2024 AMC Speakers

AMC Home Page

Aaron Williams

Aaron is a partner in the Vorys Cleveland office and is a member of the litigation and intellectual property groups. His practice focuses on representing clients in connection with the defense or prosecution of their intellectual property rights, including cases involving patent and trademark infringement, trade secrets, and non-competition agreements. Aaron has litigated cases before the American Arbitration Association, state and federal trial courts, the Federal Circuit and the International Trade Commission involving various technologies, including consumer goods and electronics, software and mobile applications, and a number
of different mechanical designs, systems and processes. Aaron also maintains a broad litigation practice representing public and private companies, as well as individual officers, directors, partners and fiduciaries, in complex business disputes involving securities fraud
violations, shareholder derivative actions, business torts and class action defense.

 

 

 

 

Angela Parsons

Angela Parsons, Ph.D., is a Senior Patent Agent with Fish & Richardson, and has been a practicing Patent Agent for more than 25 years. Angela’s practice focuses on all aspects of patent prosecution, both in the U.S. and abroad, as well as due diligence, patentability opinions, and invalidity opinions. Angela works with universities and research institutes, start-up companies, and large companies that operate in the pharmaceutical, life sciences, agricultural, and food science spaces. Angela received her BS in Biology with an emphasis in Genetics from the University of Nebraska, and then completed her Ph.D. in Genetics and Cell Biology from Washington State University. Prior to transitioning into patent law, Angela also held a post-doctoral research position on the Texas Medical Center in Houston.

Braxton Davis

After obtaining his J.D., Braxton Davis joined AT&T’s Intellectual Property Patent Development Team where he evaluated inventive ideas, patent portfolios, and patent monetization opportunities based on business strategies. Thereafter, Braxton accepted a position as an Associate before being named Partner with the law firm Amin, Turocy, & Watson. Currently, Braxton serves as Meta’s (formerly Facebook) Associate General Counsel on the Patents, Licensing, & Open Source Team. Braxton has also established the Patent Institute of Training and the National Council on Patent Practicum, a non-profit focused on increasing quality and diversity within the patent profession. Additionally, he founded Metric Mate, a tech startup which aired on Shark Tank, where he applies his degrees in electrical engineering and physics to invent and develop connected devices that track strength training data. Braxton is also the recipient of both the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Georgia State University 40 under 40 awards.

Bruce Young

Bruce Young is an independent patent agent in solo practice and has been a NAPP member since 2012. Before starting his patent practice, he worked for 30 years as an engineer and engineering manager in both Fortune 100 and small companies, including Jabil, Gateway, Intel, Lucasfilm/Pixar, HP, and several start-ups. Mr. Young has been involved in nearly every aspect of electronic product design and manufacturing at some point in his career including the development of several industry-standard specifications including HiPPI and PCI, and has been named as an inventor on over 50 issued US Patents.

Mr. Young holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Engineering from Iowa State University, and a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University. He currently lives in Grimes, IA with Debra, his wife of 44 years.

 

Charles Kim

Charles Kim serves as the Deputy Commissioner for Patents of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). As Deputy Commissioner for Patents, Mr. Kim is an authority on patent laws, rules, and examining practice and procedure, and provides executive leadership to the Office of Petitions, the Office of Patent Legal Administration, the Office of Patent Quality Assurance, the Central Reexamination Unit, and the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure staff.

Prior to becoming Deputy Commissioner, Mr. Kim served as Acting Assistant Commissioner for Patents, and prior held the position of Director of the Office of Petitions. He has also served as Senior Advisor to the Deputy Commissioner for Patent Examination Policy, and as a Supervisory Patent Examiner in Technology Center 2100.

In addition, Mr. Kim currently leads the USPTO’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Emerging Technologies Working Group. In this capacity, Mr. Kim provides executive leadership to a cross-cutting team of AI specialists from across the agency that develops and implements various AI and intellectual property (IP) policy initiatives at the USPTO, including the AI and Emerging Technologies Partnership, which was launched under the leadership of Director Vidal in June 2022.

Mr. Kim earned his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering with High Honors from Rutgers University and his Juris Doctor from George Washington University Law School. Mr. Kim also holds an Executive Certificate in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School.

Chris Frank

Mr. Frank has nearly two decades of experience helping companies protect and grow their business through innovation and intellectual property. He currently serves as Vice-President, Intellectual Property for SynerFuse, Inc., a start-up medical device company seeking to transform treatments and outcomes for chronic pain.  Previous roles include patent portfolio manager for Medtronic-Neuromodulation, Intellectual Asset manager for Cargill, and various strategic IP consulting roles helping startups and Fortune 500 corporations navigate the intellectual property landscape. As a thought leader at the intersection of intellectual property law and innovation, he also founded of the Master of Science in Patent Law program at the University of Minnesota. Mr. Frank holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law.

 

 

Dan Krueger

With his doctoral degree in Electrical Engineering, Dan is able to perform in even the most complex areas of technology. He has earned the respect and loyalty of clients in many fields including computer architecture, software engineering, digital communications, coding, seismic data processing, oil field drilling technology and well logging. Dan is highly skilled in patent prosecution, opinion work, litigation support and “design-around” assistance. Dan also performs due-diligence and freedom-to-operate searches and assists his clients in developing strategic patent portfolios. Dan’s firm is a top firm for patent infringement litigation and specializes in contingency cases.  

Dan has been a NAPP member since at least 2014, has served two terms on the board of directors and four years as NAPP President. He remains active on several NAPP committees and believes NAPP does the best conferences for patent practitioners.

Dan Smith

Dan Smith is a global patent portfolio manager, standard essential patent creator, patent strategist, inventor with 14 issues patents, speaker, and innovation coach. Mr. Smith is also the Vice President of  NAPP, Chair of the Advocacy Committee, and the first Patent Agent "Special Assistant Attorney General" (SAAG) for the State of Colorado.  Mr. Smith started patent practice at Lathop and Gage and after seven years moved in-house to CableLabs, the non-profit innovation lab for the global cable/telecommunication industry, where he was for 9 years.  Now back in private practice running his own patent practice, The Patent Smith, he pulls together everything he has learned over his 16 years of experience to help inventors cultivate new inventions, assist clients with patent portfolio development and strategy, creates standard essential patents, and advises on SEP patent pools.

David Boundy

David Boundy of Potomac Law Group PLLC, in Boston, Massachusetts, practices at the intersection of patent and administrative law, and consults with other firms on matters before and appeals from the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.  David is recognized as one of the nation’s experts in administrative law:  in March 2018, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit invited David to lead a panel that included the President’s chief regulatory oversight officer, in a program at the court’s Judicial Conference to assist the court and bar in understanding administrative law issues.  In 2007–09, David led teams that successfully urged the Office of Management and Budget to quash the Patent Office’s continuations, 5/25 claims, IDS, and appeal regulations.  He is included on Intellectual Asset Magazine’s Worldwide Strategy 300, and Global Leaders 300.  In addition, he prosecutes patent applications and advises on intellectual property strategy.  He may be reached at [email protected].

David Grossman

David Grossman is the Senior Director of Technology Transfer and Industry Collaboration at George Mason University.  David also supervises pro bono patent cases at the Glushko-Samuelson Intellectual Property Law Clinic at the American University Washington College of Law.  In addition, he has founded -- and also worked with -- several successful start-up companies and non-profit organizations, as well as monetizing numerous technologies (including several of his own 24 plus patents), some with extremely large multi-national companies.  Prior to this current position, David was Vice President of Intellectual Property at Ofinno LLC, an Adjunct Professor of Law at the at the George Mason University Anton Scalia Law School, President of the National Association of Patent Practitioners, Research Editor for “The Journal of the Association of University Technology Managers,” and operator of a boutique intellectual property law practice.  Earlier in his career, David led the software and avionics development for several rocket and satellite programs including the X-34 rocket plane and designed toys for Fisher-Price.  David received a Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from the American University Washington College of Law and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from The Pennsylvania State University.

David Ladner

Following 22 years with American Cyanamid in Princeton, NJ, where he was a named inventor on 22 U.S. patents, David became a Patent Agent in 2000 and was hired as the Patent Manager for Bayer Pharmaceuticals in West Haven, CT. From 2005-2008 he served as IP Manager at several small Biotech and Pharmaceutical startups.

Since 2009, David has provided similar services as the solo practitioner of Ladner Patent Management, LLC, and also serves on the faculty of the Patent Institute of Training.

David is a native of Pennsylvania, and has a B.S. in Chemistry from Penn State, a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Georgia, and an M.B.A from Fairleigh Dickinson University.  He splits his time between suburban Atlanta and Kiawah Island, South Carolina, where he attempts to conquer the mysteries of golf without losing his normally good sense of humor.

Emil Ali

Emil J. Ali is a partner at McCabe & Ali, LLP where he focuses his practice on helping lawyers understand their obligations under state and federal law.  As a registered patent attorney, a significant focus of his practice involves advising lawyers and law firms on all aspects of the intersection of IP and ethics matters.  Emil’s work includes counseling clients on lateral transitions, malpractice avoidance, expert opinion and testimony, and respondent’s defense work before various bars and courts.  You can view his musings on IP ethics issues at www.ipethicslaw.com.

Gary Sorden

Gary specializes in intellectual property disputes and has tried numerous commercial litigation disputes in forums across the
country. He serves as lead counsel on intellectual property matters related to patent, copyright, DMCA, trade secret,
trademark, and trade dress issues. He has extensive experience advising clients on both sides of the aisle in federal and state matters as well as alternative dispute resolution forums. Through his trial experience, Gary has developed a reputation as a “go to” dealmaker in intellectual property license disputes and transactions regarding intellectual property. Gary regularly assists clients in licensing negotiations and
transactions involving intellectual property with substantial deal values. By harnessing his diverse litigation experience, Gary provides comprehensive representation in a wide variety of litigation matters while maintaining the business objectives of his clients. His litigation experience includes representing clients in a wide variety of matters including standard essential patents (SEPs), IoT, security systems, embedded systems including hard drives, chip packages, board-level components, software and integrated designs in intellectual property matters. Gary has served as lead counsel in various commercial, oil and gas, and business litigation matters. Gary has successfully represented numerous companies in Inter Partes Reviews (IPRs) and Post Grant Review (PGR) trials. Believing that the best defense is a strong offense, Gary also works with clients on the development of intellectual property
including product and company branding strategies as well as the development of patents, trademarks and copyrights. By partnering with clients from the onset of their business ventures, Gary assists in building strong brands that are both well protected and well prepared to withstand potential infringement.

Jeremy Smith

Jeremy is a European and UK patent attorney and is a Partner at Kilburn & Strode, based in London. He specializes in oppositions and appeals at the European Patent Office. As well as leading cases at the EPO, he has provided litigation support for corresponding cases at the Unified Patent Court (UPC) and in European national courts, working closely with litigators in various countries, including being part of the team for a successful preliminary injunction trial in Denmark.

At the EPO, Jeremy has had success in defending and attacking patents when acting against entities such as the European Union, the European Space Agency, some of the world’s largest medical device companies and the largest companies in the Swiss watch industry.

A significant proportion of his prosecution and opposition cases involve specifications originally drafted in the US. Jeremy regularly advises practitioners in the US on how to draft patent applications ready for success at the EPO.

His physics degree gives him a broad base from which to specialize in various fields according to his clients’ needs.

Jorge Contreras

Jorge L. Contreras is the James T. Jensen Endowed Professor for Transactional Law and Director of the Program on Intellectual Property and Technology Law at the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law, and has recently served as a visiting fellow to the London School of Economics and Political Science (2023) and Tilburg University (2018). Prof. Contreras’s academic research focuses on intellectual property, antitrust law, technical standardization and science policy. Prior to entering academia, Professor Contreras was a partner at the international law firm Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP where he practiced intellectual property transactional law in Boston, Washington DC and London. He has published more than 150 academic articles and chapters and has written or edited twelve books including the 2-volume Cambridge Handbook of Technical Standardization Law (Cambridge Univ. Press, 2017, 2019).  His scholarship has received numerous awards and recognition, including the Patent & Trademark Office Society’s 2021 Rossman Memorial Award and the University of Utah’s 2020 Distinguished Research Award, and he is a three-time winner of the IPKat blog’s award for Best Patent Law Book of the Year. His book, The Genome Defense: Inside the Epic Legal Battle to Determine Who Owns Your DNA (Hachette/Algonquin, 2021), was recognized by the NY Times as one of the top nonfiction books of the season and has received praise from news outlets ranging from the Wall Street Journal to Nature.  He is an elected member of the American Law Institute and the former co-chair of the National Conference of Lawyers and Scientists.  He received his JD from Harvard Law School, earned his BSEE and BA in English at Rice University and clerked for Chief Justice Thomas R. Philips of the Texas Supreme Court.

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jorge-contreras-53683

Josh Snider

“Josh is a licensed attorney with 25 years of experience representing large corporations, government entities, universities, and entrepreneurs in all areas of intellectual property and related business matters.  Josh has been a registered Patent Attorney since 2000, and has prosecuted over two thousand patents before the USPTO.  Prior to becoming a Patent Attorney, Josh was an Assistant Public Defender with the Cook County Public Defender’s Office in Chicago, and a former research scientist degreed in Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering.”

Katie Scholz

Katie Scholz has over 10 years of experience drafting and prosecuting patent applications, with the last 5 years as an in-house counsel for 3M Company.  Katie has experience drafting in a variety of technology areas including software, materials, mechanical and robotics. 

Katie received her Bachelor of Chemical Engineering degree from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, and her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Minnesota Law School in Minneapolis, MN.

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiescholz/

Katrina Witschen

 

 

Katrina Witschen is in-house counsel for Boston Scientific based in the Twin Cities area. As a Senior Legal Director of Intellectual Property, Katrina and her team manage Boston Scientific’s Electrophysiology and Cardiac Rhythm Management and Diagnostics IP portfolios. Katrina received her Biomedical Engineering degree in 1997 and her law degree in 2003. She started her career working as an engineer for Medtronic before transitioning to Medtronic’s legal department. Katrina then spent several years at a boutique IP law firm in the Twin Cities before going back in-house for Boston Scientific, where she has been for the past nine years taking on roles of increasing responsibility. Katrina is a Minnesota native and enjoys life in the country in Monticello, MN with her husband of nearly 25 years and their seven children.

 

Kip Werking

Kip has been practicing intellectual property law for over 15 years and is registered before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Kip previously worked with multiple patent law boutiques where he assisted dozens of technology companies in preparing and prosecuting patent applications. He has extensive experience working with the following technology areas: displays, projectors, xerography, electric vehicles and batteries, digital cameras and optics, games and artificial intelligence, cellular networks, cybersecurity, virtual/augmented reality, and semiconductors.

In his practice, Kip has conducted hundreds of personal interviews with examiners on location at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, as well as obtained hundreds of issued patents for clients. Additionally, Kip has extensive experience with appeals from patent examination rejections before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. Kip has also managed and trained new attorneys and patent agents in the patent prosecution process. During law school, Kip had a summer internship with the Office of Unfair Import Investigations helping the federal government in patent litigation before the International Trade Commission.

Linkedin:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kip-werking-9649781b0/

Margaret Polson

Margaret Polson is founder and principal attorney for Polson Intellectual Property Law. Overseeing the preparation and prosecution of utility and design patent applications, trademarks, and copyrights, she also assists clients with licensing and intellectual property strategy and management.

In the United States, Ms. Polson has drafted, prosecuted and enforced utility patents for diverse clients and obtained patents in a wide variety of technical areas, from drilling tools to computer controlled rock saws, complex amusement rides, and vegetable-based engine oil. She helps multinational corporations protect their intellectual property worldwide, including IP strategy, patent portfolio management, and enforcement.  Ms. Polson also has obtained hundreds of design patents for her clients on a wide variety of commercial products.   Ms. Polson’s clients include IFly Indoor Skydiving, Chamberlain Group, and US Thrillrides. 

Ms. Polson also specializes in helping startups spend their limited intellectual property budget wisely, having counseled hundreds of startups and individual inventors during her career.

Ms. Polson is a frequent speaker on  IP, particularly designs and is a  member of the board of AIPLA,  as well as a past Chair of the Industrial Designs Committee of the AIPLA and is chair of the AIPLA Design Rights Boot Camp programing committee. 

Meredith Struby

Meredith Struby is the managing partner of Meunier Carlin & Curfman LLC, an intellectual property boutique firm in Atlanta, GA.  Her practice focuses on patent asset creation and portfolio management and counseling regarding third party owned patents for mechanical, electro-mechanical, textile, and medical device technologies.  Meredith has a strong commitment to serving underrepresented groups in IP law and STEM fields. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Melanie Schultz

Melanie is a Canadian patent practitioner who in 2021, after 13 years in the IP profession, co-founded Altitude IP, a Canadian IP firm focusing on patent, design and trademark prosecution. Melanie’s practice centers around patent drafting, prosecution, and advising on issues of patentability, infringement and validity. She works with many U.S. associates and Canadian companies to strategize and secure IP protection in Canada and abroad, giving her an in-depth understanding of the differences between Canadian and U.S. practice. Melanie’s technological areas of expertise include energy generation, downhole tools, medical devices, sports equipment, industrial machinery, instrumentation, imaging, computer-related technologies and more. Given her environmental science background, she has a particular interest in cleantech. Melanie was recognized by IAM Patent 1000 in 2023 for patent prosecution in Canada. She is a former member of the Canadian National Biathlon Team, an experience with ingrained in her the importance of excellence and continual improvement in everything she does.

Mike Locklar

Michael G. "Mike" Locklar represents clients in a variety of fields, including chemicals, oil & gas, software, computers and computer hardware, electronics, consumer products, and medical devices. In his 25 years of IP practice, Mike's practice has included litigation, prosecution, and transactional work.

Mike has co-authored briefings to the Federal Circuit and the United States Supreme Court. He has also written and prosecuted patent applications in a variety of technical areas, including chemicals, oil field exploration and production tools and equipment, data communications, power generation systems, heat transfer equipment, fuel cells, post-tension concrete, and seismic equipment.

Mike is a Past Chair of the IP Section of the State Bar of Texas, and a past President of the Houston Intellectual Property Law Association. He is a frequent speaker and author on a variety of intellectual property topics including patent subject matter eligibility, patent prosecution, patent litigation, and specific patent and trademark subject topics.

Mike was a production engineer in chemical manufacturing for approximately 10 years before receiving his law degree.

 Mike Carey

 Mr. Carey is a Member of F. Chau & Associates, and has been a part of the NAAP since 2017. Mr. Carey prepares and prosecutes patents with an emphasis on artificial intelligence. Mr. Carey also develops technology and processes to increase the efficiency of patent preparation and prosecution. Prior to becoming a patent attorney, Mr. Carey was an officer in the Air Force, attaining the rank of Major. He flew a C-130 in multiple combat deployments, and also served as a Judge Advocate in the Air Force Reserve.

 

Paul Parins

Paul is a partner at Kagan Binder, PLLC, and is an Adjunct Professor/Faculty Member at the University of Minnesota Law School teaching patent law and practice with an emphasis on legal, business, and technical strategies with respect to  patent application drafting and prosecution, and oral advocacy. 

Paul has a degree in chemical engineering and handles a wide variety of chemical, physics, material science, biotechnology, mechanical, and electro-mechanical technologies.  Technologies covered include renewable energy such as solar, thermal, and biofuel; food; agricultural; chemical synthesis and processing; semiconductor processing techniques; semiconductor materials; healthcare; and computer hardware and related manufacturing equipment.  

Paul serves his clients in a variety of intellectual property areas including management of United States and international intellectual property portfolios; development of patent portfolio strategies, especially in the context of a larger business strategy and related patent families; preparing, filing and prosecuting patent applications in the U.S. and internationally; drafting legal opinions relating to the validity or infringement of United States patents; and helping clients to plan and implement litigation and other dispute resolution proceedings, including helping clients work with  litigation counsel. 

In addition to his practice, Paul is involved in developing and maintaining client relationships.  This includes providing high quality legal services in a timely and cost-effective manner.  Also, Paul trains associates, agents, and legal interns to prepare and prosecute patent applications with U.S. and international legal principles in mind.      

Before joining Kagan Binder as an attorney, Paul worked as an intellectual property law clerk at Kagan Binder and prior to that as an intellectual property law clerk at 3M. While working in the Office of Intellectual Property Counsel at 3M, Paul obtained extensive experience with respect to preparing and prosecuting U.S. and international patent applications in the abrasive products industry. Prior to working as a law clerk, Paul was a chemical engineer with 3M, Occupational Health and Environmental Safety Division, a supplier of respirators and thermal/acoustical insulation to consumers and businesses. As an engineer, Paul managed the installation of manufacturing lines, which involved specifying, commissioning, and developing polymer fiber processing equipment and methods. 

Pete Peterson

Gale R. “Pete” Peterson retired as an equity shareholder in 2014 from the San Antonio law firm of Cox & Smith after 35+ years of practice in both general and IP litigation, as well as IP prosecution, licensing, acquisition, and consulting. And, after retirement, in select cases primarily as a court-appointed special master (75+ cases, overseeing discovery, claim construction, and summary judgment motions, for various federal district courts), expert witness (30+ cases), and mediator/arbitrator (50+ cases, including international arbitrations before the International Court of Arbitration).

Before entering private practice, Pete served as Technical Advisor to Chief Judge Howard Markey, U.S. Court of Customs and Patent Appeals (predecessor to the Federal Circuit), as well as examiner in the USPTO (laser, electron beam and plasma arts) and law clerk to the PTO Board of Appeals.

Pete has served in leadership roles in various professional and civic organizations, including, among others, as past President (and currently on the Board) of the Society of International Business Fellows (Atlanta), past Director Emeritus, Texas Business Hall of Fame Foundation, past-President, Forum on Entrepreneurship, and various roles in the American Bar Association, the International Trademark Association, and others.

Pete has spent the better part of his career lecturing and writing on Federal Circuit patent law, including as chair/lecturer for the Patent Resources Group for 30+ years, as lecturer for the PRG Patent Bar Review Course for 20+ years, authoring (and lecturing on) 120+ papers for both private and bar-related entities, and authoring/co-authoring 15+ books/book chapters on IP.

Over the course of his career, Pete has received a number of honors, including the Tom Arnold Lifetime Achievement Award and Chair’s Award (both from the State Bar of Texas), and recognition by Best Lawyer’s in America, Texas Super Lawyer, and Chambers USA America’s Leading Business Lawyers.

Pete’s academic career includes an LLM (with highest honors) from George Washington University, and a BS in electrical engineering from the University of Nebraska (with a hefty load of both nuclear engineering and philosophy (game theory)). Pete served on the staffs of both the Daily Nebraskan (newspaper) and Cornhusker (yearbook), a rare non-journalism student to do so. And was competitively chosen as a “song and dance” performer in several musicals.

Pete’s hobbies include woodworking (namely making the desk and office furniture he used for 35+ years, as well as his three daughters’ furniture), flying (instrument rating + both glider and helicopter time + search and rescue Civil Air Patrol pilot), sailing, SCUBA diving (PADI rated Master Diver), snow skiing, and (formerly) skydiving.

Priya Cloutier

Priya Cloutier established leader in building strategies to support meaningful outcomes for technology companies. Deep experience in all aspects of intellectual property protection, strategy and law; and its intersection with product development and product commercialization.

She spent 26 years representing start-ups and closely held corporations. She currently leads the IP Group of UC San Diego, one of the largest IP portfolios in the UC system.

Priya has advanced degrees in both Nuclear Engineering and mathematics. Priya is an endurance athlete and mountaineer.

Tom Bassolino

Tom Bassolino is a U.S. patent attorney and the founder of Bass Patent Law, LLC based in Frederick, MD. Tom’s practice includes patent preparation, prosecution, and related services for startups, Fortune 500 companies, and everything in-between, mostly in the mechanical and electrical arts. Before founding Bass Patent Law, Tom worked in the New York City office of a large general practice firm (aka “biglaw”) and a boutique patent prosecution firm thereafter. Prior to practicing patent law, Tom was a mechanical engineer in New York City where he designed advanced plumbing and fire protection systems for high-rise buildings. Tom has been a member of NAPP for over 10 years, previously serving on the Board of Directors (2019–2022) and Conference Planning Committee (2018–2022). Tom is the proud father of two small children, and a devoted husband to an amazing middle school math teacher. For more information on Tom, his firm, and his practice, please visit www.basspatent.com.

LinkedIn Links
Tom:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-bassolino-469a959

Bass Patent Law:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/bass-patent-law/

Tom Cotter

Professor Thomas F. Cotter joined the University of Minnesota Law School faculty in 2006. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and in 1987 graduated magna cum laude from the University of Wisconsin Law School, where he served as Senior Articles Editor of the Wisconsin Law Review and was elected to the Order of the Coif.

 Will Covey

Will Covey is the Deputy General Counsel and Director for the Office of Enrollment and Discipline (OED) at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). As Deputy General Counsel, Mr. Covey is responsible for ensuring that the nation’s patent attorneys and agents are of good moral character and sufficiently knowledgeable to practice before the USPTO. Mr. Covey’s team of attorneys and other professionals develops and administers a registration examination designed to measure an applicant's knowledge of patent law and practice. Successful applicants are registered to practice by OED. In addition, OED investigates complaints of unethical conduct made against individuals practicing patent or trademark law before the USPTO.

Mr. Covey has held a number of key positions at the USPTO, including Acting General Counsel and Deputy General Counsel for the Office of General Law. Mr. Covey was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in 2007.

Mr. Covey received his undergraduate degree from Fordham University (magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa) and earned his J.D. from Fordham University Law School in 1991. He graduated from Harvard University's JFK School of Government (Senior Executive Fellowship) in 2005 and the U.S. Army War College with an M.S. in Strategic Studies in 2010.

Prior to joining the USPTO in 2000, Mr. Covey was a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey. He also served on active duty in the Pentagon, and was a senior officer in the Army Reserve assigned to the Office of the Army Staff, Office of the Judge Advocate General. He completed combat tours in Iraq (2007) and Afghanistan (2011) and served as Deputy Legal Counsel to the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff. Mr. Covey retired from the Army in February 2022.