George A. “Tripp” Willinghan, III

George A. “Tripp” Willinghan, III, who is an Associate with the firm, is a Registered U.S. Patent Attorney (Reg. No. 41, 377) licensed in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. He has over 13 years of patent prosecution, licensing and litigation experience and has prepared and participated in the prosecution of hundreds of patent applications.

 

Tripp provides corporate and individual clients with legal services in all aspects of intellectual property law including U.S. and international patent prosecution, counseling, licensing, intellectual property audits, patent litigation, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets. Tripp has extensive experience analyzing the intellectual property of clients and developing strategies to protect this intellectual property through the use of patents, trademarks, trade secrets and copyrights. This assistance includes evaluating clients’ products to determine subject matter suitable for protection, including both functional and aesthetic protection. He also conducts extensive searches of third party products, literature and patents and authors opinions regarding the patentability of his clients’ intellectual property.

 

Relying on his extensive experience, Tripp prepares applications before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and obtains valuable U.S. patents for his clients. He also pursues and obtains international patents for his clients.

 

Tripp’s technical experience includes computer software and engineering, electronic systems and components, chemical arts including polymers and water treatment chemicals, environmental technologies, environmental microbiology, water and wastewater treatment, hazardous waste, membrane systems, physics including optics, laser and plasma technology, mechanical art, engine technologies, consumer products including office products, biotechnology related subject matter including alternative fuel production technologies and business methods.

 

He helps his clients leverage their intellectual property through developing and implementing licensing strategies covering his clients’ intellectual property. In addition, he analyzes third party products and processes and authors legal opinions regarding the infringement of his clients’ intellectual property by these products and processes. Once infringement is determined, he enforces the rights of his clients in U.S. Federal Courts and before the International Trade Commission. Tripp also protects and defends his clients against claims of infringement of third party patent rights by evaluating his clients’ products and processes for possible infringement issues and authoring legal clearance opinions covering these products and processes.

 

Education

Juris Doctor, Georgetown University Law Center, 1997

M.E. (Environmental Engineering), The Johns Hopkins University, 1994

B.S. (Physics/Computer Science), Hampden-Sydney College, 1987

 

Bar Admissions

United States Patent Office

Virginia State Bar United States Patent and Trademark Office (Reg. No. 41,377)

Virginia State Bar

Maryland State Bar

District of Columbia

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia