CHICAGO—Marc V. Richards, a patent attorney and shareholder at intellectual property law firm Brinks Gilson & Lione, has been appointed interim director of the newly formed Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) Bar Association.

Formed as a result of the 2011 America Invents Act, the PTAB has become singularly important as a tribunal in patent cases, including inter partes proceedings with respect to patent validity.

The PTAB Bar Association's mission is to promote the highest professional and ethical standards among lawyers and stakeholders who appear before the PTAB. The organization seeks to foster communication between lawyers, Administrative Patent Judges (APJs), and other officials with regard to developments and best practices related to rule-making, procedure, and jurisprudence emanating from the PTAB. It will also coordinate continuing legal education, scholarships, and pro bono and career enhancement opportunities.

"Attorneys with a practice at the PTAB and other key stakeholders in the PTAB's activities can learn much from each other by coming together in a collegial community of engagement," said Richards. "I am honored to have this opportunity to work with my national colleagues in PTAB practice to build an organization that facilitates exchange of ideas with respect to this rapidly evolving tribunal."

A trained chemical engineer with nearly 25 years of legal experience, Richards is co-chair of Brinks' post-grant patent practice and of its chemicals, energy, and agriculture practice. He focuses on patent prosecution and litigation, inter partes and post-grant reviews before the PTAB, and global patent portfolio management for technologies related to software, financial services, materials science, pharmaceuticals, and hydrocarbon and chemical processing. Richards also counsels clients on patent infringement and invalidity investigations, licensing, and trade secret matters.

Richards is a widely respected authority on patent-related issues and he is active in several legal associations. He is treasurer of the United States group of the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI-US of AIPLA); previously, he served on the board of directors and as treasurer for the Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago (IPLAC).

Brinks was one of 42 law firms that provided seed funding for the PTAB Bar Association's development. More information is at http://www.ptabbar.org/.

About the PTAB Bar Association

The PTAB Bar Association is the only bar association solely dedicated to practice before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. This organization recognizes the unique practice and skills required before the PTAB, and the desire to improve the level of professional service and stature of the legal community that practices before it. The PTAB Bar Association is collaborative, congenial, inclusive, highly professional, and community-centric.  

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