Articles and Podcasts

U.S. Patents Will Soon be Issued Electronically: What Does This Mean for You?

The USPTO will soon only issue patents electronically. How does this historic shift from centuries of printed patents impact patent recipients, particularly with respect to continuing applications and the Duty of Disclosure? Miku Mehta has the answers in this new and timely article.

Patent Grace Period Considerations in Australia, Japan, South East Asia and the U.S.

In our latest podcast, learn the key similarities and differences in the application of the patent grace period in Australia, Japan, South East Asia and the United States. Key information is provided by Procopio Asia Pacific group leader Miku Mehta as well as attorneys from Australia, Japan and Singapore.

Accolades

Kudos to our 2022 Capital Markets and Securities Clients

Procopio’s Capital Markets and Securities attorneys supported the growth of their clients in 2022 with a wide array of private and public financing and securities-related transactions. Bringing considerable experience in corporate and securities law while focused on maintaining a comprehensive knowledge of key industry trends, they worked side by side their entrepreneurial clients to navigate a challenging financial landscape with a focus on success. 

Here are just a few of the public and private clients we assisted in 2022:

Events

Webinar: Is Your Life Sciences Patent Enabled?

In this year’s foray into patent law, the U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether Amgen’s patent that claims antibodies by functional antigen binding and does not disclose the full range of antibody sequences is invalid for not meeting the enablement requirements of Section 112(a).

Join us for this webinar on Tuesday, March 14, where Procopio experts in patent prosecution and patent litigation will discuss the background of the case and how the Supreme Court’s decision may impact the ability to obtain certain life science, chemical and pharma patents and how it may provide additional ammunition to attack such patents in patent litigation. IP Litigation Partner Jeremy Edwards will moderate a discussion with IP Partner Jeff Morton and IP Litigation Partner Robert Sloss.

March 14, 2023

12:00 pm PT

webinar

Negotiating IP Rights in Industry Sponsored Research Agreements | webinar | 10:00 - 11:30 am PT

Procopio IP Partner and Life Sciences practice leader Jeffrey Morton co-leads this Strafford CLE course, which will guide counsel on negotiating and structuring industry-sponsored research agreements (SRAs) to allocate IP ownership.

Tips and Trends in Trade Secrets Law | Irvine, CA | 5:00 – 6:30 pm PT

At our Orange County office, Mindy Morton and Raymond Chan will provide valuable insights into key trade secrets topics, including identifying trade secrets and protecting them from misappropriation; drafting effective trade secret agreements and policies; responding to trade secret theft and enforcing trade secret rights; trade secret litigation; and recent developments in the life sciences and medtech sectors.

Startup Fundamentals #1/3: Start Right, Avoid Common Mistakes & Pitfalls | Palo Alto, CA | 5:00 - 9:00 pm PT

If you're looking to build a successful, fundable startup that is based on a sound financial model, and is ready to be pitched to investors in Silicon Valley, you won’t want to miss this in-person workshop in Procopio’s new Silicon Valley office at 5 Palo Alto Square with Partner and Emerging Growth & Venture Capital practice leader Roger Rappoport.

News

Seasoned Tax Attorney New Leader of Procopio’s Trusts and Estates Practice

Highly accomplished tax attorney Charles Lin has assumed the leadership of Procopio’s Trusts and Estates practice. A Partner based in the firm’s Orange County office, Charles provides tax and estate planning counseling to high net-worth clients including business owners, C-suite executives, and investors in real estate. Providing outside general counsel services for many clients, much of his work includes entity formation and structuring and property tax reassessment issues.

The Trusts and Estates practice has thrived under the previous leadership of Partner Juan Pablo Zaragoza. Juan Pablo will continue to counsel clients on a variety of matters pertaining to international law, private client, tax, and trusts and estates.

Procopio COO, Knowledge Management Director Contribute to New Books on Law Firm Leadership

Procopio Chief Operating and Compliance Officer James Perkins, PhD, and Director of Knowledge Management & Technology Innovation Director Tiffany O’Neil authored key chapters in two new books on law firm management published earlier this year.

Jim and Tiffany co-authored a chapter in Knowledge Management in Law Firms: Challenges and Opportunities Post-Pandemic titled “Digital transformation, knowledge management, and cybersecurity in the post-COVID era.” Jim is also the sole author of a chapter in The Rise of the Legal COO, Second Edition titled “The role of the chief operating officer in a law firm – post-pandemic.” Both are releases of Ark Group: Globe Law and Business Publishers. Jim also authored a chapter in the original Rise of the Legal COO, published in 2017.

Social Media

TY San Diego Business Journal editor George Lurie for your in-depth profile and interview of IP Partner Jeff Morton, our new Life Sciences group leader. The Q&A with this "renaissance man" provides insights not just on our PhD attorney but also on developments and trends in San Diego's life sciences and med tech landscape.

It was an engaging Breakfast Bytes recently with Travis K. Jang-Busby and Leslie Horwitz in Del Mar Heights providing attendees with the latest in California employment law, including best practices to avoid pitfalls. In attendance were leaders from Children's Paradise Preschool and Infant Centers.

Did you catch Elaine Harwell at the inaugural Annual Privacy Summit in L.A., moderating a panel titled "Privacy Law in the Courts – Updates on Class Action Developments from Both Sides of the Aisle"? Procopio is both a Platinum and Keynote Sponsor of this California Lawyers Association event, organized by its Privacy Section, of which Elaine is an Executive Committee member.

Learn how our M&A attorneys closed deals for life sciences companies in 2022, meet our new practice leader and new attorney hires, learn of upcoming industry events and more in our latest Life Sciences newsletter.

We were honored to be a DealSource sponsor of CapCon23, the ACG San Diego capital conference held recently in San Diego. Our M&A co-leader Paul Johnson moderated a panel for C-suite executives on best practices and preparing for a successful exit with Jeremy Holland of The Riverside Company and Eliot Peters of RA Capital Advisors LLC.

We were proud to sponsor the recent 152nd anniversary celebration for the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce. Representing Procopio was Chamber board member and leader of our Energy and Environmental Law practices John Lormon as well as fellow energy law attorneys John Nelson and Matt Abbot. Here's to another 152 years!

Delegations from several Japanese universities last week learned life sciences IP wisdom from Procopio Partners Noel Gillespie and Frank Yang during Tsukuba Week, a UC San Diego Institute for the Global Entrepreneur international commercialization workshop for the Tsukuba Institute for Medical Engineering. The week included teams of Japanese startup entrepreneurs looking towards commercialization with a variety of therapeutics and medtech innovations. Noel focused on medtech patent filing and Frank discussed how to distinguish your life sciences startup with strategic IP assets. Special thanks to UCSD's Dennis Abremski and Marie Christensen.

We're proud to sponsor the Life Science Summit in San Diego March 15 organized by NAIOP San Diego. Real estate is a critical issue for life sciences companies, whether startup or mature. Hear from industry experts in a robust morning discussion at the Hyatt Aventine, and say hi to our Real Estate practice leader Jeffrey Stoke while you're there.

What a compelling event in Mexico City March 1 with inspiring entrepreneurs pitching judges for investments in their startups. It was led by our Emerging Growth & VC group leader Roger Rappoport with fellow exhibitors Roberto Bargagli of Zenki and Antonio Rallo of ID345.tech. Antonio also served as a judge, along with Rogelio De los Santos of Dalus Capital and Alta Ventures, Alejandro Gálvez of 99 Startups, Patricia Desentis Calleja of 500 Global LatAm, Ana Maury Aguilar of AC Ventures, Fajin H. of Alibaba Cloud, and Eric Cardeña of MassChallenge Mexico.

Procopio client and muralist Lucia Gonzalez Ippolito created one of the inspiring murals on the famed Balmy Street in San Francisco's Mission District. She recently organized an all-day festival, Lover's Lane, celebrating the street and its history, inspired by past events organized by her IP attorney, Procopio's Brooke Oliver. Learn more in this Mission Local article by Adrian Fernandez.

USA - Asia Cross Border Litigation Seminar: Join us for an exclusive seminar at Procopio’s Silicon Valley Office on Thursday, March 23, 2023, from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM, where experienced trial attorneys will discuss current trends and their experience in U.S.-Asia cross-border litigation. Gain valuable insights from these attorneys as they share their strategies for managing high-stakes cases and achieving successful outcomes for their clients. The event is open to in-house attorneys and limited to 50 attendees. While current APABA Silicon Valley members receive registration priority, all are welcome to RSVP. A confirmation email will be sent to each confirmed attendee. Food and drinks will be provided.

As Women’s History Month commences, we recognize and appreciate the achievements of women in the legal profession. Women have made significant strides in advancing justice and equality for all, from pioneering lawyers like suffragist Belva Ann Lockwood, the first woman to argue a case before the U.S. Supreme Court, to Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman to serve on the High Court. At Procopio, we are proud to have a diverse and talented team of women lawyers who bring their expertise, passion and leadership to every legal matter and case. Each and every one of us is committed to supporting and empowering women in the legal profession. We invite you to join us in honoring the women who have shaped our history and inspire our future this Women's History Month.

Let's Work Together.