Brooks Pierce Partner Shares Insight on Patent Legislation at NC Bar Association Event

Brooks Pierce partner Darrell Fruth served on a panel discussing North Carolina’s patent troll legislation at the North Carolina Bar Association’s 2015 Intellectual Property Law Section CLE Symposium and Annual Meeting. The event took place March 20 at the NC Bar Center in Cary.

Along with panelists from Red Hat, SAS Inc. and the North Carolina General Assembly, Fruth shared expert insight on the state’s innovative patent troll reform bill, which was enacted last summer. Fruth discussed the implications of this bill and how it is likely to affect companies in North Carolina. He also spoke about this topic, as well as steps that companies should consider when responding to lawsuits brought by patent assertion entities, commonly known as patent trolls, at the University of North Carolina’s Festival of Legal Learning in February.

The Intellectual Property Law Section CLE Symposium and Annual Meeting provides intellectual property practitioners with current updates on important court cases in patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, false advertising, and rights of publicity, as well as recent federal and state legislation related to obtaining and protecting intellectual property rights. The day-long event also offers practical guidance and advice for attorneys facing the challenge of advising clients on often rapidly changing intellectual property law.

A patent attorney in the firm’s Raleigh office, Fruth helps clients navigate issues with law and technology. He regularly asserts and defends intellectual property claims, and has closely followed developments with the state’s patent troll legislation. Having previously worked as an environmental engineer, Fruth also solves complex environmental issues related to emerging technologies.