Prosecution and Enforcement of Strategies for Design Patent Rights

Rob Katz | Banner Witcoff

Both nationally and internationally, Rob Katz is considered one of the premier practitioners in the field of industrial designs, leading the way in the procurement and enforcement of design patents.

On behalf of the firm’s clients, he has helped procure more than 10,000 design patents in the U.S. and more than 30,000 design patents/registrations outside the U.S., and has helped to successfully enforce over 100 design patents. Leaders from foreign design patent offices have consulted with him regarding industrial design policies, and he has served as an expert in design patent litigations. He also prepared and filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of Industrial Designers Society of America.

Rob is a former utility patent examiner at the USPTO, where he examined patent applications for article and material handling devices covering a broad range of applications. Additionally, he worked as a mechanical engineer designing mechanical, electrical and electromechanical devices for main-frame computers. Rob uses that experience to help manage various utility patent portfolios for a number of the firm’s clients.

I. How to avoid pitfalls in the procuring design patent rights | 12:00pm – 12:20pm

II. How to use strategies to obtain the best design patent rights | 12:20pm – 12:40pm

III. What to consider in determining whether to enforce your design rights | 12:40pm – 1:00pm