Intellectual Property

Josh Gerben is a trademark attorney and founder of Gerben Intellectual Property. The law firm was created by Mr. Gerben to help small and large businesses alike have access to trademark lawyers who are affordable and responsive to their needs. Mr. Gerben represents a wide range of clients, ranging from small start-up businesses to large multinational corporations. Since beginning his practice, Mr. Gerben has represented clients in over 6,500 trademark matters. Prior to beginning his law practice, Mr. Gerben worked in the business world. His extensive experience in that field allows him to understand the business realities facing his clients, helping him to negotiate the most favorable deals possible for his clients. Mr. Gerben is a native of Philadelphia and has lived in Washington, D.C. for the past nine years. In the community Mr. Gerben is involved in the Arthritis Foundation and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Deena R. Merlen is a Partner at the firm. She serves clients at both our New York and Stamford offices and heads the Connecticut practice. Her practice areas include intellectual property, employment and labor law, media and entertainment, general business law, commercial transactions and dispute resolution. In her employment practice, Ms. Merlen is a trusted “go to” problem solver and counsel to individuals, established name brand companies and startups alike. She has extensive experience representing clients in matters including general counseling, discrimination actions, mediations and dispute resolution, investigations by federal or state agencies, as well as wage and hour claims and other labor law matters. She also advises on and regularly negotiates employment and separation agreements, independent contractor arrangements and other services-related arrangements. Ms. Merlen also counsels clients on employment and business matters in response to a crisis or other unexpected business impact, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting business closures, including continuity plans, employee furloughs, reductions in force and other critical measures. In her intellectual property practice, Ms. Merlen helps her clients with the development, acquisition and protection of their valuable brands and other vital intellectual property assets. She manages and grows trademark portfolios in the U.S. and internationally; negotiates licensing, assignment, distribution and branding agreements; prosecutes trademark and copyright registrations; enforces intellectual property rights; and provides strategic counsel to safeguard brand platforms and expand the value of her clients’ intellectual property assets. Ms. Merlen’s media practice encompasses the development and protection of creative works in the fields of music, film, television, theatre, publishing, literary arts, performing arts, design and technology. She ran her own business in the entertainment industry for over a decade and brings that business experience and acumen to her legal practice. In addition, Ms. Merlen provides general business counsel and represents clients in company and transactional matters such as partnerships, joint ventures, licensing arrangements, the purchase or sale of businesses, and a wide range of other corporate matters, including company formation, capitalization and governance, compliance and contracts. Representative clients include technology companies, schools and other academic institutions, personal care and beauty companies, fashion and design companies, media, arts and entertainment companies, wholesalers, retailers and more. Prior to her work with RPJ, Ms. Merlen served as Law Clerk to The Honorable Roger J. Miner of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, after which she joined Debevoise & Plimpton, where she practiced for over five years in the areas of corporate law and intellectual property. Ms. Merlen is admitted to practice in Connecticut and New York.

Taylor Norton is a registered patent attorney and an engineer. He may be contacted at (504) 858-0198 for a consultation. He has extensive experience covering all forms of intellectual property and performing transactional work covering a wide range of contracts and business transactions, including domestic and international. His practice is focused on serving the needs of clients with patents, trademarks, copyrights, LLC formation, contracting, branding, and product development. His comprehensive IP practice covers patents, trademarks, and copyrights. He has extensive knowledge and experience in corporate and commercial transactions, including technology licensing, contracts, IP assignments, manufacturing agreements, operating agreements, and product development agreements. His patent drafting, prosecution, and technology licensing experience encompasses a wide range of technologies, including computer science, electrical, and electro-mechanical engineering, power generation, oil and gas, civil construction methods, life sciences, chemical compositions, peptides and amino acid sequencing, paint compositions, medical devices and bypass procedures, and mobile applications. He advises clients on domestic and international trademark protection, including the registration, licensing and enforcement of trademark rights. His comprehensive trademark practice helps clients to build, protect and monetize their corporate images, names, brands, products, and business lines. He represents clients in trademark opposition and cancellation proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Taylor provides strategic counsel to clients on corporate structuring and the formation of business entities, including limited liability companies and special-purpose-entities, meeting the needs of his clients. Taylor is the Author of the legal and business guidebook Louisiana Limited Liability Company: Forms and Practice Manual, published by Data Trace Publishing Company.

Deena R. Merlen is a Partner at the firm. She serves clients at both our New York and Stamford offices and heads the Connecticut practice. Her practice areas include intellectual property, employment and labor law, media and entertainment, general business law, commercial transactions and dispute resolution. In her employment practice, Ms. Merlen is a trusted “go to” problem solver and counsel to individuals, established name brand companies and startups alike. She has extensive experience representing clients in matters including general counseling, discrimination actions, mediations and dispute resolution, investigations by federal or state agencies, as well as wage and hour claims and other labor law matters. She also advises on and regularly negotiates employment and separation agreements, independent contractor arrangements and other services-related arrangements. Ms. Merlen also counsels clients on employment and business matters in response to a crisis or other unexpected business impact, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting business closures, including continuity plans, employee furloughs, reductions in force and other critical measures. In her intellectual property practice, Ms. Merlen helps her clients with the development, acquisition and protection of their valuable brands and other vital intellectual property assets. She manages and grows trademark portfolios in the U.S. and internationally; negotiates licensing, assignment, distribution and branding agreements; prosecutes trademark and copyright registrations; enforces intellectual property rights; and provides strategic counsel to safeguard brand platforms and expand the value of her clients’ intellectual property assets. Ms. Merlen’s media practice encompasses the development and protection of creative works in the fields of music, film, television, theatre, publishing, literary arts, performing arts, design and technology. She ran her own business in the entertainment industry for over a decade and brings that business experience and acumen to her legal practice. In addition, Ms. Merlen provides general business counsel and represents clients in company and transactional matters such as partnerships, joint ventures, licensing arrangements, the purchase or sale of businesses, and a wide range of other corporate matters, including company formation, capitalization and governance, compliance and contracts. Representative clients include technology companies, schools and other academic institutions, personal care and beauty companies, fashion and design companies, media, arts and entertainment companies, wholesalers, retailers and more. Prior to her work with RPJ, Ms. Merlen served as Law Clerk to The Honorable Roger J. Miner of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, after which she joined Debevoise & Plimpton, where she practiced for over five years in the areas of corporate law and intellectual property. Ms. Merlen is admitted to practice in Connecticut and New York.

Michael A. Essien is a Principal and Counsel with the Essien Law Office, practicing intellectual property law with a focus on patents, trademarks, copyrights, and e-commerce. Mr. Essien’s background includes both corporate and law firm experience. He is a patent attorney and supports his clients’ needs for patents, trademarks, opinions, copyrights, strategic planning, e-commerce, technology transfer agreements and client counseling regarding corporate and intellectual property protection. He is an international intellectual property consultant supporting research institutions in Africa. Mr. Essien supports businesses in entity formation and selection, agreements and licensing issues, including litigation management. He also supports several non-profit organizations as their legal counsel, assisting them on legal issues, including organization and IRS recognition. Mr. Essien is admitted to practice in the State of Minnesota, before the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and is a member of Ramsey County Bar Association, Hennepin County Bar Association, Minnesota State Bar Association, American Bar Association, American Intellectual Property Law Association, Minnesota Intellectual Property Law Association and the Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers. He frequently speaks on Intellectual Property Law and related issues and is an Adjunct Professor at Concordia and Strayer Universities. Prior to entering the practice of law, Mr. Essien worked for several years as a quality, process and new product development engineer at 3M. He is a named inventor on two issued US patents. He has extensive experience in adhesives, film technology, process engineering and start-ups. Mr. Essien received his Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma. His J.D. is from William Mitchell College of Law where he was a member of the Law Review. Mr. Essien was the recipient of the William Mitchell Alumni Association Student Award of Merit for exceptional contributions to the College. He volunteers with several organizations, is a board member of VOOM Foundation and Books for Africa and President of Association of Nigerian Engineers in Minnesota (ANEM).

Mr. Gibson is one of the premier business and intellectual property attorneys practicing in Las Vegas. Not only is Mr. Gibson one of the most experienced attorneys in Nevada practicing in intellectual property and business areas, Mr. Gibson’s practice in Tokyo with one of the nation’s largest law firms as well as in Chicago with a major, international Chicago-based law firm provides a level of experience very few, if any, attorneys in Las Vegas can claim is comparable. Indeed, Mr. Gibson’s experience as an attorney spans nearly twenty-five years and is international in scope. Ranging from years of in-country practice experience in Japan to years of practice in his hometown of Chicago, Mr. Gibson’s experience is hardly only Nevada-based. That having been said, Mr. Gibson’s experience spanning well over a decade as an attorney in Las Vegas has made him well aware of the unique issues faced by companies doing business in or with respect to Nevada. Mr. Gibson focuses his practice in the areas of intellectual property and representation of business clients with respect to contracts, entity formation and commercial litigation. With respect to intellectual property, Mr. Gibson has counseled clients with respect to thousands of trademarks and service marks, has prosecuted hundreds of trademarks to registration and has engaged in numerous trademark litigation cases. Mr. Gibson also drafted hundreds of contracts involving intellectual property assets, protecting the full range of such assets, such as patents, trademarks, trade secrets, copyrights and other intangible assets. Mr. Gibson has also been, and continues to be, the primary attorney in a range of cases involving disputes regarding patent infringement, trademark infringement, copyright infringement, trade secret infringement and the misappropriation of other intangible assets. Mr. Gibson’s representation has included some of Nevada’s largest companies and through the years, his representation has included some of the world’s largest companies. Indeed, Mr. Gibson feels very fortunate to have maintained representation relationships with large media companies, large gaming/casino companies, large software development companies and a range of companies in a wide array of industries. Mr. Gibson’s client relationships range across the country and around the world.

Sangeeta serves as the firm’s Chief Executive Officer and has over 20 years of experience. Her practice includes all aspects of intellectual property litigation, prosecution and counseling, with a special focus on post-grant challenges and patent opinions. She represents several Fortune 500 clients for whom she provides strategic counseling and guidance on their global intellectual property portfolios. Sangeeta has handled numerous patent, trade secret, trademark, and unfair competition cases involving parties in the chemical, software, automotive and metallurgical industries on such matters as injection molded polyethylene terephthalate bottles, polymer reinforcements, magnetic storage devices, emission testing equipment, touch controlled switching circuits, compression molded doors, chemical vapor deposition processes and cutting tools. She has also litigated design patent and copyright infringement cases in such diverse areas as architectural building designs, automotive parts and consumer products. Sangeeta does an immaculate job of breaking down complex patent law and technology concepts and relates well with other people. She is highly proficient, responsive and committed. – IAM Patent 1000 In view of the breadth of her experience in both prosecution and litigation matters, Sangeeta is the Co-Chair of Brooks Kushman's Post Grant practice group and she is nationally recognized for her experience. She leads teams to challenge and defend patents using the post-grant challenges available in the wake of the America Invents Act. She is at the forefront of this changing landscape and its implications and works closely with clients to take proactive steps to obtain competitive advantage from an adversarial and patent procurement standpoint. Sangeeta has been instrumental in building the Post Grant practice group at Brooks Kushman. She is frequently called upon to counsel clients in developing best practices and strategic planning of their patent portfolios, including writing successful patent applications in complex and novel situations, in anticipation of possible future litigation. She works closely with clients from the earliest stages of their technical development, offering valuable advice about how to protect their inventions and new ideas in view of their business strategies. She advises clients on multi-faceted patent clearance, and adversarial matters and works with technical and legal teams to develop invalidity arguments and design around solutions to bolster her clients' positions. Through her opinion and prosecution practice, Sangeeta has extensive experience with chemical and mechanical technologies, in the areas of catalysts, food science, packaging, analytical instrumentation, dietary supplements, diagnostic kits, adhesives, plastics, therapeutics and metallurgy. A growing component of her work revolves around India. She has represented U.S. companies going into India, and Indian companies doing business in the U.S. to help obtain and protect global intellectual property assets. Prior to becoming CEO, Sangeeta served as the firm’s Chief Diversity Officer. Through her efforts, she created a culture of diversity and inclusiveness within the firm and extend the firm`s reach through pipeline initiatives and outreach efforts. Prior to this position, she also managed human resources for Brooks Kushman for over 10 years. She has been recognized as one of the Top 50 Women in PTAB Trials in 2019, a 2009 “Women Worth Watching,” a “Top Lawyer” by DBusiness and is a 2012 “Women in the Law” awardee. She has spoken at several business and legal conferences on a variety of intellectual property topics at the IP Leadership Forum, Global IP Convention, the Women Lawyer`s Association of Michigan, State of Bar Michigan, Intellectual Property Division, the Association of Press Photographers, the American Society of Engineers of Indian Origin, and TiE. Sangeeta's spare time is dedicated to community outreach. In 2012, she founded an early literacy initiative, Retooling Detroit, that assists hundreds of Detroit public school children each year—ensuring that their reading skills improve so that the cycle of illiteracy and poverty can be broken one child at a time. She is also actively involved in the Isha Foundation and its global environmental, education and health initiatives which focus on the use of meditation as a transformative tool for change.

Marc is the Co-Chair of Brooks Kushman's intellectual property litigation practice. He has been instrumental in building, developing, and growing the team. Throughout his career, Marc has successfully tried patent, trademark, trade secret and copyright cases in Federal Courts nationwide. Marc has successfully argued appeals before the Federal Circuit including a leading decision on 101 jurisprudence, Ancora Techs., Inc. v. HTC Americas, Inc., 908 F.3d 1343 (Fed. Cir. 2018). Marc, as lead counsel, has also been prevailed in several investigations as both Complainant and Respondent in the International Trade Commission. Marc has extensive litigation experience from jury selection; presenting opening statements; examining (direct and cross) fact and expert witnesses; giving closing arguments; conducting Markman hearings; successfully arguing preliminary injunction motions; drafting successful discovery briefs, claim construction briefs, summary judgment briefs, and appeal briefs; managing electronic discovery activities; coordinating large document productions; and negotiating settlement, licensing and acquisition agreements. Marc’s current practice includes experience with Post-Grant Proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He has counseled clients in over 50 proceedings, and these proceedings continue to play major role in his patent litigation strategy. Marc has also been involved in several re-examination requests and the associated prosecution relating to patents in litigation. Marc graduated from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law in 2001. Marc was the valedictorian of his graduating class and was an editor of the Law Review. Marc has a Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan, and an undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame, where he graduated magna cum laude. Marc’s degrees and work experience in both mechanical and chemical engineering allow him to handle cases involving many different technologies. Prior to joining Brooks Kushman, Marc Lorelli was a patent agent at an automotive corporation. During his three years in that role, he gained extensive experience in preparing and prosecuting chemical, mechanical and electrical patent applications. Marc understands how to meet his clients’ patent prosecution needs, since he was a client himself. Marc learned first-hand about client expectations and how best to service clients. This experience is invaluable to Marc’s current practice, which involves a great deal of client counseling in both prosecution and litigation matters. Outside of the office, Marc enjoys family ski vacations out west, but otherwise stays busy with his three daughters who all play hockey. Marc plays hockey himself, and tries to catch the occasional round of golf in what little free time he has.

Jeffrey Szuma is a registered patent attorney who specializes in patent prosecution and investigations, as well as post-grant proceedings including reexaminations and Inter Partes reviews. He has also been involved in both trial and appellate level patent litigation. Jeff received his M.S. degree in information systems & technology (computer information systems) and his B.S. degree in electrical engineering from the University of Michigan. He has three decades of experience as a patent attorney with Brooks Kushman, and during that time has helped to build the firm’s nationally recognized practice. Jeff has extensive experience preparing and prosecuting patent applications, investigating patent infringement and validity issues, and handling post-grant proceedings relating to a wide variety of computer and electrical technologies such as data storage and management systems, microprocessors, network services, data encryption, wireless communication, transducers, VoIP, interactive media services, and digital content delivery. He also has extensive experience with automotive related technologies for OEM and Tier I clients, including electrical subsystem control, information and entertainment systems, electrical connectors, battery monitoring, wireless communication systems such as tire pressure monitoring and remote entry systems, electric and hybrid vehicle subsystems, and autonomous vehicle systems. He also served for two years at Lear Corporation, a Tier I automotive supplier, as acting Division Intellectual Property (IP) Counsel for their Electronic Systems Division. In that capacity, he assisted in the operation and management of Lear's IP department and had a diverse array of responsibilities, including counseling management on strategic patent procurement, investigation, litigation, and budget matters. Jeff is a member of the American Intellectual Property Law Association, the Michigan Intellectual Property Law Association, the Intellectual Property Law section of the State Bar of Michigan, and the Intellectual Property group of the Federalist Society. He is a past President of the Detroit Catholic Central High School Dads' Club and is active at Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in Plymouth, Michigan.