Patents & Trade Secrets 201: Integrating Trade Secrets & Patents into Startups

This course lays out how each area of IP is integral to a business plan and how each area of IP is involved as a business grows

Presenters:

J.D. Houvener

Who Should Attend:

Business owners and entrepreneurs with a good understanding of Intellectual Property law (IP101 equivalent)

What Attendees Will Learn:

They will learn how to plan for creation, protection, enforcement or monetization of IP regardless of where they are at in their business lifecycle

About J.D. Houvener – Attorney & Founder, Bold Patents

J.D. Houvener is a Registered USPTO Patent Attorney who has a strong interest in helping entrepreneurs and businesses thrive. J.D. leverages his technical background in engineering and experience in the aerospace industry to provide businesses a unique perspective to their patent needs. J.D. works with clients that are serious about investing in their intellectual assets and provides counsel on how to capitalize their patent in the market.

His background in business and experience as an engineer and patent attorney empowers him to clearly communicate to a broad range of clients about their immediate and long-term needs for patenting in order to protect assets, leverage opportunities, and limit liabilities. Some key areas of the patent prosecution practice are: patentability searches, patent applications, office actions, infringement opinions, post-grant actions and consultation on patent strategy and portfolio management.

J.D.’s passion for business and technology started well before he began his legal career. J.D. worked as an engineer at Boeing for nearly 10 years. J.D. spent his time at Boeing in payloads design, regulatory compliance, systems integration and project management on the new 787 airplane. J.D. brings this experience earned at the cutting edge of technology to his clients by recognizing the complexities and subtleties of the problems being solved today.

Academically, J.D. has earned a law degree and an MBA from Seattle University. J.D. earned his law degree in the evening program, while working full-time at Boeing. He focused his coursework on intellectual property law and clinic courses where he applied his newfound knowledge to help small businesses. Even so, J.D. found time to take a leadership role as the secretary for the Intellectual Property Law Society at the University and to study for and pass the Patent Bar while in law school. Prior to starting his legal education, J.D. earned his B.S. in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the University of Washington and then an MBA from the Albers School of Business at Seattle University where he focused on entrepreneurship and lean operations management.

J.D. is a member of the King County Bar Association and the Washington State Bar Association, where he is an active member in the Intellectual Property Law sections. J.D. is also a licensed professional engineer through the state of WA in industrial engineering. Outside the office, J.D. offers pro-bono legal services to the Washington CASH organization in South Seattle, who helps those with little to no means with their business startup ideas. J.D. is admitted to practice in Washington State, and U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. J.D. is also registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

From the small mill-town of Camas, Washington, J.D. hasn’t always lived in the big city. He enjoys spending time with his family and friends, traveling, running, and playing his favorite sports flag football and basketball.