OED discipline

Patent Attorney Disbarred For Attempting To Extort Fees From Former Law Firm

Leave a Comment / IP Ethics, Patent Attorney Disciplinary Matters, Reciprocal Discipline, USPTO Director Decisions / By

On December 31, 2014, the USPTO Director issued an Order of Reciprocal Discipline excluding a Bellevue, Washington patent attorney from practicing before the Office. Former patent attorney Jeffrey T. Haley’s exclusion followed his voluntary resignation from the State Bar of Washington, where he had been charged with attempted extortion from his former law firm. The Compensation […]

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After Confessing To Ethics Violation, Patent Attorney Disbarred For Commingling And Converting Client Funds

Leave a Comment / Client Funds, Communications, PTO Ethics Decisions / By

“If you tell the truth you don’t have to remember anything.” – Mark Twain Give patent attorney Stephen Robinson at least a little credit – he was honest about being dishonest. The fact he self-reported his ethical violations to the Kansas Bar was not enough to save his state law license.  In re Stephen R. Robinson, No. 107,311 (Kan. Sup. Ct.). Nor

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Former Siemens Patent Attorney Indicted In $2.4 Million Fraudulent Billing Scheme

Leave a Comment / Client Funds, Patent Criminal / By

“The point is, ladies and gentleman, that greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right, greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit.” — Gorden Gekko, Wall Street. Maybe “greed works” for some.  For Alexander James Burke, however, greed may end up being his downfall. On October 16, 2014, Burke,

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Courts Sanction Patent Counsel for Litigation Misconduct–Will USPTO Discipline Be Next?

Leave a Comment / IP Litigation Sanctions, Misrepresentations, Patent Litigation Ethics / By

What happens in patent litigation does not necessarily stay in litigation.  This is especially true if a court sanctions counsel for litigation misconduct.  News about such conduct travels quickly. Inevitably, it catches the attention of a different, and potentially more dangerous, audience–the Office of Enrollment and Discipline (OED).  Depending on the nature and severity of the litigation misconduct, an OED ethics investigation followed by formal charges alleging litigation counsel violated the USPTO’s Rules of

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