Griff Griffin, a member of Sutherland's Intellectual Property Practice Group, is skilled in all areas of intellectual property law and concentrates his practice on the acquisition and enforcement of intellectual property rights, with a particular emphasis on patents related to computer hardware and software, wired and wireless communications, electronics, financial and medical transactions, and display technology. In addition, he handles client counseling, opinion writing, patent prosecution, reexaminations, clearance studies, licensing, IP due diligence, portfolio management, and IP audits. Before attending law school, Griff was a technical supervisor in the network systems group of a large telecommunications company. He is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Representative Experience Griff has significant experience involving many types of intellectual property matters, including: · Working with numerous clients in developing and implementing patent strategies. · Performing in-depth intellectual property audits and new product/service clearance studies. · Managing several large patent portfolios that are directed to Internet-based financial services and e-commerce systems. · Helping clients assess and mitigate the risks associated with patent rights asserted by third parties, including patent holding companies. · Drafting exculpatory opinions of patent invalidity, non-infringement and unenforceability. · Managing intellectual property due diligence studies and negotiating intellectual property ownership, indemnification and licensing contract provisions. · Conducting clearance studies to identify and mitigate potential patent infringement risks associated with a new product or service, including designing around problematic patents. Professional Honors and Awards · Recognized by Chambers USA: Guide to Leading Business Lawyers in the area of intellectual property (2007-2011) · Selected for inclusion in Georgia Super Lawyers® (2007-2010) · Named among the "Legal Elite" by Georgia Trend magazine (2006-2009) Professional and Community Involvement · Member, American Intellectual Property Law Association · Member, Intellectual Property Owners Association · Member, Licensing Executives Society · Member, Association of University Technology Managers · Former Chair, Intellectual Property Law Section, State Bar of Georgia · Member, Lawyers Club of Atlanta · Member, Intellectual Property Committee, Atlanta Bar Association Recent Publications and Speaking Engagements · Co-author, "Selected Intellectual Property Developments" (June 2011) · Co-author, "Opinion Letters, Representation Issues, and the Impact of the Seagate and Knorr-Bremse Decisions," Patent Litigation 2010 Course Handbook #24179 (2010) · Intellectual Property Editor, Quarterly Intellectual Property updates, Electronic Banking Law and Commerce Report · Co-author, "Guidance on a Patentee's Provisional Rights," IP Law360 (October 2008) · Co-author, "Federal Circuit Clarifies Standard for Direct Patent Infringement Involving Multiple Parties," Vol. 8, No. 10, Patent Strategy and Management (March 2008) · Co-author, "Prowling Patent Trolls," Public Power (September 2006) · Speaker, "Opinions of Counsel: Avoiding Objective Recklessness Without Wrecking the Client's Budget," PLI 2010 Patent Litigation (November 8-9, 2010) · Speaker, "Best Practices When Engaging the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office," 6th Annual Patents and the Financial Services Industry Conference (July 2009) · Speaker, "Opinion Letters, Representation Issues and the Impact of the Knorr-Bremse and Seagate Decisions," PLI 2008 Patent Litigation Seminar (November 2008) · Speaker, "Practical Application of Post-KSR Obviousness Standards in Patent Litigation and Prosecution," SpringPosium Intellectual Property CLE Conference (May 2008) · Speaker, "Sarbanes-Oxley and Intellectual Property," SpringPosium Intellectual Property Conference (April 2007) · Speaker, "How to Leverage Outside Patent Counsel," 2006 American Public Power Association Legal Seminar (October 2006) · Speaker, "Intellectual Property Issues in the Insurance Industry," National Association for Variable Annuities Compliance and Regulatory Affairs Conference (June 27, 2006) · Speaker, "Patent Claim Drafting With An Eye Towards Liscensing," State Bar of Georgia Intellectual Property Law Section CLD Programs (March 17, 2005) Industries Financial Services News Sutherland Attorneys, Practices Top Chambers USA 2011 Rankings
April 14, 2011 Sutherland Earns Top Chambers USA 2010 Rankings
July 7, 2010 Sutherland Attorneys Named 2010 Georgia Super Lawyers and Rising Stars
March 1, 2010 Legal Alerts Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Industries IP Update
October 2011 Financial Services Patent Holding Company Update
September 19, 2011 Legal Alert: Shredding Before Suing? Think Twice (Update)
June 2, 2011 Legal Alert: Patents on Computerized Settlement of Foreign Exchange Transactions Invalid Under Bilski
March 31, 2011 Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Industries IP Update
March 2011 Financial Services Patent Holding Company Update
March 15, 2011 Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Industries IP Update
February 2011 Financial Services Patent Holding Company Update
February 4, 2011 Legal Alert: Section 101 at the Federal Circuit After Bilski: These Process Claims Do Not Claim an Abstract Idea
December 17, 2010 Legal Alert: Federal Circuit Addresses Use of Industry Standards in Patent Infringement Analysis
October 6, 2010 Financial Services Patent Holding Company Update
September 29, 2010 Legal Alert: Any Person Can Sue for False Patent Marking
September 10, 2010 Legal Alert: The Supreme Court Adopts Machine-or-Transformation Test as One Test for Patenting Business Methods
June 30, 2010 Legal Alert: Federal Circuit: Medical Treatment and Diagnostic Method Claims Are Patentable
September 30, 2009 Legal Alert: Steps of Method Claims Are Not Exportable "Components" Under 35 U.S.C. § 271(f)
September 1, 2009 Legal Alert: Rights to Have Licensed Products Made by a Third Party May Be Inherent in Patent Licenses Unless Those Rights Are Expressly Excluded
July 7, 2009 Legal Alert: Shredding Before Suing? Think Twice
February 13, 2009 Legal Alert: Federal Circuit: Participating Members of Standards-Setting Organizations Who Conceal Their Patents from the Organization Risk Losing Certain Rights
December 16, 2008 Legal Alert: In re Bilski: The "Machine-or-Transformation Test" for Determining Patentable Subject Matter for Process Claims
October 31, 2008 Legal Alert: Patent Term Adjustment Determinations May Be Affected Following District Court Decision
October 30, 2008 Legal Alert: Federal Circuit: "Ordinary Observer" Standard Is Now the Sole Standard for Determining Design Patent Infringement
October 6, 2008 Legal Alert: Federal Circuit: Non-Infringement Opinion From Patent Counsel Can Support An Inference of No Inducement to Infringe
September 30, 2008 Legal Alert: Patent Reexamination Is Permitted Even If a District Court Has Already Ruled on the Invalidity Question Presented
September 29, 2008 Legal Alert: Provisional Rights for Patent Infringement: Recent District Court Interpretations of the Substantially Identical Claims Requirement and Reasonable Royalty Determination
September 11, 2008 Legal Alert: Federal Circuit Affirms Non-Infringement of Patent by Handset Manufacturers
August 20, 2008 Legal Alert: New USPTO Pilot Program for Examiner Interviews Prior to a First Office Action in Certain Pending Computer and Database-Related Patent Applications
July 17, 2008 Legal Alert: Emergis Update - Federal Circuit Affirms Patent Non-Infringement Decisions
February 13, 2008 Legal Alert: Federal Circuit Clarifies Standard for Direct Patent Infringement Involving Multiple Parties
October 10, 2007 Legal Alert: Federal Circuit Issues Patentability Opinions on Computer and Electronics Issues
October 3, 2007 Publications Selected Intellectual Property Developments
June 2011 Reprinted with permission PARS International Corp Opinion Letters, Representation Issues, and the Impact of the Seagate and Knorr-Bremse Decisions
2010 Reprinted with permission Patent Litigation 2010 Course Handbook #24179, published by the Practising Law Institute Intellectual Property Editor, Quarterly Intellectual Property updates Guidance on a Patentee's Provisional Rights
October 2008 IP Law306 Federal Circuit Clarifies Standard for Direct Patent Infringement Involving Multiple Parties, Vol. 8, No. 10
March 2008 Patent Strategy and Management Prowling Patent Trolls
September-October 2006 Reprinted with permission, Public Power Events Patent Litigation 2010
November 8-9, 2010 6th Annual Patents & the Financial Services Industry Conference
July 28-29, 2009 PLI 2008 Patent Litigation Seminar
November 2008 SpringPosium Intellectual Property CLE Conference
May 2008 SpringPosium Intellectual Property CLE Conference
April 2007 2006 American Public Power Association Legal Seminar
October 8-11, 2006 National Association for Variable Annuities Compliance and Regulatory Affairs Conference
June 27, 2006 State Bar of Georgia Intellectual Property Law Section CLE Programs
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