Lisa Shuchman

January 24, 2005 | Law.com

When director Francis Ford Coppola filmed the memorable surfing scene in "Apocalypse Now," he slapped the Yater name and logo on a surfboard, neglecting to obtain permission from the well-known, family-run surfboard maker. Rather than suing Coppola, Greenberg Traurig third-year associate Ben Katz had another idea: Why not get Coppola to give Yater permission to make a limited edition board that looks like the one in the film? Yater readily agreed. But convincing Coppola wasn't easy.

By Lisa Shuchman

4 minute read

October 17, 2002 | Law.com

An overachiever in and out of the courtroom, Matthew Powers has won complicated patent infringement suits for clients such as Cisco Systems and Intel. A partner in Weil, Gotshal & Manges' Silicon Valley office, Powers' winning strategy includes preparing for all contingencies and understanding his opponents and their motivations.

By Lisa Shuchman

4 minute read

August 14, 2008 | Law.com

For more than a decade, IP specialty firms were said to be dinosaurs destined to die out in a changing climate. Despite years of such news, however, many IP boutiques still thrive. Large IP specialty firms have more than held their own, even in high-stakes patent litigation. Many smaller IP boutiques are growing, helped by increasingly cost-conscious clients. And there is little sign of total destruction.

By Lisa Shuchman

11 minute read

December 01, 2007 | Corporate Counsel

Clerking for a judge on the Federal Circuit gives patent lawyers entr?e to a lifelong network. Those powerful connections boost business, secure lateral hires, and help scope out opposing counsel.

By Lisa Shuchman

11 minute read

December 01, 2008 | Corporate Counsel

Gertrude Rothschild thinks women scientists deserve respect--and royalties.

By Lisa Shuchman

6 minute read

August 21, 2008 | Law.com

When patent litigator John Gallagher left his IP boutique for a general practice firm he predicted "few if any IP boutiques [will be] around" in the future. Similar predictions have been made for more than a decade: IP specialty firms faced extinction like dinosaurs destined to die out in a changing climate. Yet many IP boutiques thrive. Large IP specialty firms more than hold their own, even in high-stakes litigation. And small IP boutiques are growing, helped by increasingly cost-conscious clients.

By Lisa Shuchman

12 minute read

May 23, 2005 | Law.com

Sandel Avionics was flying high when it developed a warning system that lets airplane pilots know if they are flying toward terrain they may not see. Unfortunately, there was no device that allowed Sandel to see patent litigation on the horizon. Just two weeks after the company announced that the FAA had certified its product, Sandel was sued by Honeywell International. But thanks to some clever -- and frugal -- lawyering on Fish & Richardson's part, the company beat Honeywell twice in court.

By Lisa Shuchman

7 minute read

June 01, 2004 | Law.com

T has to be the greatest licensing story ever told. In 1980 IBM Corporation needed an operating system to launch a line of personal computers, and its executives thought Microsoft Corporation had built one. Wrong. Twenty-five-year-old Bill Gates and company didn't have what IBM sought, but they wanted to please IBM. So, in a fit of business genius, they figured out a way to make IBM happy and themselves wealthy. For $50,000, Microsoft bought the complete rights to a rudimentary operating system called QDOS

By Lisa Shuchman

7 minute read

July 21, 2006 | Law.com

It took a mere 24 years to prosecute a patent for a UC invention aimed at increasing milk production in cows.

By Lisa Shuchman

4 minute read

October 30, 2007 | Law.com

Law firms, under pressure from clients to improve their diversity, are working harder to attract minority lawyers but often fail to keep recruits for more than a few years. "There is often a bias, unconscious or conscious, on the part of partners and senior associates that keeps minority associates from the good assignments. So these minorities ... leave the firm," says Edwards Angell Chief Diversity Officer Paulette Brown, who has some ideas on what firms can do to retain minority attorneys.

By Lisa Shuchman

9 minute read