Entrepreneurial Best Practices Series

Entrepreneurial Best Practices Series: IP & Legal Issues

Tuesday, October 26, 2010
6:30-8:30pm
Wells Fargo Room- Haas School of Business

[Presentation available (pdf)]

Program Description and Speaker Biographies

Video (video on YouTube site)

Program Description and Speaker Biographies

Intellectual property is one of the most valuable fruits of entrepreneurship’s labor, and has been the foundation upon which thousands of successful business enterprises have been built. This session will cover the legal issues surrounding intellectual property and its importance throughout a company’s lifespan. A team consisting of IP lawyers and a startup corporate lawyer will provide a “crash course” on patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets; discuss IP issues commonly faced at the time of forming new businesses; explain how IP is exploited during the business development stage of a new business; explore the role of IP when a new business raises financing; and consider the impact of IP on an acquisition of the business. Attend this session to gain a valuable understanding of how these most important legal concepts are applied in the business context, and you may avoid many of the common pitfalls that can damage or ruin your venture.

The program starts with food and networking at 6:30pm. The presentation will open at 7 pm. There is no registration for this event. For more information about the Entrepreneurial Best Practices Series, call 510-642-4255 or email lester@haas.berkeley.edu.

FEATURED SPEAKERS

Fred C. Hernandez

Member, Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo PC

Pedro F. Suarez

Member, Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo PC

SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES

Fred C. Hernandez
Member, Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo PC

Fred is a member in the San Diego office, practicing in the Intellectual Property Section. His practice emphasizes U.S. and foreign patent prosecution. Fred has extensive experience in advising early stage and emerging growth companies in strategic management of patent portfolios. He specializes in intellectual property protection in the medical device, aerospace, and mechanical industries, including offensive and defensive competitive strategies, infringement studies, financings, and strategic transactions. His medical device technical experience involves a variety of cardiovascular, endobronchial, and ophthalmic interventions as well as various drug delivery and surgical devices. He also has technical expertise in various orthopedic devices, including spinal and knee implants. Fred has also advised clients in the consumer products industries including the snow sports, golf, and water sports industries. Before joining the firm, Fred was a principal at an international intellectual property firm located in San Diego. He also worked for the Hughes Aircraft Company, where he gained significant technical experience as a software engineer.

Pedro F. Suarez
Member, Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo PC

Pedro Suarez is a member in Mintz Levin’s San Diego and Palo Alto offices, where he practices in the Intellectual Property Section. He focuses on all aspects of patent law, including the preparation and prosecution of patent applications, the rendering of opinions on infringement and validity, patent monetization, IP due diligence investigations in M&A transactions, litigation, and client counseling, with an emphasis on software, wireless communications, semiconductors, image processing, medical devices, wireless medical devices, and consumer products. Pedro also serves on the board of directors of STC.UNM, a non-profit organization responsible for protecting and monetizing technology innovations for the University of New Mexico. In 2010, Pedro was named to the San Diego Daily Transcript’s 2010 Top Attorneys list. Before joining Mintz Levin, Pedro worked for an international intellectual property law firm in Washington, D.C. He has extensive experience in handling patent matters for emerging and global high-technology companies, and draws on his litigation experience to prepare and prosecute patents with an eye towards enforcement. Pedro also draws on his technical and legal expertise to assist venture funds and high-tech companies conduct IP due diligence investigations in connection with the acquisition of IP assets.

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