(Main Office)

With roots dating back to the 1910's, Pearne & Gordon is one of the largest and oldest intellectual property law firms in Cleveland. Its attorneys have experience in all areas of technology, including electronics, electrical engineering, chemistry, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, computers, digital signal processing, software, medical devices, polymers, biotechnology, nuclear science and machine design, and their activities include not only patent, trademark, and copyright prosecution but also licensing and consulting. Members of the firm are experienced in all facets of intellectual property litigation and have handled patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret and unfair competition lawsuits in court and patent interferences and trademark oppositions and cancellations before the Patent and Trademark Office. The firm works closely with patent and trademark law firms in Canada, Mexico, South America, Europe and the Far East to provide full international service to its clients.

Statement of Practice

Intellectual Property Law and Litigation including Patent, Trademark, Copyright, Trade Secret/Trade Dress, and Unfair Competition.

Address

1801 East 9th Street, Suite 1200
Cleveland, OH 44114-3108, (Cuyahoga Co.)

Phone

Phone: 216-579-1700
Fax: 216-579-6073

Website

http://pearne.com

MEMBERS OF FIRM

John F. Pearne (1912-1981).

Charles B. Gordon (Member) born Oak Park, Illinois, November 23, 1922; admitted to bar, 1950, District of Columbia; 1952, Ohio; 1970, U.S. Supreme Court and U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit; 1982, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Education: Princeton University (B.S.E., 1943); Harvard Law School (LL.B., 1949). Member: Cleveland and American Bar Associations; Cleveland Intellectual Property Law Association; American Intellectual Property Law Association. Practice Areas: Patent; Trademark; Copyright; Trade Secret; Unfair Competition.Email: Charles B. Gordon

Thomas P. Schiller (Member) born Cleveland, Ohio, September 25, 1934; admitted to bar, 1960, Ohio; 1970, U.S. Supreme Court; 1982, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Education: Case Institute of Technology (B.S., 1956); George Washington University; Western Reserve University (J.D., 1960). Phi Delta Phi. Member: Cleveland and American Bar Associations; Cleveland Intellectual Property Law Association; American Intellectual Property Law Association; International Trademark Association. Practice Areas: Patent; Trademark; Copyright; Trade Secret; Unfair Competition.Email: Thomas P. Schiller

David B. Deioma (Member) born Dover, Ohio, December 26, 1940; admitted to bar, 1965, Ohio, U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit; 1972, U.S. Supreme Court; 1981, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit; 1982, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Education: Case Western Reserve University (B.S., E.Sc., 1962); Georgetown University (J.D., 1965). Phi Kappa Phi. President, Ohio Venture Association, 1988-1990. Founder, David Deioma Lectureship at Case Western Reserve University. Member, Advisory Committee to Case Western Reserve University, Case School of Engineering Dean. Member: Cleveland, Ohio State and American Bar Associations; Cleveland Intellectual Property Law Association; American Intellectual Property Law Association. Practice Areas: Patent; Trademark; Copyright; Trade Secret; Unfair Competition.Email: David B. Deioma

Joseph J. Corso (Member) born Cleveland, Ohio, March 13, 1942; admitted to bar, 1969, Ohio; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Education: Ohio University (B.S.Ch.E., 1965); University of Akron (J.D., 1969). Member: Cleveland and American Bar Associations; Cleveland Intellectual Property Law Association; American Intellectual Property Law Association. Practice Areas: Patent; Trademark; Copyright; Trade Secret; Unfair Competition.Email: Joseph J. Corso

Howard G. Shimola (Member) born Cleveland, Ohio, October 14, 1942; admitted to bar, 1970, Ohio; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Education: Case Institute of Technology (B.S. in M.E., 1965); Cleveland Marshall College of Law (J.D., 1970). Member: Cleveland Intellectual Property Law Association; American Intellectual Property Law Association. Practice Areas: Patent; Trademark; Copyright; Trade Secret; Unfair Competition.Email: Howard G. Shimola

Jeffrey J. Sopko (Member) born Cleveland, Ohio, March 10, 1948; admitted to bar, 1975, Ohio; 1978, U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit; 1982, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Education: University of Dayton (B.T., 1970); Cleveland Marshall College of Law (J.D., 1975). Epsilon Delta Tau. Member: Cleveland and American Bar Associations; Cleveland Intellectual Property Law Association; American Intellectual Property Law Association; International Federation of Industrial Property Attorneys; Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers. Practice Areas: Patent; Trademark; Copyright; Trade Secret; Unfair Competition.Email: Jeffrey J. Sopko

John P. Murtaugh (Member) born Orrville, Ohio, February 23, 1952; admitted to bar, 1978, California; 1979, U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit; 1981, Ohio; 1982, U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit; 1989, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Education: University of Notre Dame (B.A., summa cum laude, 1974); University of Michigan (J.D., magna cum laude, 1978); Case Western Reserve University (B.A., in Chemistry, summa cum laude, 1989). Phi Beta Kappa. Associate Editor, 1976-1977 and Senior Editor, 1977-1978, Michigan Law Review. Co-Author: Ohio Civil Practice, Banks-Baldwin Law Pub. Co., 1988. Law Clerk to Hon. John A. Danaher, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, 1978-1979. Member: American Intellectual Property Law Association, Cleveland Intellectual Property Law Association. Practice Areas: Patent; Trademark; Copyright; Trade Secrets; Intellectual Property Litigation.Email: John P. Murtaugh

James M. Moore (Member) born Akron, Ohio, February 10, 1948; admitted to bar, 1988, Ohio and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit; 1992, U.S. Supreme Court; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Education: University of Akron (B.S.E.E., 1971); Southern Methodist University (M.S.E.E., 1972); Cleveland-Marshall School of Law (J.D., cum laude, 1988). Phi Alpha Delta; Eta Kappa Nu. Member: Moot Court Board of Governors; Order of Barristers. Member: Cleveland, Ohio State and American Bar Associations; Cleveland Intellectual Property Law Association (President, 1997-1998); American Intellectual Property Law Association; Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. [Major, USAF, 1972-1985]. Practice Areas: Patent; Trademark; Copyright; Trade Secret; Unfair Competition.Email: James M. Moore

Michael W. Garvey (Member) born Oak Park, Illinois, March 18, 1962; admitted to bar, 1991, Ohio and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Education: University of Notre Dame (B.S.E.E., 1984); College of William and Mary (J.D., 1991). Member, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Member: Cleveland Intellectual Property Law Association (Secretary, 1997-2000; President, 2003-2004); American Intellectual Property Law Association; International Trademark Association; International Federation of Industrial Property Attorneys (FICPI). Practice Areas: Patents; Trademarks; Prosecution and Appeals; Intellectual Property.Email: Michael W. Garvey

Richard A. Sharpe (Member) born Cleveland, Ohio, March 24, 1965; admitted to bar, 1992, Ohio; 1996, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio; U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Education: Otterbein College (B.S., Chem., 1987), Sigma Zeta; Washington College of Law of American University (J.D., 1991). Member: Cleveland (Secretary, 1994-1996) and American Intellectual Property Law Associations. Special Agencies: Patent Examiner, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, 1989-1990. Practice Areas: Intellectual Property; Patents; Trademarks; Copyrights; Litigation.Email: Richard A. Sharpe

Ronald M. Kachmarik (Member) born Cleveland, Ohio, July 31, 1963; admitted to bar, 1994, Ohio; 1995, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio and U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit; registered to practice before the the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Education: University of Akron (B.S., Physics 1987); Cleveland-Marshall College of Law (J.D., 1994). Sigma Pi Sigma. Patent Examiner, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, 1987-1990. Member: American Bar Association; Cleveland Intellectual Property Law Association (Treasurer, 1999-2001); American Intellectual Property Law Association; International Trademark Association; International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property. Practice Areas: Intellectual Property; Patent; Trademark.Email: Ronald M. Kachmarik

Paul A. Serbinowski (Member) born Buffalo, New York, March 22, 1967; admitted to bar, 1994, Pennsylvania; 1995, Ohio; 1996, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio; 2003, New York; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Education: Alfred University (B.S.C.E., 1989); Widener University (J.D., 1994). Member, American Ceramic Society. Member: Cleveland Intellectual Property Law Association; American Intellectual Property Law Association; International Federation of Industrial Property Attorneys; Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers. Practice Areas: Intellectual Property; Patents; Trademarks; Copyrights; Chemistry; Biotechnology.Email: Paul A. Serbinowski

Stephen S. Wentsler (Member) born Akron, Ohio, December 15, 1967; admitted to bar, 1997, Virginia; 2000, Ohio; U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal and Sixth Circuits; U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Education: University of Cincinnati College of Engineering (B.S.M.E., magna cum laude, 1993); Syracuse University College of Law (J.D., 1996). Member: Ohio State Bar Association; American Intellectual Property Law Association; Cleveland Intellectual Property Law Association; American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Practice Areas: Patents; Intellectual Property.Email: Stephen S. Wentsler

Aaron A. Fishman (Member) born Kansas City, Missouri, March 25, 1972; admitted to bar, 1999, Ohio; 2000, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Education: University of Toledo (B.E.T., 1996; J.D., 1999). Member, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Member: Cleveland Intellectual Property Law Association; American Intellectual Property Law Association; International Federation of Industrial Property Attorneys. Practice Areas: Patents; Trademarks; Copyrights.Email: Aaron A. Fishman

Robert F. Bodi (Member) born Cleveland, Ohio, March 8, 1964; admitted to bar, 2000, Ohio; 2001, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Education: University of Akron (B.S.E.E., 1988; B.S., Applied Math, 1988; J.D., summa cum laude, 2000). Pi Mu Epsilon; Eta Kappa Nu. Member: Cleveland Engineering Society; Federalist Society. Online Editor, Akron Law Review, 1999-2000. Member: Cleveland and Ohio State Bar Associations; Cleveland Intellectual Property Law Association; American Intellectual Property Law Association; Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Practice Areas: Patents; Trademarks; Copyrights; Copyright Litigation.Email: Robert F. Bodi

Una L. Lauricia (Member) admitted to bar, 2002, Ohio, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Education: Miami University (B.S., 1996); Cleveland-Marshall College of Law (J.D., December 2001). Member: Cleveland Metropolitan and American Bar Associations; Cleveland Intellectual Property Law Association; American Intellectual Property Law Association; INTA. Practice Areas: Intellectual Property Litigation; Patents; Trademarks; Copyrights.Email: Una L. Lauricia

Steven J. Solomon (Member) born Cleveland, Ohio, November 24, 1975; admitted to bar, 2003, Ohio; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Education: Ohio State University (B.S.Ch.E., 1998); Cleveland State University (J.D., magna cum laude, 2002). Member, American Institute of Chemical Engineers. Member: Ohio State Bar Association; Cleveland Intellectual Property Law Association. Languages: French. Practice Areas: Patents; Trademarks; Copyrights; Intellectual Property Litigation.Email: Steven J. Solomon

ASSOCIATES

James M. Irwin (Associate) born Youngstown, Ohio, March 3, 1983; admitted to bar, 2009, Ohio. Education: Youngstown State University (B.S., Biochemistry, 2005); University of Akron School of Law (J.D., 2009). Member: American Bar Association; Cleveland Intellectual Property Law Association; The American Intellectual Property Law Association; The American Chemical Society. Practice Areas: Intellectual Property; Chemical Intellectual Property; Pharmaceutical Intellectual Property.Email: James M. Irwin

Deborah L. Corpus (Associate) admitted to bar, 2000, Ohio; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Education: University of California at Davis (B.S., Biochemistry, 1996); Case Western Reserve University (J.D., 2000). Research Assistant: Department of Neurology, University of California at Davis School of Medicine; Department of Anatomy/Physiology/Cell Biology, University of California at Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. Member: Cleveland Intellectual Property Law Association (Chair, Chemical Patent Practice, 2001-2002); American Intellectual Property Law Association; American Bar Association; Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association; INTA. Practice Areas: Intellectual Property Pre-Litigation; Patents; Pharmaceutical Intellectual Property; Electronic Intellectual Property; Computer and Software Patents; Electro-Mechanical Patents; Trademarks; Copyrights.Email: Deborah L. Corpus

Donald J. Firca, Jr. (Associate) born Lorain, Ohio, May 14, 1975; admitted to bar, 2001, Ohio; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Education: University of Akron (B.S.Ch.E., 1998); Case Western Reserve University (J.D., 2001). Member, I.E.E.E. Member: Cleveland Intellectual Property Law Association; American Intellectual Property Law Association. Practice Areas: Patents; Trademarks; Copyrights.Email: Donald J. Firca, Jr.

Brad C. Spencer (Associate) born Fairview Park, Ohio, November 4, 1972; admitted to bar, 2005, Ohio; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Education: Ohio State University (B.S.E.E., 1996); University of Akron School of Law (J.D., 2005). Eta Kappa Nu. Tau Beta Pi. Professional Engineer, Ohio, Arizona, 2001. Member, IEEE, 1998. Member: American Intellectual Property Law Association. Practice Areas: Patent Preparation; Patent Prosecution.Email: Brad C. Spencer

Bryan M. Gallo (Associate) born Mayfield, Ohio, August 9, 1979; admitted to bar, 2005, Ohio; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Education: Ohio University (B.S.M.E., 2001); University of Dayton (J.D., 2005). Tau Beta Pi. Author, "Barbie's Life in Plastic: It's Fantastic For First Amendment Protection - Or Is It?" University of Dayton Law Review, Issue 29 Page 405. Member, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2000-2001. Member: Ohio State and American Bar Associations; Cleveland Intellectual Property Law Association. Practice Areas: Patents; Trademarks; Copyrights.Email: Bryan M. Gallo

Seongyoune Kang (Associate) born Seoul, Korea, October 6, 1976; admitted to bar, 2006, Ohio; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Education: Seoul National University (B.S.M.E., 2002); The Ohio State University (J.D., 2006). Member: American Intellectual Property Law Association; Cleveland Intellectual Property Law Association. [Korean Augmentee to the U.S. Army, 1st Signal Brigade, Eighth, U.S. Army, 1997-1999]. Languages: Korean, French. Practice Areas: Patents; Trademarks; Copyrights.Email: Seongyoune Kang

Nobuhiko Sukenaga (Associate) admitted to bar, 2007, Ohio; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Education: Nagoya Institute of Technology, Aichi, Japan (B.S.; Masters in Synthetic Chemistry); Cleveland-Marshall College of Law (J.D. 2005). Languages: Japanese and English.Email: Nobuhiko Sukenaga

J. Gregory Chrisman (Associate) born Greenville, Ohio, October 25, 1976; admitted to bar, 2007, Ohio; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Education: Akron University Law School (B.S.Ch.E., 2000; J.D., 2007). Member: Cleveland Intellectual Property Law Association; American Institute of Chemical Engineers. Practice Areas: Patent Prosecution.

Ivan Goldberg (Associate) born Cleveland, Ohio, 1979; admitted to bar, 2007, Ohio; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Education: Miami University (B.S., Manufacturing Engineering, 2001); Case Western Reserve University School of Law (J.D., 2007). Cleveland Intellectual Property Law Association; American Intellectual Property Law Association. Practice Areas: Patent Prosecution; Intellectual Property.

Christopher P. Demas (Associate) born Brookpark, Ohio, October 9, 1978; admitted to bar, 2008, Ohio; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Education: Case Western Reserve University (B.S., Chemistry, 2001); Cleveland Marshall College of Law (J.D.). registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Member: Cleveland Intellectual Property Law Association. Practice Areas: Intellectual Property; Patent Prosecution.

Gregory M. York, Ph.D. (Associate) born Miami, Florida, December 17, 1970; admitted to bar, 2008, Ohio; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Education: Dartmouth College (B.A., Biology, magna cum laude, 1992); Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Ph.D., Biology, 1998); University of Michigan Law School (J.D., 2008). registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Practice Areas: Intellectual Property; Chemical Intellectual Property; Pharmaceutical Intellectual Property.Email: Gregory M. York, Ph.D.

Martin Kilbane (Associate) born Cleveland, Ohio, April 8, 1982; admitted to bar, 2008, Ohio. Education: Carnegie Mellon University (B.S., Mechanical Engineering, 2004); John Marshall Law School (J.D., 2008). Practice Areas: Intellectual Property.

OF COUNSEL

Lowell L. Heinke (Of Counsel) born Coshocton, Ohio, October 14, 1932; admitted to bar, 1960, Ohio; 1961, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio; 1982, U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Education: Case Institute of Technology (B.S. in Eng., with honors, 1954); George Washington University (LL.B., 1959). Member: Cleveland, Ohio State and American Bar Associations; Cleveland (President, 1980-1981) and American (Chairman, Antitrust Law Committee, 1978-1980; Member, Board of Managers, 1980-1983) Intellectual Property Law Associations. Special Agencies: Patent Examiner, U.S. Patent Office, 1955-1958. Practice Areas: Intellectual Property; Patents; Trademarks.Email: Lowell L. Heinke

Thaddeus A. Zalenski (Of Counsel) born East Vandergrift, Pennsylvania, December 10, 1936; admitted to bar, 1966, Pennsylvania; 1970, U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit; 1982, U.S. District Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit; registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. (Not admitted in Ohio). Education: Pennsylvania State University (B.S. in P.N.G.E., 1959); Georgetown University Law Center(J.D., 1966). Special Agencies: Patent Examiner, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, 1961-1966. Practice Areas: Patents; Trademark; Copyright; Trade Secrets; Unfair Competition.Email: Thaddeus A. Zalenski