A.J. Tibbetts is a leader in protecting intellectual property for software and business methods. He brings deep technical experience to representing clients in industries ranging from financial services and mobile applications to blockchain technology, speech recognition, machine learning, operating systems, networking and telecommunications (including 3G and 4G cellular standard technologies, and wireless LAN technologies), big data analytics, and more. He counsels clients on IP best practices, navigating acquisitions, transactions including licensing, patent litigation and challenging validity of patents at the Patent Office through post-grant proceedings. While he works with multiple international and publicly-traded companies, he devotes part of his practice to counseling small and growing companies on IP strategies that will help them achieve their own unique business goals. He has been named multiple times to the Massachusetts list of "Rising Star" attorneys in the field of intellectual property.
A.J. closely studies the current development of the law surrounding patentability of software and best practices for software inventions, which allows him to help his clients protect their inventions in this difficult and rapidly-changing area. He frequently presents on this topic to entrepreneurs, student groups and other attorneys. A.J. has also assisted with drafting amicus briefs on the patentability of software, which have been cited by the Supreme Court and US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
Prior to joining Wolf Greenfield, A.J. was a programmer for IBM/Lotus, where he worked on development of Lotus Notes. A.J. also worked as a programmer for the retailer Christmas Tree Shops, where his focus was developing a client/server application to analyze sales and inventory data for planning purposes. At Christmas Tree Shops, he was the lead developer and oversaw the whole development cycle for the project, from planning through coding, documentation, testing and roll-out. A.J. leverages that experience with enterprise-level software development and customer interaction in developing protection strategies that account for the business context of his clients’ work and products.
Client testimonial:
"I really appreciate your technical depth—as a software developer myself with an entirely C.S. background, it’s been difficult in the past to relay new software concepts when even the foundations are a struggle to communicate. But with you bringing to the table an already in-depth background and experience with software development, it’s clear that we were able to discuss just what was new, and you were able to flesh out all of the supporting details—new and old—that we didn’t even have to discuss. I greatly appreciate that!"
A.J. served as Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor, and News Editor of The Rensselaer Polytechnic, the student-run weekly newspaper at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He was also an Eagle Scout.