Kathryn Piffat's intellectual property law practice focuses primarily on biotechnology, molecular biology, and biomedical areas, as well as on related fields. She works chiefly in the areas of patent prosecution, opinions, due diligence and pre-litigation for clients in North America, Europe, and Asia. In addition, Kathryn manages the U.S. intellectual property portfolio for an international biotechnology corporation and works closely with the client and the client's European counsel. She focuses her work on protecting a wide range of technologies from nucleic acid and protein isolation devices and methods to genetics and pharmaceutical assays.
Kathryn has been appointed to a third term as a member of the Patent Law & Practice (International) Committee of the Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO). She was an invited speaker at the 2007 Spring Meeting of the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA), and she served on the faculty of the 16th Annual Advanced Patent Prosecution Workshop at the Practising Law Institute in New York in November 2006. In addition, she has represented the Firm at the SMi Conference on Pharmacogenomics in London, where she gave a presentation on "Pharmacogenomics: Legal, Regulatory & Ethical Issues." She has also represented the Firm at numerous other events, including BIO 2007 in Boston, BIO 2005 in Philadelphia, BIO 2003 in Washington, D.C., BIO 2002 in Toronto, and at meetings of the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA), the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, the German Centers of Excellence, and other industry organizations. In 2005-2008, she gave presentations at the Firm's IP Summer Seminar on Benefits and Dangers of U.S. Provisional Patent Applications. She has also given presentations to the Intellectual Property Law Practice Group on Patent Cooperation Treaty practice, on Pharmacogenomics, and on Biotechnology Law & Business, and she has contributed articles to Intellectual Property Today, to Mass High Tech, to the Boston Patent Law Association Newsletter, and to the Firm's IP Bulletin. Kathryn serves on the Alumni Executive Committee for Boston University School of Law. She continues to serve as a biology career panelist at Boston University.
Notable Experience
ˇ Kathryn devotes her practice to representing clients in North America, Europe, and Japan.
ˇ Kathryn has substantial experience in patent prosecution matters. She has prepared and/or prosecuted patent applications relating to a wide range of technologies from nucleic acid and protein isolation devices and methods to genetic and pharmaceutical assays.
ˇ Kathryn manages the U.S. intellectual property portfolio for an international biotechnology corporation.
ˇ Kathryn has drafted patentability opinions and has been involved in pre-litigation work.
ˇ Kathryn has experience both as a speaker and as an author on various topics relating to science and intellectual property law.
Recent Speaking Engagements and Publications
Legal and Law-Related:
Piffat, "Benefits and Dangers of U.S. Provisional Patent Applications," Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge's Intellectual Property Summer Seminar (July 2008).
Piffat, "Benefits and Dangers of U.S. Provisional Patent Applications," Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge's Intellectual Property Summer Seminar (July 2007).
Piffat, "To Appeal or Not to Appeal - Interview, Request for Continued Examination (RCE), Pre-Appeal Conference or Appeal," American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) Spring Meeting, Boston, MA (May 9, 2007).
Piffat, "Claim Drafting for Chemical and Biotech Patent Applications: Written Description and Enablement," 16th Annual Advanced Patent Prosecution Workshop: Claim Drafting and Amendment Writing, Practising Law Institute, 13-14 November 2006.
Lessler, Piffat & Woodley, "Drafting Claims for Chemical, Pharmaceutical, and Biotechnology Patent Applications," 16th Annual Advanced Patent Prosecution Workshop: Claim Drafting & Amendment Writing, ch. 7, Practising Law Institute (New York: 2006).
Piffat, "Benefits and Dangers of U.S. Provisional Patent Applications," Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge's Intellectual Property Summer Seminar (July 2006).
"Advance Planning to Maximize Your International Patent Protection," co-author, Intellectual Property Today, September 2005.
"Benefits and Dangers of U.S. Provisional Patent Applications," co-author, report presented by R.L. Buchanan, Ph.D., Esq., at the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) Advanced Patent Prosecution Seminar, New York, NY (June 23, 2005) and presented by K.A. Piffat, Ph.D., Esq., at the Edwards & Angell Intellectual Property Summer Seminar, July 2005.
"Biotechnology Patents: Managing Researchers to Avoid Common Pitfalls," Mass High Tech, October 4-10, 2004.
"Pharmacogenomics: Legal, Regulatory, and Ethical Issues," SMi Conference on Pharmacogenomics, London, U.K., October 2002.
"The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans": Foreign Espionage, Domestic Intrigue, and Nineteenth-Century British Patent Law, 47 Baker Street J. 12, December 1997.
Co-authored several papers presented at conferences of the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) and authored papers published in the Boston Patent Law Association (BPLA) Newsletter.
Scientific:
Piffat, K.A., T. Ikeda, R. Hrdli?ková, A. Liss, S. Huang, S. Sif, J. Nehyba, T.D. Gilmore & H.R. Bose, Jr. 2001. The Chicken RelB Transcription Factor Has Transactivation Sequences and a Tissue-Specific Expression Pattern that Are Distinct from Mammalian RelB. Molecular Cell Biology Research Communications 4: 266-275.
Piffat, K.A. 2001. Isolation and Characterization of cDNAs Encoding the Chicken RelB Transcription Factor: A Structural and Functional Comparison to Other Rel Proteins. Doctoral dissertation, Boston University.
Gilmore, T.D., M. Koedood, K.A. Piffat & D.W. White. 1996. Rel/NF-kappaB/IkappaB Proteins and Cancer. Oncogene 13: 1367-1378.
Piffat, K.A., T. Ikeda, R. Hrdli?ková, S. Huang, S. Sif, A. Liss, H.R. Bose, Jr. & T.D. Gilmore. "Characterization of the Chicken RelB Transcription Factor," Gordon Research Conference on Cancer, Salve Regina University, Newport, RI (August 1997).
Additional abstracts and presentations at symposia at Boston University, Boston University School of Medicine, and Harvard University School of Medicine.
News & Publications
September 1, 2005, Advance Planning to Maximize Your International Patent Protection
Intellectual Property Today
Before Edwards Wildman
Prior to her graduate molecular biology work, Kathryn was an associate at an intellectual property law firm, where her practice included the area of medical devices, and during this time she authored a number of papers and a publication in the Journal of the Patent & Trademark Office Society, "The 'Obvious to Try' Doctrine and Biotechnology: A Comparison of Patent Cases in the United States and in the United Kingdom." Before joining Edwards & Angell, she returned to graduate school to pursue her masters and doctoral work in molecular biology. She received her Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, Cell Biology & Biochemistry from Boston University, where she researched the molecular biology of RelB, a member of the Rel/NF-kappaB family of transcription factors, and she has co-authored papers in Molecular Cell Biology Research Communications and in Oncogene. During this time, she served as a research assistant and teaching fellow and received the Outstanding Teaching Fellow Award, the Kathryn & John Silber Book Award, and a graduate student travel award. She also served as a biology career panelist and worked with the Pathways program, leading laboratory tours for female high school students. While in law school, she served on the staff and was a third-year editor of the Boston University International Law Journal, in which she published her case/note, "Liability for Injuries Caused by Unapproved Pharmaceuticals Marketed to U.S. Consumers Abroad."
Besides Edwards Wildman
Kathryn serves on the Alumni Executive Committee for Boston University School of Law. She also serves as a biology career panelist for the Department of Biology at Boston University. She is an active volunteer for, and participant in, the American Volkssport Association and is involved in several literary and other societies. She also enjoys domestic and international travel and classical music.
Events
May 9, 2007 - May 11, 2007, Boston, MA, 2007 American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) Spring Meeting
Industries
ˇ Life Sciences
Memberships
ˇ American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
ˇ American Bar Association (ABA)
ˇ American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA)
ˇ Patent & Trademark Office Society (PTOS)
ˇ Federal Circuit Bar Association
ˇ Boston Patent Law Association (BPLA)
ˇ Massachusetts Bar Association
ˇ Boston Bar Association
ˇ New Jersey State Bar Association
ˇ Pennsylvania Bar Association
ˇ District of Columbia Bar Association