Intellectual Property Law and Making Ethanol More Profitable

Marshall, Gerstein & Borun LLP partner, Richard B. Hoffman will present: "Protecting Your Intellectual Property" at the 2nd Annual Commercial Ethanol Technology and Research Workshop on Thursday, October 29 (http://www.biofuelsjournal.com/bfj_conference.html). The workshop and Hoffman's presentation will focus on improving the ethanol industry's bottom line with legal strategies connected to breakthrough technologies such as displacing natural gas for energy savings, fractionation, and the addition of new co-products to increase profitability.

"While breakthrough improvements in the ethanol industry are moving at light speed, a legal maze threatens to impede their protection and progress. And it's also critical to protect the industry's exposure to infringement of pre-existing rights," said Hoffman.

Highlights of Hoffman's presentation include:

• Utility Patents are Central for Biofuels: These patents can exclude others from making, using, selling, offering for sale and importing the claimed subject matter.
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• Common Costly Patent Misconception: While a patent gives the "right to exclude others," it does not give a company the right to use and practice its own claimed subject matter.
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• Combining Trade Secret Protection with "Secret" Patent Applications: Provides best overall protection until finally time to decide if you will follow trade secret or patent protection approach.
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• Block Out Competitors with a Patent Thicket: To best thwart competitors, file initially on primary or core technologies and file later on lesser and/or secondary byproducts or processes.
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• Patent Interests of Biofuel Investors: Investors want to exclude entry of competitors, leverage opportunities for licensing revenue streams, increase acquisition valuations and cross-license capability.

About the Presenter

As a patent attorney, Richard Hoffman
(http://www.marshallip.com/professionals-41.html) provides information and counseling to executives and entrepreneurs in emerging cleantech fields on the various options available to business owners for protecting their intellectual property by utilizing cost-effective solutions suitable to facilitate, protect and defend commercial success.

For more than 50 years, Marshall, Gerstein & Borun LLP (www.marshallip.com) has maintained an exclusive focus on the practice of intellectual property law. The firm's experience includes patent and trademark prosecution, copyrights, trade secrets, transactions, licensing, litigation and technology transfer. Its attorneys have been at the forefront of legal issues involving emerging technologies, biotechnology, nanotechnology, computer sciences and engineering. Clients include FORTUNE 250 corporations, universities, research foundations and international companies.