Ip clinic power point

University of Connecticut School of Law

Intellectual Property and Entrepreneurship Clinic

Michael A. BlakeAssistant Clinical Professor of Law and Supervising Patent Attorney

Joseph A. DeGirolamo

Director, Intellectual Property and Entrepreneurship Law Clinic and Assistant Clinical Professor of Law

Joseph A. DeGirolamo directs and teaches in UConn Law’s Intellectual Property and Entrepreneurship Clinic, one of the first law school clinics in the country to participate in the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO) Law School Clinical Certification Program. A USPTO-registered patent attorney, Professor DeGirolamo joined the Law School faculty in August 2013 after more than 30 years in private practice.

• The holder of a B.S. in chemistry from Fordham University and a J.D. from Brooklyn Law School, Professor DeGirolamo was a partner at Morgan & Finnegan, LLP in New York City from 1990-2008, where his practice concentrated on complex patent litigation with an emphasis on matters involving mechanical and medical devices, various consumer products, and pharmaceutical and chemical compositions. While at the firm, Professor DeGirolamo also provided business and strategic counseling services in patent prosecution and litigation on behalf of clients ranging from start-ups to Fortune 100 companies. From 2009 he ran his own solo law practice, working primarily on patent litigation matters including pre-suit investigations, validity and infringement analysis, strategic litigation counseling and patent portfolio studies. His practice experience also includes work involving trade secret misappropriation, antitrust, false advertising and unfair competition claims.

• A presenter on various patent litigation issues, Professor DeGirolamo is currently a member of the Federal Circuit Bar Association Patent Litigation Committee and Inter Partes Review Subcommittee. He previously served as the patent law co-chair of the New York State Bar Association’s Intellectual Property Law Section.

Susan K. Pocchiari Assistant Clinical Professor of Law and Supervising Patent Attorney

Susan Pocchiari joined the Intellectual Property and Entrepreneurship Law Clinic faculty in 2012 after more than fifteen years as a practitioner and legal analyst in the field of intellectual property law, where her work focused on patent preparation and prosecution, the licensing and management of patent portfolios, invalidity, infringement, and clearance opinions. Professor Pocchiari holds a J.D. from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo School of Law and a Ph.D. in immunology from the Roswell Park Cancer Institute at SUNY Buffalo.

As an attorney with Axiom Law from 2009-2012, Professor Pocchiari specialized in intellectual property protection for inventions involving technology in the areas of immunology, molecular biology, oncology and pharmaceuticals. Prior to working for Axiom, she spent five years as a legal analyst at JuriStaff, Inc., where she authored more than 450 Bloomberg Law Reports® articles analyzing federal court decisions, laws and regulations relating to U.S. intellectual property issues. Her practice experience also includes nearly six years as IP counsel with Boehringer Ingelheim Corporation. Professor Pocchiari, who is admitted to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office Professor and in New York State, began her career in intellectual property law as an associate with Pennie & Edmonds, LLP.

Michael Blake Assistant Clinical Professor and Supervising Patent Attorney

Michael Blake joined the Intellectual Property and Entrepreneurship Law Clinic faculty in 2014. Professor Blake still maintains his Milford-based private patent, trademark and copyright legal practice which he started over 10 years ago. Professor Blake has obtained patent protection for clients in a variety of industries including: computer systems, consumer goods, optics, power supplies, complex mechanical devices, complex electro-mechanical devices, automobile systems, wind turbines, timepieces (wristwatches), packaging systems, firearms, biological instruction devices, production of liquid natural gas, improvements to septic systems, field programmable gate array architecture, and dairy farm systems. He has also registered dozens of trademarks for clients in various industries such as: engineering, manufacturing, control systems, software, automotive, and food supplies.

Professor Blake is a registered Patent Attorney licensed before the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and is admitted to practice in Connecticut and California. He is a graduate of Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering, and he received his law degree from the University of Texas.

Regina von GootkinSupervising Trademark Attorney

Regina has been with Brown, Paindiris & Scott since her first year of law school, and practices primarily in the firm’s Commercial Law Department focusing on real estate, commercial transactions and intellectual property. Her services include business formation, mergers and acquisitions, trademark and copyright filings, trade secret law, non-competition law, landlord/tenant law and commercial and residential real estate closings.

Andy I. CoreaSupervising Trademark Attorney

Mr. Corea joined the St. Onge firm in 2003 after serving as a Trademark Examining Attorney for the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office from 1999 to 2003. His practice focuses on trademark prosecution, enforcement, litigation, and licensing for clients in the United States and internationally. He has been the lead attorney for the firm in numerous matters before the United States Trademark Trial and Appeal Board and has represented clients in Federal court cases in Connecticut, Delaware, North Carolina, and Texas.

• The Clinic provides no-fee intellectual property (patent, copyright, trademark) law services to individuals and small businesses, including start-ups and non-profits, having a presence in the state of Connecticut.

• These services are provided through law students under the direction of a supervising attorney.

• Acceptance into the IP Law Clinic program is based on many factors– demonstrated financial need for services,

– the educational opportunity for the students,

– the Clinic’s own resource constraints and limits on operating capacity,

– applicant’s presence in the state of Connecticut,

– the likelihood that the Clinic’s services will contribute to developing jobs or generating revenue for Connecticut,

– conflicts of interest, and

– the fit with the Clinic’s current activities and technology requirements.

• In order to be considered for acceptance into the IP Law Clinic program you must submit an application form either by email or regular mail.

• Please note that contacting the IP Law Clinic by email or otherwise does not create an attorney-client relationship between you and the Clinic. By submitting an application there is no guarantee that you will be accepted into the Clinic program and no attorney-client relationship exists (that is, you are not a client of the Clinic) unless and until a formal Engagement Letter has been signed by you and the Clinic.

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• Clinic decisions regarding an applicant’s acceptance into the program may take several weeks owing to the large number of applications received by the IP Law Clinic. If your matter is urgent or particularly time sensitive, you may want to promptly seek other legal counsel.

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• Clinic decisions regarding an applicant’s acceptance into the program may take several weeks owing to the large number of applications received by the IP Law Clinic.

• If your matter is urgent or particularly time sensitive, you may want to promptly seek other legal counsel.

• Contact: [email protected]