sandra l. etherton, esq.

sandra etherton is a registered patent attorney and the principal of etherton law group, llc. she has extensive experience in u.s. and foreign patent prosecution in medical devices, biotechnology, renewable energy processes and equipment, agricultural equipment, software and internet technologies, and business methods. she regularly advises corporate management on intellectual property aspects of complex business transactions, including patent and technology licenses, technology asset purchases, and mergers and acquisitions.

sandra has a broad range of legal and business experience as in-house and outside counsel for high-technology companies. prior to law school, sandra was an engineer in the semiconductor industry. early in her career she worked for the u.s. senate judiciary committee, subcommittee on patents, copyrights and trademarks.

sandra is the author of let's talk patents, a patent law primer for busy corporate managers and entrepreneurs, and is guest faculty for the asu college of business and thunderbird school of international management entrepreneurship courses. she is a frequent speaker on entrepreneurship and intellectual property matters and was a long-time committee member for the governor's strategic partnership for economic development (arizona), high technology industry cluster innovator of the year award.

selected legal achievements

• prepared and prosecuted over 300 u.s. patent applications and 400 u.s. trademark applications, plus foreign counterparts in over 70 countries. impact: intimate understanding of u.s. and foreign prosecution strategy and tactics used to expand, protect and exploit clients' ip while blocking competitors.
  
  
• developed cost-effective global ip strategy for medical device company. impact: recommendation of small set of certain countries for patent protection and large set of countries for trademark protection gave maximum protection with minimum cost, while simultaneously focusing sales and marketing.
  
  
• regularly enforced patents, trademarks, copyrights, and domain names by persuading infringers to cease and desist without resort to litigation. impact: protected market share, brand recognition, and revenue without litigation expense.
  
  
• helped negotiate million-dollar biofuels non-exclusive technology license. impact: secured funding for small company from visionary energy technologist before any patents issued, ensuring continued technology development and bolstering client's reputation in its industry.
  
  
• prepared and implemented employee intellectual property agreements and handbooks. impact: secured employers' ip rights at outset of employment relationship.
  

selected presentations

• patent issues facing new and middle market companies 2008
  cle seminar for business attorneys for identifying ip issues peculiar to emerging businesses.
  
  
• patent issues for start-up and emerging companies 2007
  cle seminar for over 200 attorneys at state bar of arizona annual convention.
  
  
• global intellectual property for entrepreneurs 2005, 2006
  guest lecturer at thunderbird - the garvin school of international management speaking to international graduate students.
  
  
• ip basics seminar 2002
  cle seminar for over 100 attorneys (live and telecast) for state bar of arizona.
  
  
• intellectual property basics 2001
  invited speaker for national contract managers association meeting, tempe, az.
  
  
• licensing for the general business attorney 1999
  cle seminar for over 100 attorneys at state bar of arizona annual convention.
  

education
j.d., arizona state university (honors in writing)
b.a., chemistry, university of colorado (boulder)

admitted to practice law in
united states patent and trademark office
arizona
colorado

benjamin d. tietgen, esq.

benjamin tietgen is a registered patent attorney whose primary practice focuses on the preparation of patent applications covering inventions in a variety of industrial and technological fields.

ben holds a bachelor of science degree in computer science from the university of missouri and a law degree from the sandra day o'connor college of law at arizona state university. while attending law school, ben earned a specialization certificate in intellectual property and cali awards for course performance in community property and patent preparation and prosecution. he was also named a pedrick scholar and was elected president of the intellectual property students association. prior to attending law school, ben started his own software consulting firm, tietgen technology services. ben is licensed to practice in the united states patent and trademark office and arizona.

annmarie w. whitley, esq.

annmarie whitley is a registered patent attorney whose primary practice includes the preparation of patent applications for mechanical, manufacturing, and medical device technologies.

annmarie holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from northwestern university and a law degree from the university of michigan. while attending law school, annmarie served as articles editor for michigan journal of international law. she has also attended the internationally known intellectual property summer institute at franklin pierce law center. prior to law school she worked for general motors in its current product engineering group. after graduating from law school, annmarie practiced law in new york city and silicon valley with the patent boutique firms fish & neave and arnold, white & durkee. annmarie is licensed to practice in the united states patent and trademark office, arizona, new york, and california.