Join CPTCLA Today
The CPTCLA is the oldest legal association dedicated to practitioners of Intellectual Property law in North and South Carolina. CPTCLA hosts an annual Spring CLE seminar in North Carolina, as well as a Fall seminar in South Carolina, offering a combined nine to twelve hours of CLE credit. Our Spring CLE is being planned for May 2012 in the Charlotte, NC Arena for 7.25 hours of CLE credit. We will have a great line-up of speakers. Please Join us.
Board Members
Kevin O'Brien
Past President
kevin.obrien@goodrich.com
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Kevin O’Brien works for Goodrich Corporation in Charlotte, North Carolina. Kevin received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and his Juris Doctorate from the University of South Carolina School of Law. Kevin has been practicing patent law since 2000 and has experience in managing complex patent litigations and in patent prosecution. Prior to attending Law School, Kevin served in the United States Navy. After law school, Kevin was employed by Alston & Bird, LLP, before joining Goodrich Corporation.
Alan R. Marshall
President
amarshall@dority-manning.com
Alan Marshall works for Dority & Manning, P.A., in Greenville, South Carolina. Alan has experience drafting and prosecuting patent applications in the chemical, biochemical, electrochemical, and mechanical arts, particularly in the areas of polymer processing and synthesis, organic chemistry, pharmaceutical and genetic biochemistry, semiconductor technologies, thin film photovoltaic devices, nanotechnologies, diagnostic assays and biosensors, film fabrication, paper making, and textile woven and nonwoven processing. Alan was published four times in leading Chemical Journals for his undergraduate research on organic polymers, specifically, applications involving the use of poly(p-phenyleneethynylene) in light emitting diodes (LEDs).
David M. Sigmon
First V.P.
dsigmon@jenkinswilson.com
David Sigmon works for Jenkins, Wilson, Taylor, & Hunt, P.A., in Durham, North Carolina. David earned his B.S. degree in Textile Engineering and an M.S. degree in Textile Management from North Carolina State University. Prior to attending law school, he worked as a process and project engineer for an international textile company conducting project engineering work in yarn manufacturing and both woven and nonwoven fabric manufacturing. He also has conducted research into computer integrated manufacturing. He received his J.D. degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law. Mr. Sigmon is a member of the North Carolina and South Carolina State Bars, and is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Mr. Sigmon has a variety of experience in patent preparation and prosecution before both the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and foreign patent offices. His experience further includes preparation and prosecution of trademark and copyright applications. He is a member of the American Intellectual Property Law Association; the North Carolina Bar Association; the South Carolina Bar Association; and the Carolina Patent Trademark and Copyright Law Association.
Rohan G. Saba
Second V.P.
rsaba@myersbigel.com
Rohan Saba is a shareholder of Myers, Bigel, Sibley & Sajovec, P.A., in Raleigh, North Carolina. Rohan received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering, cum laude, from Virginia Tech, and his Juris Doctor Degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law. He has been practicing patent law since 2003. Prior to his legal career, Rohan worked as a design engineer at Alcatel Network Systems, where he developed hardware for telecommunication systems. Rohan is a member of the North Carolina Bar, and is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Rohan's practice focuses on the preparation and prosecution of patent applications in the areas of communications, electronics, and electrical engineering.
Thomas E. Vanderbloemen
Secretary
Tvanderbloemen@gwblawfirm.com
Tom Vanderbloemen is a partner in Gallivan White & Boyd in Greenville, South Carolina. Tom handles a wide range of litigation in the Federal and State courts, with an emphasis on business litigation, intellectual property matters, and appeals. A former law clerk to now Chief Judge William B. Traxler, Jr. of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, a registered patent attorney, and a member of the South Carolina and Georgia bars, Vanderbloemen has litigated cases involving patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, computer software and technology, business and contract disputes, franchise and distribution networks, and internet domain names. Vanderbloemen serves on the Board of Directors of the Carolina Patent Trademark & Copyright Law Association, a peer organization of intellectual property attorneys in North and South Carolina, and has lectured on intellectual property matters to attorneys and business leaders in Greenville and nationwide. He has argued before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth, Eleventh, and Federal Circuits on a wide range of cases, including intellectual property, employee benefits, civil rights and white collar crime. He also serves as member of the Council of the South Carolina Bar's Trial and Appellate Advocacy Section. Previously named to Best & Brightest Under 35, Vanderbloemen is also active in his community. He has been President of the Carolina Youth Symphony, is a member of Rotary, has coached youth soccer for the YMCA, and graduated from Leadership Greenville Class 35.
Michele M. Glessner
Treasurer
michele.glessner@alston.com
Michele Glessner works for Alston & Bird, LLP, in Charlotte, North Carolina. Michele is a senior associate in the firm’s Mechanical Patents Group and the Trademarks & Copyrights Group. She concentrates her patent practice on utility and design patent prosecution (domestic and foreign), patentability and freedom-to-practice investigations, and patent portfolio analysis. On the trademark side, Michele focuses on trademark prosecution (domestic and foreign), trademark clearance investigations and trademark enforcement matters. Michele earned her J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Notre Dame in 2006. She received her B.S., cum laude, in mechanical engineering from Cornell University in 1999. Prior to attending law school, Michele was a product engineer for an industrial gases and chemicals company. She earned her engineer-in-training certification at this time. Michele is a fluent speaker of Egyptian Arabic and has a foundation in classical Arabic, both written and spoken. In addition, she is proficient in French.
Sherry L. Murphy
Board Member
SMurphy@myersbigel.com
Sherry Murphy works for Myers, Bigel, Sibley & Sajovec, P.A., in Raleigh, North Carolina. Sherry graduated from Oberlin College, magna cum laude, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in neuroscience, with a focus on molecular biology, chemistry and mathematics. Prior to her legal career, Sherry worked as a research technologist for several years in laboratories at Northwestern University and the Stanford University Medical Center, and has co-authored publications in scientific journals. Her research at Northwestern involved the biophysics of protein import into mitochondria. While at Stanford, Sherry studied the sodium bicarbonate transporters and their role in regulating pH in brain tissues. She received her Juris Doctorate from the University of San Francisco, cum laude, with CALI awards in patent law and international intellectual property. During law school, she served as a comments editor on the law review editorial board and worked as a patent agent in San Jose, California. Sherry is a member of the California bar and the North Carolina bar and is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Sherry's recent publications include "Avoiding the obvious" appearing in the February 2009 issue of Nature Biotechnology, and a chapter in the Third Edition of the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM) Technology Transfer Manual entitled "How to Identify Owners in the United States." Her practice is focused primarily on biotechnology and chemical patent preparation and prosecution.
Neal P. Pierotti
Board Member
Neal@mullinaxpatent.com
Neal Pierotti works for J. Bennett Mullinax, PLLC, in Greenville, South Carolina. Neal has more than ten years of experience in intellectual property law. He earned his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, magna cum laude, and his J.D., magna cum laude from the University of Pittsburgh. He focuses on the areas of patent and trademark preparation and prosecution, patent infringement studies, and client counseling. He has prepared and prosecuted more than 200 patent applications and provided numerous opinions regarding infringement, patentability, and enforceability of patents. Mr. Pierotti is a member of the South Carolina Bar – Intellectual Property Committee, the American Intellectual Property Law Association, and the Carolina Patent, Trademark and Copyright Law Association.
Thomas D. Huycke
Board Member
thuycke@dority-manning.com
Thomas Huycke works for Dority & Manning, P.A., in Greenville, South Carolina. Thomas has familiarity with technologies in the electromechanical and mechanical arts, including packaging and industrial machinery, automotive components, and agricultural machinery. He earned his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, magna cum laude, from Clemson University, and his J.D, Order of the Coif, from the West Virginia University College of Law. Mr. Huycke is a member of the American Bar Association, the American Intellectual Property Law Association, and the Carolina Patent, Trademark and Copyright Law Association.
Kirby A. Turner
Board Member
kturner@jenkinswilson.com
Kirby Turner works for Jenkins, Wilson, Taylor, & Hunt, P.A., in Durham, North Carolina. Kirby earned his B.S. in Civil Engineering, cum laude, at North Carolina State University and his B.S. in Electrical Engineering, summa cum laude, at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Prior to attending law school, he worked as an engineer at Carolina Power and Light Company (Progress Energy). He earned his J.D. degree at the Ohio State University Moritz School of Law. While in law school, he was a member of the Ohio State Journal of Dispute Resolution. Mr. Turner is admitted to the State Bar of Georgia, the North Carolina State Bar and is registered to practice before the United States Patent & Trademark Office. Mr. Turner currently prepares and prosecutes patent applications in the electrical and computer software areas, including inventions relating to the telecommunications, computer networking, Internet telephony, computer graphics, data storage systems, and electronic commerce areas. He is a member of the American Intellectual Property Law Association, the North Carolina Bar Association and the Carolina Patent Trademark and Copyright Law Association.
Kurt J. Fugman
kurt.fugman@us.michelin.com
Kurt J. Fugman works for Michelin North America, Inc. in Greenville, S.C.. Kurt earned his B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1994 with college honors. Prior to attending law school, he worked as a mold design and process, project, and product engineer for several companies including Panduit Corporation, Landis Plastics Inc. and Greenlee Textron Inc and is a licensed P.E. in Illinois. He received his J.D. degree from the Chicago-Kent College of Law in 2003 with a certificate in Intellectual Property Law. Mr. Fugman is a member of the Illinois Bar, and is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Mr. Fugman has a variety of experience in patent preparation and prosecution before both the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and foreign patent offices. His experience also includes a wide variety of technical fields including molding, plastic part design, tire design and manufacturing, cable pullers, holemaking, electrical test instruments, and hydraulic tools.
Jeffrey C. Watson
jeffwatson@hammerpatent.com
Jeff Watson works for Hammer & Associates, P.C., in Charlotte, North Carolina. A native Charlottean, Jeff joined Hammer & Associates, P.C. in January of 2006 after graduating from the University Of Miami School Of Law. Prior to law school, Jeff earned an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina State University. Mr. Watson is a skillful patent attorney in a wide range of practice areas with a strong background in mechanical arts including automotive, engines, shocks and suspensions, as well as textile and material science patents. Jeff’s primary focus is on the preparation and prosecution of patent applications, but also has extensive experience in patent litigation. He is also an accomplished trademark attorney with a thorough background in trademark prosecution, domestic and foreign filing, matters before the TTAB, and trademark litigation. Jeff is a member of the North Carolina State Bar and is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the Western District of North Carolina, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Jeff is a member of the North Carolina Bar Association, and the Carolina Patent, Trademark and Copyright Law Association