BSKB News
Learn about BSKB’s announcements, recognitions, and other firm news below.
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March 8, 2018
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.
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March 8, 2018
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.
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February 28, 2018
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.
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January 1, 2018
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.
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April 1, 2017
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.
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March 3, 2017
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.
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February 15, 2017
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.
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January 25, 2017
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.
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January 24, 2017
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.”
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January 1, 2017
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.
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January 1, 2017
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:
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December 29, 2016
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.
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October 13, 2016
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.
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June 14, 2016
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).
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March 9, 2016
Law360 Quotes Partner Charles Gorenstein on Recent Patent Agent Privilege Decision
BSKB partner Charles Gorenstein was quoted in a March 9, 2016 Law360 article discussing the recent Federal Circuit decision regarding patent agent privilege. The decision recognizes a privilege that applies to communication between patent applicants and patent agents, but extends only to communications necessary to prosecute patents and to engage in other activities for which agents are authorized. Prior to this decision, some district courts recognized patent agent privilege, while others did not. Mr. Gorenstein states, “The biggest effect here is the certainty. The court has taken an issue that has been bouncing around the district courts for a time and let everyone know where the line is. We know where there is privilege and where there is not privilege, and certainty is good.”
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February 28, 2016
BSKB Ranked in Top Ten Firms for Number of Utility Patents, Design Patents and Trademarks in 2015
BSKB is pleased to announce that the firm has been ranked among the top ten U.S. firms for the number of utility patents, design patents and trademarks granted in 2015. BSKB was ranked third for number of utility patents granted, eighth for number of design patents granted and sixth for number of trademarks granted. Since 2005, BSKB has been consistently ranked in the top five patent firms based on utility patents granted. This year’s reports were compiled by Ant-like Persistence and can be found here.
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January 1, 2016
BSKB Recognized by Legal 500 U.S. for 2016
BSKB has been recognized by the Legal 500 U.S. 2016 for its patent prosecution practice, which includes re-examination and post grant proceedings. The firm was recognized for its recent successful representation “in IPR proceedings at the PTAB challenging three patents relating to the treatment of Pompe disease,” as well as expertise in life sciences, biotechnology and mechanical engineering.
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January 1, 2016
BSKB Recognized by IAM Patent 1000 for 2016
BSKB is pleased to announce the firm has been recognized by IAM Patent 1000, a guide to patent lawyers and firms complied by Intellectual Asset Management. BSKB was ranked for patent prosecution in the Washington, DC metro area, and the firm’s post grant practice was highlighted. Also mentioned was the firm’s post grant-specific website, postgrantproceedings.com.
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January 1, 2016
BSKB Honored as a Best Law Firm by U.S. News & World Report
Birch, Stewart, Kolasch & Birch, LLP (BSKB) is pleased to announce that the firm has again been included in the “Best Law Firms” list, which is published by Best Lawyers and U.S. News & World Report.
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January 1, 2016
BSKB Attorneys Recognized as IP Stars by Managing IP for 2016
BSKB attorneys MaryAnne Armstrong, Ph.D., Paul Lewis, Michael Mutter and Leonard Svensson have been recognized by Managing IP as IP Stars for 2016. This is the fourth year in a row that Dr. Armstrong and Mr. Lewis have been recognized as IP Stars. BSKB was also listed as “recommended” for intellectual property in Virginia. The results of the 2016 survey can be found here. The IP Stars rankings, published annually by Managing IP, are based on peer and client recommendations.