Keats Quinalty

Partner | Intellectual Property

About

Keats is a strategist. Clients hire Keats when their innovation is under attack; he is a trusted ally who utilizes his experience working as an Examiner in the US Patent Office to build or solidify patent portfolios to protect client’s intellectual property. Because he takes personal interest in learning the nuances of each product and process, Keats builds individualized, comprehensive patent strategies to best protect the interests of each client. He is regularly entrusted by clients to handle prosecuting their “bet-the-company” inventions to patent.

  • Keats also has extensive pretrial and in-trial litigation experience. Keats has evaluated thousands of patent claims and has been involved in litigations successfully asserting claims of several patents he drafted.

    With over 20 years of experience in all aspects of patent preparation, prosecution, opinion work, and litigation, Keats is regularly consulted by clients and colleagues to address complex matters in mechanical, electromechanical, biomedical, computer, medical device, design, and electrical arts. His patent strategies have been successful in litigation, in prosecution, and in “after final” patent and post-issuance procedures, such as appeals, inter partes, and ex parte patent office proceedings.

Practices

  • Patents

Admissions

  • Georgia

  • U.S. Patent & Trademark Office

Education

  • Washburn University School of Law, Juris Doctorate, 1996

  • University of Missouri-Columbia, BS Mechanical Engineering with Aerospace emphasis, 1993

Experience

  • FisherBroyles, LLP

  • Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP

  • Morgan & Finnegan, LLP

Representative Transactions

  • Developed and implemented expedited prosecution strategy to augment litigation position for a multi-billion dollar corporation

  • Successfully defended against post-grant procedures instituted by a client’s competitor, resulting in the maintenance of several patents

  • Evaluated strength of competitor’s patents for several clients in various technologies, including: servers, hot water heaters, jet skis, printers, kitchen equipment, cartons, insect screens, shoes, ultrasound probes, engines, washing machines, outdoor grills, plumbing, and paint covers

  • Worked with manufacturing client to develop product introduction strategy prior to product introduction to focus patent portfolio

  • Regularly make presentations to in-house counsel and business leaders to ensure business goals and IP align

  • Helped client defend against aggressive patent troll to achieve settlement prior to trial

  • Evaluated 5000+ patent competitor portfolio for large printing press manufacturer

  • Attended trade shows with and for clients to strengthen knowledge base of client’s business

Presentations and Teaching Experience

  • Presented on the latest developments in US patent litigation to clients of a Danish law firm in Copenhagen in 2017

  • Presenter at roundtable sessions for in-house counsel at a Centerforce IP CLE in Atlanta

  • Arranged and led numerous in-house CLE-accredited seminars for clients on a range of topics, including intellectual property basics, litigation, privacy, and advanced patent prosecution techniques

  • Guest lecturer at Georgia Tech for an Intellectual Property Law Class for undergraduate students

  • Panelist for Georgia Bar IP Law Section for “Counseling Clients on Third Party Patents—Designing Around and Infringement Avoidance” discussion

Publications

  • “First Sale Extinguishes Patent Rights: Supreme Court Guts Manufacturer Control Over Secondary Market”, National Law Review, June 2, 2017.