McKee, Voorhees & Sease, PLC

Congratulations to MVS Attorney Andrew Morgan on being named a 2024 Super Lawyers Rising Star! A well-deserved honor for your hard work and dedication. Here’s to continued success!

Intellectual property (IP) has become a cornerstone for maintaining a competitive edge in various industries in today's fast-paced world. Properly managing and protecting one’s IP assets is crucial. This is where intellectual property attorneys become important. From tech-driven startups to established manufacturing giants, the necessity of safeguarding proprietary innovations, designs, and trademarks cannot be overstated. The technology sector is one of the foremost industries that require IP legal services. With rapid advancements and a constant influx of new inventions, tech companies must vigilantly protect their patents, software, and trade secrets. The risk of intellectual property theft in this sphere is high. According to LegalJobs, intellectual property theft costs the U.S. $225 billion annually. This staggering figure underscores the importance of having specialized legal counsel to navigate the complexities of IP law, ensuring that innovations are protected against infringement. For 100 years, McKee, Voorhees & Sease attorneys have counseled clients on how to protect their innovations. Knowing the value of your ideas allows you to maintain your business competitive edge.

Congratulations to MVS Partner Heidi Sease Nebel on her recognition in IAM Strategy 300 Global Leaders 2025!? ? IAM’s research team reviewed thousands of IP experts across the globe and, after a five-month process, identified leaders who, “merit special attention for their expertise and experience in creating, protecting, managing, transacting, and enforcing critical patent rights.”? ? This prestigious recognition highlights Heidi's outstanding leadership and unwavering commitment to excellence in intellectual property strategy. Her innovation, vision, and dedication continue to shape the future of the IP landscape on a global scale. ? To learn more about the IAM Strategy 300 Global Leaders 2025, visit: https://lnkd.in/gQUPiNH4

Velcro has become such a ubiquitous product, people use it as a verb. It's a long way from the accidental spark of an idea on a hike in the Alps. Swiss electrical engineer George de Mestral wondered why burdock seeds clung to his coat and his dog while they would take walks in the early 1940s. By 1955, he patented the process of fastening a fabric strip with tiny hooks that could "mate" with another fabric strip with smaller loops.?By the late 1950s he introduced the product commercially. More than 70 years later, the company continues to manufacture and market the fastening system. Today, Velcro is used across a wide array of industries and applications; including healthcare, the military, land vehicles, aircraft, and spacecraft. By 2017, the company grew tired of many genericizing the trademark and released a "Don't Say Velcro" campaign in an attempt to keep their brand name distinctive from other hook-and-loop fasteners to help keep their trademark protection. The intellectual property attorneys at McKee, Voorhees & Sease never grow tired of protecting our client's innovations.?Like Velcro, we help innovators stick to their ideas for excellent holding power.

The news has been buzzing lately with the recent purchase of?Alex Jones’ Infowars at a Chapter 7 bankruptcy auction. In her latest Filewrapper post, MVS IP Attorney Julie Spieker outlines the "need to know" details of this transaction and what it means for the future of the company. Read more: https://lnkd.in/guWZ8U64

Multiple McKee, Voorhees & Sease attorneys and patent professionals will attend the Iowa Intellectual Property Law Association (IILPA) annual conference November 14 and 15 in Iowa City. At the IIPLA Annual Conference, IP legal professionals earn annual CLE requirements through speakers specializing in trademarks, copyright, patents, trade secrets, licensing, litigation, ethics, and more. MVS attorney Sarah Luth will present on the intersection of data and intellectual property Many McKee, Voorhees & Sease attorneys have served on the IILPA Board of Directors.?Andrew Morgan is the current IIPLA Vice-President while Lars Gunnerson is currently serving as Secretary.?Joseph Hallman is also serving as a 1st Year Board Member. Connect with our attorneys at the IIPLA conference, in Iowa City, or on LinkedIn!

"A solution without a problem" is how 3M scientist Spencer Silver described his most famous invention -- the Post-It Note. In 1968, Silver failed to develop a super-strong adhesive for the aerospace industry. Instead, he accidentally created a "low-tack", reusable, pressure-sensitive adhesive. 3M remained stumped on how to market the product until co-worker Art Fry came up with the idea of using the adhesive as a bookmark in his hymn book. Fry gave 3M employees a prototype, and they started exchanging messages, demonstrating the product's effectiveness. By 1980, Post-its were launched across the United States as a new way to organize with color coding, filing, and indexing. Although 3M's patent expired in 1997, the "Post-it" product has become as transcendent as Kleenex tissues or Xerox copiers. For a century, the intellectual property attorneys at McKee, Voorhees & Sease have been protecting our client's innovations. Whether your invention is purposeful or an innovation accident, we ensure no one can peel away your business.

In today’s fast-paced, innovation-driven world, intellectual property (IP) has become a cornerstone for maintaining a competitive edge in various industries. The pharmaceutical industry is an arena where intellectual property attorneys are indispensable. The development of new drugs and medical treatments is a long, arduous, and expensive process. Pharmaceutical companies rely heavily on patents to recoup their investments and fund further research. Intellectual property attorneys play a crucial role in securing these patents, defending them against challenges, and negotiating licensing agreements that can be essential for a drug’s commercial success. The attorneys at McKee, Voorhees & Sease have a 100 year track record of success helping innovators of all sizes – from universities and startups to Fortune 100 companies – protect, defend, and monetize their discoveries.

The 2024 Patent Public Advisory Committee (PPAC) recently released its annual report. This document reaches the desks of the President of the United States, the Secretary of Commerce, and is transmitted to the various committees of the Senate and House of Representatives on Judiciary matters, on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet, and on Commerce.? ? MVS Patent Attorney and Partner Heidi Sease Nebel is proud to serve on this committee to represent the needs, concerns, and interests of the Intellectual Property community. Heidi and the rest of the PPAC members advocate for the advancement, growth, and development of the industry and encourage further protections, provide watchful oversight, and invaluable insight into the partnerships between IP innovators and the USPTO. ? 2024 marks the 25th anniversary of PPAC and has been coined the “year of action” by the committee. The six key areas the committee focused on this year are: 1) linking patents and innovation to global competitiveness, 2) expanding outreach and education initiatives, 3) reducing unexamined patent application inventory without sacrificing quality, 4) closing the gap between PTAB and patent examiner patentability determinations, 5) maintaining agency financial stability, and 6) assessing the impact of AI as a tool and its impact on innovation. ? Thank you, Heidi and the other members of PPAC, for dedicating your time and experience to advancing and protecting America’s innovations. Read the report here: https://lnkd.in/gBC-AFvh

"Hail to the Chief" is the song that accompanies the appearance of the president of the United States at many public events. Originally about a boat in Scotland, it was played for presidents dating back to John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson. But it was Sarah Polk, wife of the eleventh president, James K. Polk, who ensured the song became the personal anthem of the U.S. President. Mrs. Polk worried that her husband would not be recognized when he walked into a room, so she had the band play "Hail to the Chief" to herald his every arrival. Published in 1812, the Department of Defense made it the official tribute to the president in 1954. The song is in the public domain due to its age. Copyrights typically last 70 years after the author’s death, or about 100 to 120 years after first publication in the U.S. No matter who you vote for today, the intellectual property attorneys at McKee, Voorhees & Sease stand ready to protect and defend your rights as an inventor against all incursions to your innovation.