By Meredith Ragains and Erica Rogers For the past six years, Georgia Lawyers for the Arts (GLA) has partnered with the North Carolina Bar Foundation to offer a crucial patent pro bono program for low-income inventors and small businesses in our state. This cross-state partnership, which operates under the Georgia PATENTS program and in collaboration […]
By Erica Rogers Dear Colleagues, It’s an honor to welcome you to another term with the NCBA Intellectual Property Section. As Chair, I am excited to build on the great momentum of our IP Section and to help shape a thriving, inclusive, and connected community of IP professionals across North Carolina. Intellectual property law lives […]
By Rick Matthews It is with great humility and excitement that I introduce myself as the new Chair of the NC Bar Association’s Intellectual Property Law Section for the 2024-2025 bar year. By way of background, I am a Raleigh-based IP attorney at Williams Mullen, where my practice is focused on IP protection and enforcement, […]
By Jennifer Knight The USPTO now offers the First-Time Filer Expedited Examination Pilot Program, which is designed to increase accessibility to the patent system for inventors who are new to the patent application process, including those in historically underserved geographic and economic areas. Information on the program and how inventors can apply may be found […]
By Ed Ergenzinger Over the past couple of years, I’ve had the opportunity to present a number of talks on mental health topics. When those talks were at law schools, it has been clear that mental health issues are top of mind for many law students these days. As it turns out, this informal observation […]
By Jennifer Knight Why is Patent Pro Bono important? The demographics of inventors in the U.S. are not nearly as diverse as our society. For example, women represent 50% of the workforce, 27% of STEM workers, but only 13% of inventors. Black and Hispanic college graduates patent at roughly 50% of the rate of white […]
By KimberMarie Faircloth On October 12, 2022, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments for The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.(AWF) vs. Lynn Goldsmith, et al.[1] The main issue revolves around “transformative” use under the Copyright Act[2] and how transformative the work must be to be protected by the doctrine of Fair Use […]
By KimberMarie Faircloth On October 12, 2022, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments for The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.(AWF) vs. Lynn Goldsmith, et al.[1] The main issue revolves around “transformative” use under the Copyright Act[2] and how transformative the work must be to be protected by the doctrine of Fair Use […]
By Ed Ergenzinger Earlier this year, a survey of lawyers and staffers hailing mostly from Biglaw revealed that 19% of respondents contemplated suicide at some point in their professional careers. These results, coupled with the shocking death by suicide of attorney and former Miss USA Cheslie Kryst, contributed to a growing groundswell of attention and […]
By Karsin Williard The North Carolina Bar Foundation’s Patent Pro Bono Program, formerly part of NC LEAP (Lawyers for Entrepreneurs Assistance Program), provides pro bono counseling for low-wealth clients seeking patent assistance. The program is in partnership with Georgia Lawyers for the Arts and has helped many low-wealth North Carolina inventors to file patents for […]