Jack Hicks To Speak At AIPLA

GREENSBORO, N.C.—Womble Carlyle patent attorney Jack Hicks will speak at the nation’s largest gathering of intellectual property attorneys.

Hicks is among the presenters at the 2010 American Intellectual Property Law Association Annual Meeting, taking place Oct. 21-23 in Washington, D.C. He will address international patent issues as part of a panel on design law. Design protection for many industries, from aerospace to furniture, is becoming increasingly important as consumers and customers have a heightened value for aesthetics as they impact product acceptance.

Joining Hicks will be Pedro Rodinger and Etienne Sanz de Acedo of the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market in Alicante, Spain. Hicks spent the summer working with patent attorneys at the European Union’s headquarters of Community Design protection in Alicante. This assignment involved studying how Europe protects original designs for all types of industries, and Hicks, Rodinger and Sanz de Acedo will discuss these issues with U.S. patent attorneys at the AIPLA meeting.

In addition, Hicks spent part of his summer at the European Patent Office in Munich, Germany. During this time, he prepared a module entitled “Tips for U.S. Patent Practitioners in Europe,” which will be published later this year.

Jack Hicks has more than 20 years of experience guiding home furnishing and design companies through all stages of the intellectual property process. He has written and prosecuted patents, trademarks and copyrights on literally hundreds of furniture-related designs. He is a frequent author and speaker on patent issues. Hicks practices in Womble Carlyle’s Greensboro office.