Cleantech
Group at a Glance
- 24 members
- 20 members have advanced degrees
- Members are drawn from Biotechnology, Chemical & Materials Technologies, Electrical & Computer Technologies, and Mechanical Technologies Groups
- Members' backgrounds include: Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Materials Science, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Optics, Mechanical Engineering, Biology, Physics, and Biological Chemistry
What Matters to Our Clients
Strength Across Multiple Disciplines
A strong intellectual property position is a critical component to the success of any cleantech venture. But establishing and protecting that position is complicated by the diversity of the science involved in cleantech advances. By their nature, innovations designed to change our global reliance on traditional energy sources and reduce the environmental footprint regularly blur the boundaries of scientific disciplines.
Our clients recognize that we have the strength and breadth of legal and scientific expertise across the various technical disciplines that are integral to the cleantech industry. They appreciate the fact that we can easily customize a team of attorneys and technology specialists who are able to quickly grasp any unique convergence our client is leveraging in the market.
This group, all of whose members have advanced degrees, offers expertise in such areas as: biotechnology, inorganic and organic chemistry, chemical engineering, materials science, electrical engineering, optics, and mechanical engineering.
Broad Client Base
Our cleantech clients include a wind turbine manufacturer, a manufacturer of recycling equipment and recycling facilities, a company engineering bacteria and yeast for producing ethanol, and a manufacturer of energy efficient lighting. In addition to emerging and established cleantech companies, we work with academic and research institutions as well as venture capitalists and other investors who are looking to identify, explore, and invest in next-generation clean technologies.
We provide the full range of IP services to our clients including: IP portfolio development, patent and trademark prosecution, due diligence, opinions, licensing, and infringement enforcement and defense.
Industry Involvement
Our Cleantech Group participates in and sponsors industry groups and events such as Greentown Labs, New England Clean Energy Council, and Renewable Energy Business Network. Members have also served as judges and mentors for the MIT Clean Energy Entrepreneurship Prize. Our clients appreciate that we are active in the industry, staying current with emerging trends, ideas, and competition in this rapidly evolving space.
Areas of Expertise
Examples of our group's areas of expertise include:
- Biomass derived fuels
- Clean coal
- Geothermal
- Hydroelectric / tidal
- Hydrogen / fuel cell
- Solar
- Wind power
- Genetic manipulation of microorganisms
- Grid management
- High efficiency heating / cooling / ventilation
- High efficiency power supplies
- Semiconductor lighting
- Transportation / vehicles
- Batteries
- Fuel cells
- Supercapacitors
- Recycling technologies
- Waste recycling
- Water & waste water
- CO2 mitigation / greenhouse gas abatement / recycling or sequestration
- NOx / SOx reduction
- Materials & design
- Urban planning
- Water / sewage treatment and waste management
- Harvard University & Medical School
- Luminus Devices, Inc.
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Sion Power Corporation
- Sun Catalytix Corporation
- Ze-Gen
April 2013 - Wolf Greenfield Tops the Boston Business Journal’s List of Largest Area Intellectual Property Law Firms
April 10, 2013 - Rob Walat quoted in Mass High Tech
March 22, 2013 - Ed Walsh quoted on "first-inventor-to-file" changes
March 22, 2013 - Patrick Waller quoted on the "First-Inventor-to File" system
March 11, 2013 - Patrick Waller quoted in Law360 on first-to-file patent system
February 21, 2013 - Wolf Greenfield Attorney Recognized for Pro Bono Service by Women’s Bar Foundation
February 12, 2013 - Deadline approaches for patent protections
February 5, 2013 - Wolf Greenfield Named Elite Trademark Law Firm in World Trademark Report 1000
January 29, 2013 - Preparing for the “First Inventor to File” Transition
January 18, 2013 - Ed Walsh was quoted in a Law360 article on Patent Reform
October 22, 2012 - Fifteen Wolf Greenfield Lawyers Highlighted in 2012 Massachusetts Super Lawyers List
October 18, 2012 - WOLF GREENFIELD SEMINAR: What You Need to Know to Prepare for the "First Inventor to File" Transition - Replay Now Available
September 19, 2012 - Eleven Wolf Greenfield Attorneys Selected for 2013 Best Lawyers in America®
September 6, 2012 - Federal Circuit Establishes New Standard on Divided Infringement and Inducement
July 27, 2012 - Chelsea Loughran quoted in Law360 on the new First-To-File rules
June 2012 - Wolf Greenfield Named to IAM 1000 World’s Leading Patent Practitioners List
June 2012 - GBLS Recognizes Wolf Greenfield with 2012 Associates Drive Award
Marine Polymer v. HemCon (decided 3/15/12) - Intervening Rights Cannot Be Triggered by Argument Alone in Reexaminations
In re Google, Inc. (decided 2/6/12) - Substance of Emails Determines Attorney-Client Privilege Protection
December 2011 - Neil Ferraro Named 2012 Boston Patent Law Association President
January 3, 2012 - Wolf Greenfield Welcomes 2012 Promoting Seven Lawyers to New Positions
November 2011 - America Invents Act: The Implications of Patent Reform
October 12, 2011 - Wolf Greenfield Sponsored MIT Forum Event on October 12
In re Stepan (decided 10/5/11) - BPAI Triggers “New Ground of Rejection” When Changing Statutory Basis of Rejection
September 2011 - America Invents Act – Patent Reform is Finally Here
September 9, 2011 - IP ALERT—Senate Endorses The Long-Awaited Patent Reform
Markem-Imaje Corp. v. Zipher Ltd (decided 9/9/11) - Same Claim Terms Can Have Different Meanings Within Different Limitations
AIA Engineering v Magotteaux (decided 8/31/11) - Federal Circuit Muddies Reissue Application Practice
February 25, 2011 - Managing the Pace of Patent Applications
February 17, 2011 - WOLF GREENFIELD SEMINAR: Managing IP Risks: The Importance of Obtaining Freedom to Operate Guidance - presentation now available
January 1, 2011 - Wolf Greenfield filed 2,749 patent applications and 688 trademark applications in 2010.
December 2010 - Wolf Greenfield was ranked #1 in number of patents filed and number of patent attorneys in Mass High Tech’s annual survey
November 3, 2010 - Wolf Greenfield sponsored the Sixth Annual Conference on Clean Energy
August 25, 2010 - Presentation to entrepreneurs at MassChallenge
August 22, 2010 - Hunter Baker, Ed Gates and Chelsea Loughran presented at the American Chemical Society’s Fall National Meeting
August 20, 2010 - BBJ survey ranks Wolf Greenfield #1 in patent attorneys, patents filed and patents obtained
July 7, 2010 - A Wolf Greenfield Webinar: Forecasting the Future of Method Patents Post-Bilski — archived replay of webinar now available
June 28, 2010 - CLIENT ALERT— Supreme Court Leaves Door Open to Business Method Patents
June 17, 2010 - WOLF GREENFIELD SEMINAR: Strategically Building and Monetizing a Patent Portfolio - replay now available
March 1, 2010 - Get your green technology to the head of the line
October 15, 2009 - CLIENT ALERT — USPTO Rescinds Controversial Rules Restricting Patent Applications
October 1, 2009 - Energy, Cleantech, and Intellectual Property
September 2009 - Managing Technology Convergence and Protecting Innovation: Intellectual Property for Cleantech Ventures – Biomass and Beyond
March 25, 2009 - CLIENT ALERT — Federal Circuit Decision on Controversial PTO Rules
February 2009 - Maximizing Intellectual Property Value in Tough Economic Times- Seminar replay now available
WHITE PAPER - Energy, Cleantech, and Intellectual Property: Managing Technology Convergence and Protecting Innovation
November 12, 2008 - Navigating Technology Collaborations and Joint Ventures—Wolf Greenfield seminar
June 11, 2008 - Cleantech and IP: Managing Convergence and Protecting Novelty
May 30, 2008 - Cleantech Group Launched by Wolf Greenfield
February 7, 2008 - An Entrepreneur's Guide to the Intellectual Property Galaxy
November 2006 - Accelerated Examination of Patent Applications: Too Good To Be True?
Q&A Booklet - Q&A on Patents
Q&A Booklet - Q&A on Intellectual Property Litigation
Q&A Booklet - Q&A on Licensing and Transactions
