Warning to all patent and trademark practitioners—allowing a non-practitioner to “ghost sign” your name on papers filed with the USPTO can be hazardous to your law license. So learned the named partner of a large IP boutique firm who routinely allowed a non-attorney assistant to sign his name on documents filed with the Office. In […]
“Super Lawyer” Resigns From USPTO Bar Following Ethics Complaint Read More »
On August 19, 2014, USPTO Deputy Director Michelle Lee temporarily suspended a 44-year old patent attorney after his conviction for soliciting sex online with an undercover officer posing as a 14-year old girl. Attorney Robert M. Bohanek’s license will remain suspended until completion of disciplinary proceedings. In re Bohanek, No. D2014-30. According to the Texas Attorney
USPTO Suspends Patent Attorney Convicted Of Soliciting Sex With Minor Read More »
The USPTO suspended a patent attorney for six months from practicing before the Office following the attorney’s six-month suspension from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts bar. See In re Ramos, No. D2014-09. Timothy A. Ramos’ legal troubles began in 2009 as a result of his work for the Ramos Law Group, Inc., in Ohio. During an
USPTO Suspends Patent Attorney After State Discipline For UPL And Drug Conviction Read More »
The USPTO recently settled a disciplinary action filed against an IP attorney by suspending him from practice before the Office for five (5) months for failing to communicate and allowing his clients’ trademark applications to become abandoned without their knowledge or consent. In re Shaffer, No. D2014-18. This disciplinary matter arose from an attorney’s representation of two
Former Client Publicly Blasts Attorney Suspended by USPTO for Failure to Communicate Read More »
The USPTO settled a disciplinary action filed against a non-patent attorney who billed a client thousands of dollars, at a rate of $1,000 per hour, to prepare a patent application and then, without his client’s knowledge or consent, outsourced the legal work to an unaffiliated patent attorney for a fraction of the fee paid by the client. In re Lehat, No.
USPTO Disciplines Attorney For Billing $1,000 Hourly “Relationship Fee” Read More »
The USPTO Deputy Director has accepted the resignation of a suspended practitioner who was caught prosecuting trademark matters while his USPTO bar license was suspended. The action means the attorney, Leonard Tachner, is excluded from practice before the Office in patent, trademark, and other non-patent matters. In re Tachner, No. D2014-22. The saga of Mr. Tachner’s ethical troubles began ten years ago. At
USPTO Excludes Attorney For Practicing Trademark Law With Suspended License Read More »
Only attorney Richard Chae knows what, exactly, he was thinking in the early morning hours of February 25, 2010, after police stopped him on suspicion of drunk driving. According to news reports, Mr. Chae had just left the poker room at the “Lucky Chances” casino when he was pulled over at 2:40 AM. Mr. Chae, who
Luck Ends For Patent Attorney Who Tried To Bribe Way Out Of Arrest Read More »
Administrative Law Judge Alexander Fernández issued an initial decision excluding a patent attorney from practice before the USPTO because the attorney accepted fees from a client to prepare a patent application, failed to provide any legal services, and failed to return any of the client’s fee even after the client was awarded a money judgment against the
