Background:

Brooke W. Quist is Of Counsel in the Century City office of Steptoe & Johnson LLP, where he is a member of the Intellectual Property group.

Mr. Quist concentrates his practice in the areas of domestic and foreign intellectual property, including patent preparation and prosecution, litigation, preparation of patent invalidity and non-infringement opinions, client counseling, strategic portfolio development, due diligence investigations, and licensing, as well as other transactional intellectual property matters. In this regard, Mr. Quist counsels clients in various aspects of patent law, trademark law, copyright law, and related intellectual property matters.

Mr. Quist has substantial patent experience in the fields of:

• computer systems, including hardware components

• software applications

• computer networks

• operating systems

• peripheral devices

• user interfaces

• embedded systems

• data management systems

• e-commerce/Internet related technology

• encryption

• authentication

• identification

• data security systems

• information technology applications

• telecommunications technology, including satellite systems; film processing and post-processing technology; multimedia collaboration and distribution systems

• casino gaming technology

• mechanical devices, including sporting equipment and medical instruments material processing and structures, including semi-conductors, composites, and metallic materials

• business methods.

Abstract:

This presentation addresses various elements involved in the acquisition, management, and enforcement of Patents and other Intellectual Property. These elements include the strategic value of contractual tools, such as non-disclosure agreements, confidentiality agreements, licenses, employment agreements, and the like, which are used to protect intellectual property and its development.

Also discussed, will be several approaches that may be implemented to assist in the determination of whether or not a patent application or other form of intellectual property should be sought for a particular concept, product, or technology. Such decisions regarding acquisition, management, and enforcement should be evaluated from technical, commercial, and legal perspectives in order to produce meaningful conclusions.