman, A.; Hill, M.G. Synthesis, Characterization, and Electrocatalytic Oxidation of Benzyl Alcohol by a Pair of Geometric Isomers of [Ru(trpy)(4,4’-Me2dppi)(OH2)]2+ where 4,4’-dppi is 3, 6-di-(4-methylpyrid-2-yl)pyridazine Polyhedron 19 (2000) 1049-1055. Catalano, V. J.; Kurtaran, R.; Heck, R. A. ; Ohman, A.; Hill, M.G. [Ru(bdmpp)(diimine)Cl]+ Complexes as Structural Analogs of [Ru(trpy)(diimine)Cl]+ Inorganica Chimica Acta, 286 (1999) 181-188. Catalano, V. J.; Heck, R. A.; Immoos, C. E.; Ohman, A.; Hill, M.G. Steric Modulation of Electrocatalytic Benzyl Alcohol Oxidation by [Ru(trpy)(R2dppi)(O)]2+ Complexes Inorg. Chem. 37 (1998) 2150-2157. |
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| Mark A. Miller is an attorney with Holland & Hart. Mr. Miller earned a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Utah. After receiving his undergraduate degree, Mr. Miller worked as a design engineer on the 17-mile reconstruction of I-15 in Salt Lake City, Utah. |
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Speakers for Patent Drafting & Prosecution: New Developments and Practical Tips on April 6-7, 2006 at the Bellagio in Las Vegas
Patent Drafting & Prosecution: New Developments and Practical Tips was held on April 6-7, 2006 at the Bellagio hotel and casino in Las Vegas. The speakers included Dennis Crouch, a patent attorney with McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff LLP and author of the popular award winning patent law blog Patently-O, Robert Ryan Morishita, founder of the Morishita Law Firm, Wesley L. Austin, a shareholder with Madson & Austin, Rob L. Phillips, a shareholder with Greenberg Traurig, Mark A. Miller, an attorney with Holland & Hart, Thomas M. Hardman, a shareholder with Madson & Austin, James R. Yee, an attorney with Howard & Howard, and Ryan A. Heck, Ph.D., an attorney with Klarquist Sparkman.
