Emerging Ethical Issues Confronting IP Lawyers

Kirby Lee is assistant chief IP counsel at Ecolab, a global leader in water, hygiene, and energy technologies and services. Kirby previously worked at the Department of Justice and the White House, representing the U.S. government in intellectual property litigation and serving as a senior policy advisor to the IP Enforcement Coordinator. He also served as a clerk to the Hon. Alan Lourie of the Federal Circuit. Kirby is co-chair of the IPO litigation committee.

Sanjay Murthy is a nationally recognized trial attorney who has been involved in more than 15 trials. He has deep experience representing leading life science and technology companies in federal district courts, before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, and in Section 337 investigations in the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC). In addition to an active litigation practice, he manages patent portfolios for several leading pharmaceutical and medical device companies. He also leverages his trial experience to assist his clients with freedom-to-operate matters, due diligence investigations, patent portfolio audits, and licensing and collaboration transactions.

Ben Searle is a director of intellectual property at HP Inc. and supports HP’s printing, microfluidics, and incubation businesses.  In this role, Ben leads a worldwide team of IP professionals responsible for managing HP’s patent portfolio and advising on a wide range of IP issues including patent rights, trade secrets, funding agreements, joint development agreements, and license agreements.  Prior to joining HP, Ben spent several years in private practice where he primarily focused on patent preparation, prosecution, and litigation.  Ben is active in the IP community and currently serves as the Co-Chair of the IPO United States Patent Office Practice Committee.