Experience

Nanotechnology

About

Nanotechnology is part of our work in AI, Electronics, and Information Technology, and Chemicals, Industrials, and Materials.

Immense possibilities with microscopic innovations
By its very definition, the term “nanotechnology” involves a broad array of technologies. Innovative companies are developing products with myriad applications, such as tiny batteries, nano-structured surfaces that ward off bacteria, magnetically-controlled microbots, and nanofilament-impregnated contact lenses capable of enabling an HD virtual reality or augmented reality display at a user’s eye. Advancements in nanotechnology are the driving force of innovation in a diverse array of technology areas, from cosmetics to consumer electronics and from medical devices to vaccine delivery systems.

Understanding the law, science, and technology

The nature of nanotechnology presents novel questions and issues for the patent practitioner. Our lawyers’ experience as engineers and scientists makes them well qualified to address the distinct challenges of nanotechnology as they work closely with companies to align their inventions with business goals and market strategies. We help with:

Protecting against infringement through litigation or other dispute resolution options
Conducting post-grant review proceedings, including inter partes review
Writing opinions and providing ongoing counseling for new and evolving products
Conducting invention capture sessions that focus on the client’s business and legal needs
Creating strategies to maximize a portfolio’s value
Developing and executing prosecution strategies to create strong intellectual property rights
Analyzing competitors’ intellectual property to avoid infringement and identify gaps and weaknesses
Structuring cooperative relationships to develop and commercialize the technology by licensing or transferring rights to the underlying intellectual property
Advising on trade secret policies and protections
Providing trademark, copyright, and advertising services

Everyone in this industry

Experience

Oversaw due diligence for one of the world’s largest chemical companies during the acquisition of another company, including overseeing the mapping and analysis of the target’s patent portfolio and analyzing potential infringement by competitors.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld a jury decision in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona in favor of Finnegan client DuPont Air Products NanoMaterials, LLC (DA NanoMaterials), holding that various tungsten Chemical Mechanical Planarization (CMP) slurries sold by DA Nanomaterials do not infringe Cabot Microelectronic’s patents. Tungsten CMP is a process used in semiconductor manufacturing.

11-1085, -1088, Fed. Cir., Judges Rader, Dyk, Reyna

One of our long-standing clients asked us for advice on how to expand its patent portfolio to include nanotechnology. We researched the activities of its competitors, reported our findings, and suggested a course of action to a group of its senior intellectual property (IP) counsel and technical leaders. Our report focused on the implications of nanotechnology in the client’s industry and identified desirable avenues of research and product development where nanotechnology could be implemented and protected to provide an advantage in the marketplace.