Overview
Ryan assists clients in a wide variety of intellectual property matters, including advising on patent and trademark issues related to acquisition, enforcement, and licensing. Ryan files and prosecutes patent applications for a broad range of technologies. He also has significant experience in drafting legal agreements related to intellectual property, including license agreements, confidentiality agreements, and material transfer agreements. Ryan has participated in legal proceedings both enforcing patents and defending against charges of patent infringement, as well as participating in post-grant review proceedings. He also counsels clients regarding issues of patentability, patent validity, and non-infringement. His time spent working in-house at the University of Nevada, Reno, helps Ryan develop client-centric solutions.
Ryan’s practice embraces many technical areas. Both in private practice and in-house roles, he has helped universities and research institutions patent inventions in diverse fields such as chemistry, biotechnology, chemical engineering, material science, computer-related technologies, and mechanical devices. Ryan has assisted companies of all sizes, as well as individual inventors, with a variety of technologies, including power distribution units, gaming devices, and video surveillance. He is passionate about learning new technologies, and is currently taking coursework in computer science and engineering, and previously completed a technical diploma for the Intensive Brewing Science & Engineering Program offered by the American Brewers Guild.
Ryan worked at Klarquist as an associate from 2004 to 2008, and rejoined the firm in 2015.
Professional Experience
University of Nevada, Reno
Reno, Nevada
Director and Patent Counsel for the Technology Transfer Office of the UNR and Desert Research Institute, 2008 – 2015
Klarquist Sparkman
Portland, Oregon
Associate, 2004 – 2008
Nath & Associates
Reno, Nevada
Associate, 2004
Ian F. Burns & Associates
Reno, Nevada
Associate, 2002 – 2004
Howrey Simon Arnold & White
Houston, Texas
Associate, 2001 – 2002
ExxonMobil Chemical
Baytown, Texas
Summer Associate, 2000
Professional Activities
- Member, Investment Advisory Committee, Battle Born Venture Program
- Member, American Brewers Guild
Presentations & Publications
- “The Spin(out) Cycle: A Short History of Express Licensing for Spinout Companies at the University of Nevada, Reno, and the Desert Research Institute” AUTM Western Regional Meeting, October 2, 2014
- “Successful Patent Prosecution After KSR, the Only Thing that Isn’t Now Obvious?” Dunes CLE, Las Vegas, Nevada, May 2009
- “Short Circuit: Is Federal Circuit Inequitable Conduct Law Panel-Specific?” Dunes CLE, Las Vegas, Nevada, October 2008
- “Be Prepared for the Perfect Storm – Litigating Software Patents,” Dunes CLE, Las Vegas, Nevada, March 2007
- “The Use of Functional Claim Language,” Dunes CLE, Las Vegas, Nevada, April 2006
- Lecturer, “Intellectual Property for Entrepreneurs” and “Business Management of Intellectual Property,” MBA Program, University of Nevada, Reno, 2006-2008
- Catalano, V. J.; Heck, R. A.; Öhman, A.; Hill, M.G. “Synthesis, Characterization, and Electrocatalytic Oxidation of Benzyl Alcohol by a Pair of Geometric Isomers of [Ru(trpy)(4,4’-Me2dppi)(OH2)]2+ where 4,4’-dppi is 3, 6-di-(4-methylpyrid-2-yl)pyridazine.” Polyhedron, 2000, 19(9), 1049-1055
- Catalano, V. J.; Kurtaran, R.; Heck, R. A.; Ohman, A.; Hill, M.G. “[Ru(bdmpp)(diimine)Cl]+ Complexes as Structural Analogs of [Ru(trpy)(diimine)Cl]+” Inorganica Chimica Acta, 286, 1999, 181-188
- Catalano, V. J.; Heck, R. A.; Immoos, C. E.; Ohman, A.; Hill, M.G. “Steric Modulation of Electrocatalytic Benzyl Alcohol Oxidation by [Ru(trpy)(R2dppi)(O)]2+ Complexes.” Inorg. Chem. 1998, 37, 2150-2157
