Electrical & Computer Technologies
Group at a Glance
- 24 members
- Group is led by 10 shareholders who are supported by 7 associates, 6 patent agents and 1 technology specialist
- Degrees (many advanced) in: electrical engineering, computer science, industrial engineering, and physics
- Expertise in patent prosecution, litigation, interferences, due diligence, licensing, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, design patents, and various areas ancillary to our core practice
What Matters to Our Clients
Deep Technical Knowledge
Collectively, it’s hard to match our group’s depth and breadth of knowledge, our stability as an organization, and our team-oriented practice. Our clients often choose us—sometimes over much larger firms—because of our strategic focus and the level of expertise and experience—both technical and legal—that we bring to the table.
We are business lawyers with technology backgrounds and an expertise in IP law. Our focus is our client’s business and the way the technology and legal protection or threats fit into it; not just on technology per se. Equally important is our practice of creating dedicated client teams that maintain continuity, provide our clients with multiple contact points, and assure a high level of responsiveness and efficiency. We are devoted to the success of our clients.
Most of our professionals have advanced degrees and industry experience. Clients value having a team that can hit the ground running with a full and nuanced grasp of the technological and business issues at stake. We work well together and with our clients, and focus on achieving planned goals. Our shareholders have practiced together for many years and know how to combine their legal expertise with the cutting edge technical training of our newest technology specialists, so we deliver the best of both worlds.
Our attorneys and technology specialists are comfortable and effective at communicating with inventors, engineers, and researchers on technology, and with business stakeholders on commercial aspects of that technology. They know how important it is to provide clients with the practical input and judgment required for serious decision-making.
Our services cover all aspects of clients’ IP needs, sometimes in cooperation with other practice groups in the firm, and include: strategic counseling on the development and management of portfolios; patent and trademark drafting and prosecution; international filing strategies and execution; IP audits; product clearance and design-around advice; due diligence; licensing and tech transfer agreements; patent infringement, validity, and other opinions; litigation; alternative dispute resolution; interferences; and copyright issues.
Distinguished Client List
Our client list includes widely recognized leaders in the high tech and consumer product industries as well as major universities, defense contractors, start-up companies, VCs, and other investors. They welcome the sophisticated and practical advice we provide on ways to maximize their IP assets in the short term, while achieving their long term business objectives—creating revenue from licensing their technology and potential M&A events, and to minimize risks. Our clients appreciate our responsiveness to them and our dedication to honoring both timelines and budgets.
Collaborative Approach
Increasingly, technology blurs traditional knowledge boundaries. When a client’s needs call for diverse, specialized knowledge, we seamlessly team with members of other firm practice groups. We take pride in offering our clients comprehensive service that is rich at every point of expertise. We are supported by a dedicated team of paralegals, search specialists, and international filing specialists, working closely with a hand-picked list of law firms in other countries to assist our clients in addressing global matters.
We recognize that excellence in the dynamic business and legal environment characteristic of today’s emerging technology requires constant learning. So we invest heavily in on-going training designed to address all areas of IP law, as well as business and industry issues.
Our view of working collaboratively extends to our relationship with our clients. We strive for open channels of communication and encourage our clients to keep us informed of major business developments so that we can suggest appropriate mid-course corrections to their IP programs.
Areas of Expertise
Examples of our group's areas of expertise include:
- Sonic equipment
- Sounds systems
- Transducers, including speakers
- Ultrasound
- Biochips
- Cellular function (e.g., modeling biological pathways, microscopy imaging, data analysis)
- Clinical trial data analysis
- Computer-aided disease diagnosis
- Computer-aided drug design
- High-throughput screening devices
- Image databases / analysis
- Instrumentation
- Microarray analysis
- Simulators
- Software (e.g., data mining, modeling/prediction)
- Delivery systems
- Educational systems
- Financial services
- Insurance
- Investments and SEC regulatory compliance
- Logistics
- Optimization systems
- Options
- Recycling & materials recovery
- Tax and retirement planning methodologies
- Workflow management
- Antennas
- Data communications (e.g., coding schemes such as ADSL)
- Electromagnetics
- Encryption and security
- Filters
- GPS and other location systems
- Messaging
- Modulation and coding, including data compression
- Networking
- Optical Communications
- Radio-frequency identification (RFID)
- RF transmission and reception
- Satellite communications
- Ultra wideband
- Wireless systems
- Defense systems (including D.O.D. clearance)
- Ordnance
- Radar systems
- Secure communications systems
- Application servers
- Application service providers (ASP) and ASP delivery of products/services
- Browser architecture and features
- Content delivery systems
- Digital rights management (DRM)
- Entertainment / games (e.g., massively multi-player online games, or MMOG)
- Insurance services
- Internet & intranet technologies
- Investment vehicles and systems
- Location-based services
- Mass-market services
- Multi-tiered internet architectures
- Order systems
- Payment systems
- Search engines
- Security
- Server and network analytics
- Social networking
- Software as a service (SAAS) systems
- Web servers
- Web services
- Electrical & optical interconnection
- Engine control systems
- Environmental controls
- High-speed package sorting systems
- Instrumentation
- Intelligent devices
- Microelectrical mechanical systems (MEMS)
- Positioning systems
- Power generation systems (e.g., solar cells)
- Processing equipment
- Robotics
- Security (e.g., passive/active proximity systems)
- Analog circuitry (e.g., bipolar, CMOS)
- Circuit designs
- Computer hardware
- Computer networks
- Consumer electronics
- Digital circuitry
- Digital signaling processing (DSP)
- High frequency circuitry
- Light emitting diodes
- Microelectronics / semiconductors
- Modems
- Power electronics
- Processor architectures
- Processor circuits
- Semiconductor materials and fabrication of materials and devices
- Sensors & actuators
- Storage systems
- Test & measurement systems
- VLSI
- Charged coupled devices (CCDs)
- Image compression and transmission
- Image recognition
- Line scanning cameras
- Machine vision
- Medical imaging
- Authentication & encryption
- Data mining
- Knowledge management
- Multimedia
- Pattern recognition
- Context management & single sign-on capabilities
- Diagnostic equipment
- Electromechanical devices
- Genomic and proteomic sequencing and analysis
- Health informatics
- Laboratory & analytical devices
- Medical devices & systems
- Medical imaging
- Optical medical / cosmetic devices
- Patient monitoring systems
- Privacy monitoring and auditing
- Broadband
- Cloud computing
- Internet & Intranet topologies
- Network monitoring, management, and security
- Networking software and protocols
- Optical networks
- Wireless networks
- Fiber optics
- Optical communication and networks
- Optical interconnects
- Photonics
- Artificial intelligence
- Compilers
- Computer-aided design (CAD)
- Development methodologies and tools
- Encryption
- Enterprise applications
- Financial software
- Modeling
- Open source software
- Operating systems
- Pattern recognition
- Process control
- Programming languages
- Voice recognition
- Automatic availability software
- Data compression
- Data integration
- Data migration
- Database management & storage
- Parallel processing
- Storage systems
- Virtualization
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
- C.R. Bard, Inc.
- Davol, Inc.
- EMC Corporation
- Invensys Systems, Inc.
- Iron Mountain Incorporated
- L-3 Communications Corporation
- Luminus Devices, Inc.
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Matrix Partners
- Nuance Communications, Inc.
- Sony Corporation
- STMicroelectronics, Inc.
- Teradyne, Inc.
- University of Florida Research Foundation, Inc.
April 24, 2013 - WOLF GREENFIELD WEBINAR: Key Patent Litigation Decisions and the ITC as Alternate Forum - Replay Now Available
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 2013 - Is Your New App Patentable? Uncertainty Surrounding Computer-Related Inventions
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
In Re Hyon (5/24/12) - Federal Circuit Clarifies Substantial Evidence Standard on Appeal for Questions of Motivation to Combine
In re MSTG, Inc (4/9/12) - No Settlement Negotiations Privilege
Noah Systems v. Intuit (4/9/12) - Federal Circuit Clarifies Algorithm Disclosure Requirements for Means-Plus-Function Claims
AFT Trust. v. J&L Fiber (4/3/12) - Prosecution History Can Be Used During Claim Construction
March 26, 2012 - IP ALERT - Supreme Court Invalidates Process Claims in Prometheus
Marine Polymer v. HemCon (decided 3/15/12) - Intervening Rights Cannot Be Triggered by Argument Alone in Reexaminations
In re Erik P. Staats and Robin P. Lash (3/5/2012) - Federal Circuit Rejects Restrictions on Broadening Claims in Reissue Applications
MySpace, Inc. v. GraphOn Corporation (3/2/2012) - Federal Circuit Muddies Waters Over Claim Construction and Section 101
In re Google, Inc. (decided 2/6/12) - Substance of Emails Determines Attorney-Client Privilege Protection
January 31, 2012 - Navigating Patent Eligibility for Process Claims
Dealertrack v. David L. Huber et al. (1/20/12) - Lack of Detail in Software-Related Claims Can Mean Invalidity
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
TianRui Group. Co. v. ITC (decided 10/11/11) - ITC Can Find Trade Secret Law Violation Where Acts Occur Outside US
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
Ultramercial v. Hulu (decided 9/15/11) - Federal Circuit Clarifies Limits on Patent-Eligibility of Software Patents
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
August 16, 2011 - Coming soon: Google gadgets
CyberSource v. Retail Decisions (decided 8/16/11) - Processes Equivalent to "Human Mental Work” Not Patent-Eligible
American Calcar v. American Honda (dec. 6/27/11) - Narrow Disclosure Limits Claim Scope
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
December 2010 - Randy Pritizker interviewed in UMass Amherst newsletter
Research Corp v. Microsoft (decided 12/8/10) - Federal Circuit Upholds Method Claims Outside the “Machine-or-Transformation” Test After Bilski
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
February 2010 - Edmund J. Walsh and Andrew J. Tibbetts on the benefits and risks of Open Source software
January 2010 - Reassessing The Benefits and Risks of Open Source Software
October 15, 2009 - CLIENT ALERT — USPTO Rescinds Controversial Rules Restricting Patent Applications
September 28, 2009 - Court Blocks Software that Violates Open Source Terms
September 2009 - The Arguments For Patents for Business Methods and Software-Implemented Inventions
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
December 20, 2008 - Turning Your Innovations into a Successful Business
November 13, 2008 - CLIENT ALERT — Federal Circuit Preserves–with Modifications–Patentability of Business Methods
November 12, 2008 - Navigating Technology Collaborations and Joint Ventures—Wolf Greenfield seminar
July 1, 2008 - Supreme Court Expands 'Exhaustion' Doctrine: Patent Owners' Right to Collect Downstream Royalties Restricted
June 11, 2008 - Supreme Court Expands Exhaustion Doctrine and Restricts Patent Owners From Collecting Downstream Royalties
June 11, 2008 - CLIENT ALERT — Supreme Court Expands Exhaustion Doctrine and Restricts Patent Owners From Collecting Downstream Royalties
June 9, 2008 - No Downstream Royalties for LG: High Court
June 3, 2008 - Legal Climate for Open-Source Users Changes with Litigation and License Revisions, Wolf Greenfield Lawyer Writes in IP Law & Business
April 15, 2008 - Seagate Drops Legal Bomb on SSD Memory Maker
April, 2008 - Open Source Software: Recent Muscle-Flexing Adds New Risk
February 7, 2008 - An Entrepreneur's Guide to the Intellectual Property Galaxy
January 9, 2008 - Wolf Greenfield, Boston, Names Two New Shareholders - Boston Intellectual Property Law Firm Promotes Teja, Trevisan
January 9, 2008 - Hyde Park Resident Named Shareholder at Boston Law Firm
June 20, 2007 - Intellectual Property in China: Balancing Risks With Rewards
May 9, 2007 - Supreme Court Decision in KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc. on "Obviousness"
May 9, 2007 - CLIENT ALERT — Supreme Court Decision in KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc. on "Obviousness"
May 7, 2007 - CLIENT ALERT — Supreme Court Decision in Microsoft Corp. v. AT&T Corp. on Enforcement of Patents Containing Software Outside U.S.
May 2007 - Is it "Obvious"?: Long-Awaited Patent Decision Leaves Lawyers Scratching their Heads
November 2006 - Accelerated Examination of Patent Applications: Too Good To Be True?
June 12, 2006 - Companies sigh relief from Supreme Court's eBay decision
June 2006 - Cos. Sigh Relief from Supreme Court’s eBay Decision
February 28, 2006 - Open Source in Your Product: Managing the Intellectual Property Risks
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
