MEET OUR STUDENTS and GRADUATES

IAN GATES

I am a third year student clerking for the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences (the Board) at the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The Board is divided up into four technology areas (Mechanical, Chemical, Electrical, and Biotech), and I am assigned to a Mechanical Administrative Patent Judge. My job is essentially that of a judge.

An applicant for a patent, once his/her patent claims have been rejected twice by a patent examiner, has the option to appeal to the Board. The applicant and examiner both submit briefs arguing their position and the case gets assigned to a panel of three judges. I receive a case acting as a #1 judge, and then analyze the case myself before neutrally presenting the case to the #2 judge. If we both agree on the outcome, then the #3 judge is not consulted and I write the opinion of the Board. If we disagree, I then present the case to the #3 judge as a tie-breaker. If the #3 judge agrees with me, then I write the majority opinion, but if the #3 judge agrees with the #2 judge, I write a dissenting opinion. Occasionally, an appellant will request an oral hearing, where the three judge panel hears oral argument from the appellant.

The summer externship at the Board is a wonderful experience and opportunity to apply patent law on a daily basis and become intimately familiar with it. It allows the extern to see a wide range of attorney skill levels and to understand what works and what does not work in patent prosecution legal writing. I highly recommend applying to the program for those interested in a career in patent law. The program is available for a summer or a semester as an externship or an internship (no school credit). Visit:

Patent Office Internships

LIZ NEVIS

I am an evening student who expects my JD in 2006. As an optical engineer, I patented some of my own inventions, became intrigued by the patent process, and decided to steer my career toward intellectual-property law. I passed the Patent Bar in October 2003 and now work as a graduate intern at Intel Corp. in Hillsboro. Intel offers a wide variety of internship opportunities for students in IP and business law. I report to a technology-licensing engineer, "mining" existing IP to identify licensing opportunities and helping engineers write invention disclosures for the in-house Patent Committees. Other responsibilities for interns in the group include portfolio-development research, preparation of licensing presentations, and some prosecution work for those who become registered patent agents. Assignments change periodically, allowing interns to learn a variety of tasks, but often a new assignment will leverage accomplishments from a previous assignment. Internships in this particular group are year-round, and interns may reduce their working hours during fall and spring semesters. I appreciate the value Intel places on my life experience as an engineer and R&D manager, and enjoy the variety of assignments and the opportunity to see firsthand how IP fits into the business strategy of a world-class technology company. Although Intel has historically hired few new JD grads, alumni of its internship programs are sought after by other employers, and several former Intel interns are now associates in local law firms.

RAVI PURI, Legal Counsel, Dotster, Inc.

I am the In-House Attorney for a Domain Name Registrar based in Vancouver,WA: Dotster, Inc. (www.dotster.com). I received my JD from Lewis & Clark in 2002. My role as attorney requires me to draft contracts, read and interpret contracts, resolve escalated customer disputes, settle competitor discrepancies,respond to subpoenas, and maintain the overall well-being of the corporation. While working for an Internet company, there are three main areas of law that I work in daily: 1) Trademark law for domain name disputes; 2) DMCA and other copyright laws for web hosting content; and 3)CAN-SPAM laws for unsolicited e-mail. In addition to domain name activity, I also deal with the licensing of our technology to other companies and vice-versa. With the Internet being an international business, I work withcompanies on the other side of the world, as well as companies in the same state. With more activities taking place on the Internet, there are more avenues to branch into and become involved in. Spam legislation, copyright laws, and trademark disputes, provide plenty of fodder for potential problems. By gaining knowledge of the industry, I can play the role of a mediator as well as an educator. The Internet is fast-paced and keeps me on my toes, which makes it very exciting!