BSKB News

U.S. Brand Protection & Trademark Seminar Postponed

Mike Smith weighs in on a complex trademark battle between LeBron James and a Maryland-based nonprofit in Bloomberg Law

BSKB’s Michael Smith weighs in on a complex trademark battle between LeBron James and a Maryland-based nonprofit.

Birch, Stewart, Kolasch & Birch names Catherine M. Voisinet as Partner

Falls Church, Virginia – January 16, 2020. Birch, Stewart, Kolasch & Birch, LLP (BSKB), an Intellectual Property law firm based in Falls Church, Virginia, has named Catherine M. Voisinet a partner with the firm effective January 1, 2020. Ms. Voisinet’s practice focuses on counseling domestic and international clients that have interests in many fields of complex technologies, including software and hardware computer technology, electrical, mechanical, business method and bio-informatics.

Birch, Stewart, Kolasch & Birch, LLP ranked in 2020 “Best Law Firms”

click here to read the release.

BSKB sponsors WIPR – World IP Review Influential Women in IP Project

BSKB is a proud sponsor of the World IP Review Influential Women in IP Project. The initiative will place a positive spotlight on the development and progress that women have made in creating, protecting and securing IP, as well as supporting and enabling women to move forward in their respective industries. Partner MaryAnne Armstrong and Hailey Bureau will represent BSKB at the project’s opening event. Read more here.

BSKB participates in a commemorative joint seminar with Japanese and European patent/law firms in Japan

Partner Gerald Murphy and Associate Toyohiko Konno shared their expertise and U.S. perspectives regarding revisions to claims.

BSKB Ranks #3 in Top Trademark Firms for 2017

BSKB is pleased to announce that the firm has been ranked number three for trademarks obtained in 2017. BSKB obtained 704 trademarks in 2017, moving up from sixth in the rankings. The reports are compiled by the Ant-Like Persistence blog and can be found here.

BSKB Ranks #4 in Top Patent Firms for Design Patents in 2017

BSKB is pleased to announce that the firm has been ranked number four for design patents issued in 2017. BSKB obtained 446 design patents in 2017, moving up from fifth place in the rankings. The reports are compiled by the Ant-Like Persistence blog and can be found here.

BSKB Ranks #3 in Top Patent Firms for Utility Patents in 2017

BSKB is pleased to announce that the firm has been ranked number three for utility patents issued in 2017. BSKB obtained 3607 utility patents in 2017, maintaining third place in the rankings. The reports are compiled by the IP Watchdog blog and can be found here.

BSKB Recognized by IAM Patent 1000

BSKB was recognized in the 2018 issue of IAM Patent 1000 as a Recommended Firm for our Prosecution practice. A spotlight was placed on our Life Science practice area with the recommendation of Dr. MaryAnne Armstrong, one of our partners.

BSKB Announces Elevation of Lynde Herzbach and Chad Wells to Partnership

BSKB is pleased to announce that Lynde Herzbach and Chad Wells have been elevated to the partnership of the firm. Ms. Herzbach focuses her practice on litigation and post grant proceedings for clients in a variety of fields, including software, electronics, medical devices, pharmaceuticals and manufacturing processes. She also has experience with patent prosecution in the area of electrical engineering. Ms. Herzbach received her B.S.E., cum laude, from the University of Michigan and her J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School.

Gerald Murphy to Participate in Howard University’s Institute for Intellectual Property and Social Justice Program

BSKB partner Gerald M. Murphy, Jr. will participate in a panel discussion at Howard University Law School’s 14th Annual IP Law seminar on Hot Topics on Patent Management and Enforcement, on Friday, March 3, 2017. The panel is moderated by Bryan Diner (Finnegan) and will also include Matthew Golden (Mondelez International) and Ankur Shah (Freddie Mac). The program, hosted by Howard University’s Institute for Intellectual Property and Social Justice, features speakers from government entities, corporations and private practice covering a wide variety of intellectual property topics. Distinguished guests this year include Hon. Susan G. Braden of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, Hon. Raymond T. Chen, of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Hon. Dana M. Sabraw of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California, and Prof. Lateef Mtima, Founder and Director, Institute for Intellectual Property and Social Justice. More information can be found here.

BSKB Ranks #3 in Top Patent Firms for 2016

BSKB is pleased to announce that the firm has been ranked number three for utility patents issued in 2016. BSKB obtained 3595 utility patents in 2016, maintaining third place in the rankings. The reports are compiled by the IP Watchdog blog and can be found here.

BSKB Ranks in Top Five Firms for Number of Design Patents Issued in 2016

BSKB is pleased to announce that the firm has been ranked among the top five U.S. firms for the number of design patents granted in 2016. BSKB obtained 418 design patents in 2016, rising to fifth place in the rankings. The reports are compiled by the Ant-like Persistence blog and can be found here.

Law360 Quotes Partner Charles Gorenstein on Potential Impact of Federal Hiring Freeze on USPTO

BSKB partner Charles Gorenstein was quoted in a January 24, 2017 Law360 article entitled “Federal Hiring Freeze Could Hurt Patent Quality,” where he discussed the potential impact of the recently instituted federal hiring freeze on processes at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Potential impact of the freeze at the USPTO includes possible delays in the patent process, from application intake to examination, as well as the potential for a decrease in quality, as attempts are made to stay on deadline with increased workloads. Mr. Gorenstein notes that the patent office might be particularly susceptible to the effects of this freeze because there has historically been a relatively high turnover rate in the examining corps. He also states “If they continue to lose examiners at really any rate — a normal rate or a higher-than-normal rate — and if they can’t replace them, then inevitably we’ll see a slowdown of output and the backlog will increase. Obviously, that’s going to happen if there are fewer people to do the work.”

BSKB Honored by Best Lawyers® as a 2017 “Best Law Firm”

BSKB is pleased to announce that the firm has been named a “Best Law Firm” by Best Lawyers® for 2017. The firm was ranked nationally and for Washington, D.C. in the areas of patent, trademark and copyright law. BSKB has previously been ranked as a “Best Law Firm” by Best Lawyers®, which is published annually in partnership with U.S. News and World Report.

BSKB Announces 2017 Intellectual Property Seminar Schedule

BSKB’s annual U.S. intellectual property law seminars are back for 2017. With over 30 years of experience in educating participants from around the world in IP topics, BSKB continues this tradition with our 2017 seminar series:

BSKB BioMarin Case Listed as a Top AIA-Related Decision of 2016 by Law360

The case between Genzyme Therapeutic Products LP and BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc., in which the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) affirmed two decisions by the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), has been listed by Law360 in “A Look Back at the Top AIA-Related Decisions of 2016” (article available to Law360 subscribers here). In this case, the CAFC addressed procedural rights before the PTAB, ruling that further evidence of invalidity can be offered after a review is instituted. BSKB members Gerald M. Murphy, Jr., MaryAnne Armstrong, Ph.D., Eugene T. Perez and Lynde F. Herzbach represented petitioner BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. in the successful trials before the PTAB and appeals before the CAFC.

BSKB and WIPR to Present Webinar on Obviousness in PTAB Trials for Chem/Pharma/Bio Patents

BSKB will partner with World Intellectual Property Review (WIPR) to present a complimentary webinar on October 13, 2016, entitled “Obviousness in PTAB Trials for Chem/Pharma/Bio Patents.” The webinar, presented by partners Gerald Murphy, Jr. and Eugene Perez, will discuss several leading Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) decisions and related appeals that illustrate when obviousness challenges have and have not been successful. Mr. Murphy and Mr. Perez, who have successfully argued for chemical, pharmaceutical and biotech patents before the PTAB, will be joined by Kristi Sawert, Ph.D., Administrative Patent Judge at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Dr. Sawert has prosecution and litigation experience in private practice as well as USPTO experience at the Solicitor’s Office and the PTAB. Register for free on the webinar registration page. Virginia CLE credit is pending, and can be used to seek CLE credit in other jurisdictions.

BSKB Continues Successful Representation of Petitioner Before PTAB and CAFC

BSKB members Gerald M. Murphy, Jr., MaryAnne Armstrong, Ph.D., Eugene T. Perez and Lynde F. Herzbach represented petitioner BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. in a series of successful trials before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) and also in related appeals at the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC).