Katie Staba is a partner at K&L Gates in the Technology Transactions and Data Protection practice group at the firm’s Chicago office. Her practice focuses on complex global transactions and counseling relating to digital media planning and buying, advertising and marketing, claim substantiation, software licensing, She counsels clients on intellectual property issues in mergers, acquisitions and investments, unfair competition and trade secrets and competitive intelligence.
Katie attended Loyola University Chicago School of Law where she served as the Executive Editor of Loyola’s International Law Review. Recently, Katie was named to Crain’s 2020 Notable Women in the Law.
I had the opportunity to learn about Katie, her IP practice, and how she first got interested. The following is an edited version of our discussion that includes my own explanations of some IP lingo for those who may be less familiar.
Continue reading “An International Approach to Intellectual Property: An Interview with Katie Staba”

Did you know that many of the food products you see on the shelf at the grocery store are patented?
Utility patents are granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for useful “inventions” that are new and nonobvious. The owner of a utility patent has the right to exclude others from making, selling, offering to sell, using, or importing the patented invention for a set period of time—usually around 17 years.

Continue reading “Palatable Patents”