February 7, 2012: The United States Patent and Trademark Office granted the request for ex parte reexamination filed by the firm against a design patent being asserted against its client.
Businesses and inventors seek us out because of our experience and success.
We monetize and defend our clients' intellectual property. We obtain rights, negotiate transfers of rights, and go to court to protect patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets against improper use. We also defend attacks against business lines, and provide counsel to support our clients' freedom to use technologies and ideas.
"We were very pleased with the way Flachsbart & Greenspoon handled our voice recognition patent dispute settlement with Intel and Nuance."
— Lloyd Schermer,
Chairman, VoCap Inc.
"We replaced our previous counsel with Michael/Flachsbart & Greenspoon, and are very happy that we did."
— Tony D'Angelo,
President, Cassetica Software Inc.
"We had a complex IP issue which FG solved cost and time effectively."
— David Schreiber,
Chairman, Lightech Electronics
"Through numerous licensing campaigns in various technology areas, Flachsbart & Greenspoon have proven invaluable in closing key strategic deals and representing us in litigation to protect our intellectual property portfolio — they are a firm of the highest integrity and legal acumen."
— CEO, Major Licensing Company
News and Resources
February 1, 2012: Robert Greenspoon has been named to the Illinois Super Lawyers list (Intellectual Property Litigation) as one of the top attorneys in Illinois for 2012. No more than 5 percent of the lawyers in the state are selected by Super Lawyers.
September 19, 2011: Patent Pilot Judges announced for the Northern District of Illinois. The program applies to all cases filed starting Sept. 19, 2011.
July 22, 2011: Federal Judiciary in Chicago gearing up for the recently announced Patent "Pilot" Program.
June 9, 2011: Supreme Court ruling in Microsoft, Inc. v. i4i Limited Partnership, et. al. confirms the clear and convincing standard for the defense of invalidity.
June 4, 2011: Robert Greenspoon and co-author Catherine Cottle published their article, "Don't Assume a Can Opener: Confronting Patent Economic Theory with Licensing Reality," in the Spring/Summer 2011 issue of the Columbia Journal of Law, Science and Technology.
May 31, 2011: Supreme Court ruling in Global-Tech Appliances, Inc. v. SEB S.A. on the level of intent required to find inducement of infringement makes it easier to prevail in an inducement case before a jury.
April 28, 2011: William Flachsbart appeared on the podcast "Three Moves Ahead" to discuss intellectual property aspects of strategy games, and to lend his expertise to understanding a dispute between two game companies with competing offerings.
April 7, 2011: At the DePaul University College of Law Center for Intellectual Property Law & Information Technology, Robert Greenspoon spoke on a two-person panel about the upcoming Supreme Court argument in Microsoft v. i4i. The Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago co-sponsored the event.
March 23, 2011: At the Chicago-Kent Intellectual Property Law Society, Robert Greenspoon spoke on the differences in patent licensing and enforcement for different types of actors in the patent market. The Chicago-Kent Law & Economics Society co-sponsored the event.
March 17, 2011: The firm filed the Brief of Amici Curiae Seven Retired Naval Officers in Support of Respondents, in Microsoft Corp. v. i4i Limited Partnership (S. Ct.) (Case No. 10-290), a Supreme Court case involving the standard of proof needed to invalidate a patent.
February 10, 2011: In Lear Corp. v. Johnson Controls, Inc., the firm and co-counsel won a jury verdict for patentee Lear Corporation, after proving indirect infringement (inducement) of dependent claims under the doctrine of equivalents, where the jury awarded substantial damages for the firm's client.
January 28, 2011: Through petition practice, the firm won dismissal of an inter partes reexamination proceeding filed against our client to cancel one of their major revenue-generating patents.