Attorney Profile

William F. Vobach, Partner

bvobach@sbiplaw.com

EXPERTISE

Bill’s practice focuses on counseling clients in the electronics, software, business method, and medical device areas. He has been helping clients in patent, trademark, trade secret, and copyright matters since 1994. Bill enjoys advising clients of all sizes from Fortune 500 companies to individual inventors in a manner that fulfills their business goals.

In addition to procuring patents and developing patent portfolios for clients, Bill’s patent work frequently involves the preparation of non-infringement and invalidity opinions for clients. He performs due diligence investigations and has extensive experience in evaluating patent portfolios and performing in-depth clearance opinions.

Prior to attending law school, Bill worked as an electrical engineer.

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

Colorado Bar Association, American Intellectual Property Law Association, Colorado Software and Internet Association, Silicon Flatirons, CTEK, The Eighth Continent Project, and IEEE.

EDUCATION

University of Denver, J.D., 1994
Board of Editors, DU Law Review
Washington University in St. Louis, B.S.E.E., 1988
Oberlin College, Bachelor of Arts, 1987

BAR ADMISSIONS/ AWARDS

Supreme Court, State of Colorado
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
US Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
40 Under 40 Award, 2002, Denver Business Journal

PERSONAL

Bill enjoys hiking the Colorado Rockies as well as the other outdoor activities that living in Colorado provides. He is a frequent author on intellectual property issues and writes a legal blog at www.717madisonplace.com.

PUBLICATIONS

“An Update on the Law of Inequitable Conduct in Patent Prosecution,” 39 The Colorado Lawyer 39 (January 2010).

“Book Review of Drafting Patents for Litigation and Licensing,” 38 The Colorado Lawyer 76 (December 2009).

“Patent Law” chapter in The Practitioner’s Guide to Colorado Business Organizations, Colorado Bar Association, 2006-2010.

“Supreme Court Scales Back Patent Protection,” Association of Corporate Counsel Newsletter, July 2007.

“Patent Protection for Financial Inventions, Not Just a Fish Tale,” Denver Business Journal, March 25, 2005.

“Computer-Related Patent Applications Boom,” Denver Business Journal, August 2000.

“Internet Spawns Patent Opportunities,” Denver Business Journal, 1999.

“Keeping Proper Lab Notebooks,” IEEE Newsletter, January 1999.

“Resolving the Best Mode Disclosure Ambiguity in Continuation Applications,” DU Patent Letter, Summer 1994.

Editor of Symposium Issue “Software Issues in Computer Law,” DU Law Review, 1994.

SPEAKING EVENTS

Panelist, “Evaluating Software Patents,” Silicon Flatirons Conference, University of Colorado School of Law, Boulder, CO, March 2009.

Roundtable member, “Patents, Standards, and Innovation: How Should Standard Setting Bodies View Patent Rights?,” Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Public Policy Roundtable Series, University of Colorado School of Law, March 2009.

Panelist, “Protecting Your Intellectual Assets,” Colorado Software and Internet Association, DemoGala, Denver, Colorado, October 2007.

Panelist, “Effective IP Protection Strategies,” Association of Corporate Counsel Colorado Chapter, University of Colorado School of Law, August 2007.

Roundtable member, “Rethinking Software Patents,” Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Public Policy Roundtable Series, University of Colorado School of Law, April 2007.

Panelist, “Re-examining the Patent System” Silicon Flatirons Conference, University of Colorado School of Law, Boulder, CO, April 2006.
Moderator, “IP Development/Freedom to Operate Investigations for Start-ups,” BioWest 2005 Conference, Denver, CO, Nov. 2005.