News
WINSTON-SALEM, NC—The Venture Café offers weekly high-impact programming for innovators and entrepreneurs in the North Carolina Piedmont, and Womble Bond Dickinson is proud to be a Thought Leader sponsor of Venture Café.
On July 25, Womble Bond Dickinson attorneys presented two panel discussions at the Thursday Gathering:
“It’s All in Your Head: How to Protect Your Million-Dollar Idea” – Moderated by Jack Hicks with Scott Breining, Ana Friedman and Tiffani Otey.
World History for 200, please! The first patent was issued in this glorious city in the 15th Century. Attendees added to their Jeopardy Trivia skills as the Womble Bond Dickinson team shared the types of intellectual property a patent covers and what cannot be covered. They also discussed why entrepreneurs need to protect their “brand” using a few real-world successes and failures.
“How to Catch a Copycat – and How to Avoid Being One” – Moderated by Kurt Stakeman with John Pueschel, Tom Wilmoth and JD Wooten.
Cease and desist letters are a great tool, if you’re the sender. This session looked at enforcement of intellectual property rights, including the steps innovators need to take if they find someone has stolen or is knocking off their creative ideas (hint – it may involve a cease and desist demand), and how to avoid having someone else send a cease and desist demand. The Womble Bond Dickinson team focused on real-world examples involving patents, trademarks, and trade secrets to help illustrate the dos and don’ts of intellectual property enforcement.
More than 150 people attended the event. Womble Bond Dickinson attendees included Scott Breining, Ana Friedman, Rolf Garcia-Gallont, Martika Harper, Heather Hatcher, Madeline Campbell, Gloria Malpas, Jack Hicks, Tiffani Otey, John Pueschel, Kurt Stakeman, Tom Wilmoth, and JD Wooten. Anne Reavis and Jordan Wiggins from the firm’s Client Development Department provided on-site support.
Heather Hatcher is leading the firm’s participation in the Venture Café. The event took place in Winston-Salem’s Bailey Power Plant, a former industrial facility that has been refurbished as a multi-use space.
As a Thought Leader Sponsor, Womble Bond Dickinson will provide programming for three additional Venture Café Thursday Gathering sessions on October 3, 2019; January 16, 2020; and April 23, 2020.
