Paul’s practice focuses on litigation and counseling clients in disputes involving the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights in patents, trademarks, copyrights, and confidential information and trade secrets, as well as developing intellectual-property licensing strategies. His representative experience includes hydrodynamic energy recovery systems covered by U.S. and European patents, patent infringement involving cellular phone technologies, trademark infringement and unfair competition involving print-media publications, and domain-name and anticybersquatting disputes. Paul is a versatile litigator whose experience also includes general and commercial litigation in federal and state courts including unfair trade practices, land disputes, RICO, products liability, casualty defense and admiralty/maritime claims, and he has participated in mediation and arbitration of legal disputes.
Paul has also prosecuted patents and assessed patentable technologies for domestic and foreign clients in the mechanical and electro-mechanical arts, software and business methods. Also, Paul has conducted audits of internet web sites for the identification and protection of corporate intellectual property rights, and he has performed due diligence studies of intellectual-property portfolios for corporate mergers and acquisitions.
Paul has over a dozen years experience as a practicing engineer at the NASA Langley Research Center, in Hampton, Virginia, where he was an internationally-recognized senior researcher and project leader in the areas of spacecraft structural dynamics and aircraft noise-reduction. Most notably, Paul’s research was instrumental in developing scale-modeling and ground-test technologies for the zero-g simulation and vibration control of large space structures, such as the International Space Station. Paul regularly presented and published his results at international engineering conferences and in peer-reviewed engineering journals.
Presentations and Speaking Engagements
Strategies for Indemnification under the UCC Against Claims of Patent Infringement, Published in ABA Intellectual Property Litigation, Vol. 21, No. 2, Winter 2010.
Describing procedures for seeking indemnification under the UCC for breach of the implied warranty against claims of patent infringement, including a review of recent court decisions that relax the applicable standard.
“Patents and Patent Protection within the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS),” presented for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Project to Support Lebanon’s Accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), Beirut, Lebanon, May 2004.
“Aspects of Patent Licensing under the TRIPS Agreement,” presented for the USAID Project to Support Lebanon’s Accession to the WTO, Beirut, Lebanon, May 2004.
“Patents and Trade Secrets,” presented for CLE credit at the McGuireWoods LLP Intellectual Property Law Conference, Richmond, Virginia, October 2002.
“Protecting Your Intellectual Property: Patents & Trade Secrets,” presented at the TechStart Boot Camp, Virginia Center for Innovative Technology, Richmond, Virginia, September 2002.
“Protecting Your Intellectual Property and Other Business Issues,” presented at the SBIR/STTR Workshop, Richmond, Virginia, January 2002 & September 2002.
“Your Company’s Annual Legal Check-Up: Identification and Protection of Your Company’s Intellectual Property Assets,” presented to the Virginia Biosciences Development Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, October 2001.
“Offshore Ocean Towing: Inherent Risks and Resulting Governmental Safeguards,” presented for CLE credit at the 1998 Maritime Law Association Seminar on Fundamentals of Admiralty Law, New York, New York, May 1998 (co-authored with David N. Ventker, Esq.).
Publications
“Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Patents But Were Afraid to Ask,” Litigation Department Newsletter, Huff, Poole & Mahoney, P.C., Virginia Beach, Virginia, Winter 2001.
Numerous technical publications in peer-reviewed engineering journals and presentations at international engineering conferences reporting research of zero-g simulation and ground-test technologies for large flexible space structures, including the International Space Station.
Public Service
Hands On Atlanta – Volunteer
Junior Achievement (Richmond, VA) – Volunteer student teacher, 2001 - 2003
Colonial Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Program – Board of Directors, 1995 - 1997