Virtual Patent Marking: Practical Considerations, Recent Court Guidance, and Ideas for Designing Your Own VPM Program

Mr. Wheelock’s practice includes the preparation and prosecution of patent and trademark applications and drafting intellectual property agreements, including non-compete agreements. He has brought and defended lawsuits in federal and state courts relating to intellectual property and has participated in seizures of counterfeit and infringing goods. Mr. Wheelock prepares and prosecutes U.S. and foreign patent applications for mechanical and electromechanical devices, manufacturing machinery and processes, and metal alloys for clients in the medical device, consumer products, and agrifood tech industries, among others. He also does a substantial amount of patentability searching, trademark availability searching, and patent and trademark infringement studies.

Mr. Zuege focuses his practice on intellectual property law in both transactional and litigation settings, including patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret and domain name dispute matters. This includes international IP application filings and prosecution such as Paris Convention patent applications, PCT applications and related national stage patent applications, and the coordination and supervision of global IP portfolios. Mr. Zuege has extensive experience organizing and conducting complex freedom-to-operate studies, advising on IP strategies, conducting validity/non-infringement opinion of counsel analyses, negotiating agreements, enforcing rights and defending clients in contentious IP disputes, and creating strategic plans for companies. He also writes and speaks about IP issues, and can translate complex legal issues into actionable tips and strategies for clients and their inside counsel. He is the editor and co-author of Patent Freedom to Operate Searches, Opinions, Techniques, and Studies (ABA 2017).

Mr. Peters counsels clients on patent, trademark and copyright prosecution; patent and trademark clearance, validity and infringement opinions; trademark opposition and cancellation; IP due diligence investigations, licensing and audits; and internet issues. His patent prosecution practice involves mechanical, electromechanical, system, business methods and design patents. Mr. Peters has filed, prosecuted and secured thousands of patents and trademarks domestically and internationally, and uses that experience to counsel clients on IP strategies, risk management and portfolio design, coordination and management.