Patent Derivation, Inventorship Disputes and Trade Secret Misappropriation: Protecting Proprietary Research
Recording of a 90-minute premium CLE webinar with Q&A
This CLE course will guide patent counsel on the intersection of patent derivation proceedings, trade secrets, and breach of contract. The panel will address the legal strategy and risks associated with enforcement efforts, as well as how to mitigate risks associated with employees and research partners misusing valuable and confidential research and development knowledge.
Outline
- Derivation proceedings, trade secrets, contracts
- Protecting ongoing research
- Departing employees
- Sharing proprietary research with third parties
Benefits
The panel will review these and other key issues:
- What are the risks of instituting derivation proceedings?
- What is the interplay among derivation proceedings, inventorship disputes, trade secret misappropriation, and breach of contract?
- What steps should companies and counsel take to minimize the risk of losing proprietary research?
Faculty

Peter M. Brody
Partner
Ropes & Gray
Mr. Brody has been successfully litigating intellectual property cases and other complex disputes in federal and state... | Read More
Mr. Brody has been successfully litigating intellectual property cases and other complex disputes in federal and state courts across the United States for over 30 years. He has litigated every type of IP case –patent, copyright, trade secret, trademark, and false advertising - as well as a wide range of constitutional, administrative, and contract disputes. He has served as lead counsel in numerous domestic and international arbitrations, as well as hearings and proceedings before federal and state administrative agencies.
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Scott A. McKeown
Partner
Ropes & Gray
Mr. McKeown is a partner in Ropes & Gray’s intellectual property litigation practice and chair of the... | Read More
Mr. McKeown is a partner in Ropes & Gray’s intellectual property litigation practice and chair of the firm’s Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) group. He focuses his practice on post-grant patent counseling and litigation matters at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and related appeals to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Mr. McKeown is also a Professorial Lecturer in Law at the George Washington University Law School where he lectures and writes extensively on PTAB proceedings. He is also the editor of the widely read legal blog PatentsPostGrant.com.
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Filko Prugo, M.S., J.D.
Partner
Ropes & Gray
Mr. Prugo is a first-chair litigator and USPTO-registered patent attorney. He has been extensively involved in all... | Read More
Mr. Prugo is a first-chair litigator and USPTO-registered patent attorney. He has been extensively involved in all aspects of contested patent matters. He has argued before the PTAB in IPR trial proceedings, tried federal district court Hatch-Waxman cases, and argued before the Federal Circuit. His experience spans a broad range of technologies including pharmaceuticals and biologics for the treatment of cancer, immunological disorders and cardiovascular disease, as well as drug delivery systems and research tools.
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