Former supervisory patent attorney for the United Stated Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) Joseph F. Oriti has joined Flaster Greenberg as a shareholder in its Intellectual Property Department and a member of the firm’s rapidly growing Patent Practice Group. He will be headquartered in the firm's Philadelphia office, focusing his practice on obtaining IP protection for his clients in the areas of computer software and hardware, telecommunications, mechanical systems, electrical systems, and semiconductor design and fabrication.
For the six years leading up to Oriti’s arrival, he served as a supervisory patent attorney for the PTAB where he managed various programs, including the Patent Attorney Program, supervised and trained patent attorneys to become successful applicants for Administrative Patent Judge positions, opinioned on patentability, and contributed to the implementation of various rules and guidance. Oriti was one of only four attorneys in the U.S. chosen to serve in this prestigious position after it was formed to be the administrative law body of the United States Patent and Trademark Office as part of the America Invents Act. Prior to that, he spent over two decades mentoring patent attorneys throughout the Greater Philadelphia area during his roles as partner at Baker Hostetler and Woodcock Washburn where he also served as chair of a committee responsible for improving and implementing processes, procedures, and best practices related to all aspects of patent prosecution and PTAB-related appeals and trials.
Oriti is the latest in a series of additions to the firm. Flaster Greenberg has added 20 attorneys over the past 17 months, ten of which are members of the firm’s patent practice. In January of 2020, the firm’s Intellectual Property Department grew substantially with the addition of eight patent attorneys and three paralegals. Last month, the firm announced the addition of patent attorney Aaron R. Ettelman to the firm’s bolstering IP Department.
“We are pleased to not only welcome another exceptional patent attorney to our team, but also a mentor and someone highly regarded within the legal industry” said Joseph R. Klinicki, Chair of the firm’s Intellectual Property Department. “Joe’s PTAB experience takes our Department to the next level, and further solidifies our capabilities for handling any type of intellectual property issue faced by our clients. We are delighted to welcome Joe to our firm.”
“Flaster Greenberg’s strong reputation in the patent area and bench strength across its practices provides an exciting opportunity for me to jump back into private practice,” said Oriti. “I’m looking forward to bringing my years of PTAB and legal experience to the firm and collaborating with such a strong group of attorneys moving forward.”
As a former electrical engineer for the Department of the Navy, Oriti has a diverse technical background that includes developing aircraft-based algorithms, software, and systems for detecting and tracking submarines. Admitted to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Oriti earned his J.D. from Widener University School of Law and received both his Master of Science and Bachelor of Science degrees in Electrical Engineering from Drexel University.
