Patrick C. Woolley

As chair of Polsinelli’s Intellectual Property Department, Patrick C. Woolley has helped to grow the firm's practice from its inception to one of the largest IP practices in the nation, with a deep bench of attorneys, patent agents, and scientists. In his practice, Pat has worked in a variety of areas including patents, trademarks, copyright, licensing, litigation, trade secret litigation and business advice and guidance. His practice has included both domestic and foreign issues, with Pat having done significant work in Australia, Canada, Europe and Japan. Pat has worked with startup companies, federal agencies, individual inventors and university/research institutions. In particular, Pat has managed the entire intellectual property portfolio for a Fortune 500 company, as well as for a major research institution. His duties have included patent and trademark preparation and prosecution, patentability secrets, freedom to operate opinions, licensing and asset management, product design around and development, business guidance for new products, and development of a portfolio to promote VC investment or sale of assets.

Pat has issued numerous opinions on patentability, non-infringement, and validity related to food products and processes, insecticides, Aids drugs, opiates, stem cells, carrier drugs, asthma compositions and a range of chemical, biotech, and mechanical inventions. He spends significant time on opinion work and counseling executives and boards. 

Overall areas of experience include biotechnology and life sciences, medical devices and products, software, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering and process development, and food chemistry and processing.

Pat’s experience benefits a variety of clients ranging from a world class molecular and cell biology research center to newly established, entrepreneurial technology companies and extends to chemical, food, mechanical and software inventions. 

As part of his broad proficiencies, Pat has applied his intellectual property skills to genetically modified organisms, genes, proteins, biochemical pathways, bioinformatics, iron oxide compositions, sulfur removal processes, fungicides and fertilizers, organic resins for forming coatings, bioremediation, and various food processes and products.

In addition to his patent work, Pat also provides counsel in strategic planning, unfair competition, the preparation and prosecution of trademark applications, copyright applications, technology agreements and licenses, confidentiality agreements, advises senior management and boards, works on design around and new product development, and other related issues.

• Represented a generic pharmaceutical company in drafting invalidity opinions designed to precipitate a Hatch-Waxman proceeding.
• Developed an international patent portfolio for a medical device company whereby patentability was assessed followed by preparation of detailed patent applications designed to protect the client’s device.
• Helped a company bring new insecticide to market by issuing freedom to operate opinions, drafting patent applications based on new compositions in use of pesticides, clearance of trademarks so the packaging was relieved of any issues, and close work with executives at the company to ensure both entry into the marketplace, as well as protection of intellectual property.
• Assisted client in drafting intellectual property section for an initial public offering.
• Developed a plan to file patent applications on software and devices to protect a company’s new development related to an infant respiratory device.
• Developed a plan for protecting new chemical entities developed by client in the coating industry. The plan included reviewing prior art to ensure clearance and drafting patent applications that distinguished from existing similar compositions.
• Managed a portfolio of 800 domestic and international patents and applications.
• Analyzed patents and technology as part of a multimillion dollar acquisition.
• Drafted patent applications and analyzed freedom to operate for a refracting crystal.
• Drafted applications for a portfolio of water treatment and toxic gas cleaning systems.
• Drafted a portfolio of applications directed to a mental health diagnostic, which utilized combinations of SNPs and support vector machines to determine outcome.
• Advised a start-up medical institute on how to implement a patent program and drafted applications on early stage technologies.
• Argued cases before the Patent Board of Appeals.
• Developed a trademark portfolio for a consumer product and cleared marks in advance of use.