James M. Singer is a partner in the Intellectual Property Practice Group of Pepper Hamilton LLP, resident in the Pittsburgh office. Mr. Singer provides strategic counseling that helps businesses identify, acquire, license, protect and maximize the value of intangible assets. A registered patent attorney, he also is a member of the firm’s Sports, Media, Communications and Entertainment, and Energy Practice Groups and a member of the Sustainability, CleanTech and Climate Change Team.
Specific examples of Mr. Singer’s experience include:
- helping businesses ensure that new technologies are adequately documented and protected, through patent, copyright and/or trade secret laws
- providing in-depth intellectual property due diligence analysis to help investors and potential corporate purchasers understand patent value, barriers to market entry and potential opportunities to expand intellectual property rights
- providing patent infringement studies, patentability opinions, and design-around analyses
- negotiating complex technology transfer and license agreements, including software licenses, supply chain agreements, exclusive patent licenses and marketing relationships
- negotiating television, radio, content, and other media contracts for professional sports franchises, music publishers and individual athletes and entertainers
- securing trademark and copyright registrations for consumer product manufacturers, restaurants, professional sports teams, sporting goods companies, business consultants, service providers and others.
Mr. Singer has provided intellectual property advice in a wide variety of industries, including power generation and distribution equipment, software, computer security and encryption, communications equipment, display technologies, document printing and package production, robotics, broadcast media technologies, innovative environmental technologies, medical devices, e-commerce, auto parts, food service equipment, electronic games and synthetic coatings. Industry-specific examples of his experience include:
- managing patent portfolios, technology licenses, and supply chain agreements for companies who produce electromechanical switches, abrasive materials and robotic systems
- performing freedom-to-practice and IP value analyses to investors and companies who manufacture medical devices, credit card processing systems, agricultural equipment and oil extraction systems
- favorably settling patent infringement claims against cable television service providers, e-commerce system developers and manufacturers of food service equipment.
Mr. Singer’s prior legal experience includes work in the intellectual property department of a Fortune 500 company and with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. His electrical engineering experience focused on power systems design and maintenance, and he managed construction projects in both the oil pipeline and electric utility industries.
Mr. Singer is the author and co-author of several publications, and he publishes IP Spotlight, a blog about topics relevant to the intersection of business and intellectual property law. He also is a frequent public speaker on issues relating to technology and the law.
Mr. Singer is a graduate of the Leadership Development Initiative and has been actively involved in community activities.
Mr. Singer is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania and before the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
