Jeff M. Barron is a partner in the Indianapolis, Indiana office of Barnes & Thornburg LLP. As a member of the firm's Intellectual Property Department, Mr. Barron counsels clients who need to overcome complex legal challenges.
Approximately two-thirds of Mr. Barron's practice involves patent litigation, with a particular emphasis on patents addressing telecommunications, VoIP, and on-demand data applications. Over the course of his career, however, Mr. Barron has assisted clients with disputes involving a wide variety of technological arts, including:
· Defending an internet search company in several disputes involving patents on various VoIP applications;
· Defending a pharmaceutical company against an inventorship claim and a variety of state-law claims, including constructive fraud and breach of fiduciary duty claims;
· Seeking a preliminary injunction on behalf of a small, waste-management company that safely disposes of hazardous waste using novel, "green" methods;
· Assisting a veterinary products company with an inventorship dispute;
· Representing a leading manufacturing of vacuum cleaners in asserting its patents against a competitor;
· Assisting a ROM chip design company in its lawsuit against leading manufacturers of microchips and computer games;
· Representing clients in patent lawsuits or disputes involving a variety of consumer products, such as free-ink pens, globes, and flooring systems.
Mr. Barron assists clients in virtually all phases of a lawsuit-from preliminary injunction proceedings through trial, and his practice includes helping clients to weigh the benefits and detriments of inter partes and ex parte reviews and reexaminations before the Patent Office. Mr. Barron also aids clients in resolving patent disputes without a lawsuit-either by "designing around" a problematic patent or by negotiating a favorable resolution on behalf of a patentee without the need for significant litigation expense.
The remaining third of Mr. Barron's practice involves representing clients in fraud claims, civil RICO claims, or claims by alleged whistleblowers under the False Claims Act. One notable case was Banco del Atlantico, S.A. v. Woods Industries, Inc., et al., in which Mr. Barron represented a manufacturer in the Midwest. Two Mexican banks asserted that Mr. Barron's client and an alleged international conspiracy of UK- and Mexican-based entities had defrauded them and violated the RICO Act. After nearly a decade of hard-fought litigation across three continents, all claims against Mr. Barron's client were ultimately dismissed with prejudice-a holding affirmed on appeal by the Seventh Circuit.
Mr. Barron is a member of the Board for TechPoint Foundation For Youth, a non-profit foundation dedicated to improving math and science education for underserved youths in Indiana. Mr. Barron also occasionally guest lectures to law students and attorneys; his speaking engagements frequently draw upon experiences litigating patent infringement claims in federal District Court.
Mr. Barron graduated cum laude from Loyola University Chicago School of Law, where he was a member of the Law Review. Mr. Barron received his B.A. in economics and a certificate in journalism from Indiana University - Bloomington. He is a member of the Bars of the States of Illinois and Indiana and several federal courts.
Events
12/9/2011, ACC - Indiana Chapter 2011 Winter ACCumulate Conference
02/26/2010, Attorney Presentation - Effective Collaboration: A Study in Three Acts
12/02/2008, Maximizing Your Patentable Inventions and Steering Clear of Landmines in a Problematic Economy
11/13/2007, How to Keep Your Intellectual Property From Walking Out the Door