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Discover the Calhoun Law Firm in Little Rock, AR. Learn about the Calhoun Law Firm's expertise and commitment to serving your legal needs. FIRM PROFILE CREATIVE LEGAL SOLUTIONS SM CALHOUN LAW FIRM crafts creative legal solutions℠ for businesses and individuals needing legal guidance and courtroom representation in the areas of Intellectual Property and Business Law. We assist our clients in obtaining and enforcing competitive rights in their inventions, products and technology, creative output and marketing programs. Our services also include guiding clients in accomplishing many of the everyday endeavors encountered in starting or growing a business. We do so in a manner which is readily understandable, prompt, and cost effective. OUR PEOPLE CALHOUN LAW FIRM essentially consists of attorneys Joe Calhoun and Mark Koo (Of Counsel), both registered patent attorneys; and associated with the firm is registered patent attorney Marina Boatright J.D., Ph.D . (biological sciences). We are ably supported by our executive assistant, Victoria McDonald, especially proficient in online filings at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, the U.S. Copyright Office, and state and federal courthouses. Mr. Calhoun is also Of Counsel to Teraoka & Partners headquartered in San Francisco and having offices in Palo Alto and Los Angeles: he is also Associated Counsel to O’Connor & Associates in San Francisco. MEETING CLIENT NEEDS Our law firm maintains the staffing and professional relationships needed to satisfy the legal needs of our clients, no matter how large or small. When suggested by client circumstances, we implement creative legal solutions ℠ , confident in our ability to work both smarter and harder.

Learn more about our firm's attorneys and their practices areas which include intellectual property, patents, trademarks, and business startups. | Little Rock, AR and Palo Alto, CA BIOGRAPHIES JOSEPH D. CALHOUN III Joe Calhoun, a registered patent attorney also licensed in Arkansas and California, has over twenty-five years of legal and related business experience in commercial litigation and client counseling, especially in the intellectual property fields. His primary practice areas include the creation or registration of intellectual property rights, the guiding of clients’ commercialization of those rights, the assignment or licensing of such rights to or from others, and the enforcement of (or defense against) infringement claims. After earning his Bachelor of Science degree from Tulane University (Biology and Psychology), and graduating from law school at the University of San Francisco, he subsequently returned home to Little Rock, Arkansas as a law clerk at the Arkansas Court of Appeals. Joe then entered private practice with a well known Little Rock business law firm, departing as a partner on the eve of 2000 to better concentrate his practice in the areas of patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets and business competition. Currently a mentor at The Venture Center and Forge Institute , and actively supporting the entrepreneurial ecosystem, Joe has long been involved in business start-up and growth. In the 1990’s he represented the Technical Enterprise Center, Arkansas’ first business incubator, in assisting tenants organizing business operations and entering the market. He also formed a number of community development corporations to develop and implement plans to revitalize commercial districts and nearby housing. Mr. Calhoun also organized ContourMed, Inc., the first company to emerge from Arkansas BioVentures, the technology development incubator at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Joe was Treasurer of the Arkansas Biotechnology Association from 1997 to 2001, and Treasurer of the Arkansas Technology Transfer Society from 1997 to 2003. He was the principal draftsman of the Arkansas Biotechnology Training & Incentive Act of 1997, and provided assistance in the promulgation of regulations. He was involved in the Arkansas Venture Forum in 2002 and 2003, assisting in the planning of the Arkansas Venture Conference and grooming companies for making their presentations at the Conference. Joe was chairman of the Intellectual Property Law Section of the Arkansas Bar Association for 2006/2007; he was also chair for 2016/2017. And in 2014, Joe was an active member of the Advisory Committee for the Life Sciences Emerging Technology Fund of the Central Texas (Austin) Regional Center of Innovation & Commercialization; that committee vetted companies and evaluated their applications for grant funding from the State of Texas. MARK T. KOO OF COUNSEL Mark Koo, a registered patent attorney licensed in California, focuses his practice in the areas of intellectual property and business start-up. He can be reached directly at 510-396-8596. After earning his B.S. degree in electrical engineering and his M.S. degree in Materials Science at the University of the Pacific, Mark entered the private sector and accumulated an impressive cache of experience in technologies such as: data warehousing wireless software and hardware technologies software for Wi-Fi voice communication technologies internet technologies After graduating from McGeorge School of Law and becoming licensed to practice law in California (2011), Mark became a registered patent attorney and began concentrating his law practice on patents, copyrights and trademarks. MARINA K. BOATRIGHT, J.D., PH.D. Dr. Boatright is a registered patent attorney associated with Calhoun Law Firm, and is based in Little Rock, Arkansas. She has an extensive research background, with a focus in biomedicine and biotechnology, including: (a) physiology and biochemistry of microorganisms and algae; (b) formation of carcinogenic substances during food processing; (c) oxidative and enzymatic DNA damage; (d) genetic kidney diseases; and (e) protein stress-related receptors. Besides having a research career spanning over twenty years, she was an Assistant Professor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ Department of Physiology and Biophysics for over ten years. Some of her scientific interests include membranes and membrane-bound proteins, carcinogenesis and cancer prevention, structure and enzymology of lipids, oxidative and hypoxic injury, cell death, and gene therapy. Dr. Boatright earned a M.S. degree in Biochemical Engineering from the Institute of Applied Biotechnology in Moscow, and a Ph.D. in Microbiology and Biochemistry from Moscow State University. She also earned a J.D. degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law, and she is licensed to practice law in Missouri. She is also fluent in Russian.

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Our law firm offers legal expertise that many law firms do not always have in-house; our firm is often retained through referrals from clients’ attorneys or accountants, and we value our working relationships with such referral sources. | Little Rock, AR and Palo Alto, CA OUR REFERRAL SOURCES Our law firm offers legal expertise that many law firms do not always have in-house; our firm is often retained through referrals from clients’ attorneys or accountants, and we value our working relationships with such referral sources. Naturally when our services are retained through such referrals, Calhoun Law Firm adheres to a “no poaching” policy, voluntarily limiting its engagement to the matters for which it was originally engaged .

If you need legal representation in the areas of Intellectual Property (patents, copyrights, trademarks), business start-up, expansion, and competition inteh San Francisco Bay Area, contact our office in Palo Alto, California today. AREAS SERVED SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA San Francisco Bay Area Office 1 Embarcadero Center, Ste. 1200 San Francisco, California 94111 Joe Calhoun: 415-483-5525 CONTACT FORM Name Phone Email Write a message Submit Thanks for submitting!

Our firm is often retained through referrals from clients’ attorneys or accountants, and we value our working relationships. The Calhoun Law Firm adheres to a “no poaching” policy, voluntarily limiting its engagement to the matters it was retained for. | Little Rock, AR and Palo Alto, CA REFERRALS OUR REFERRAL SOURCES Our law firm offers legal expertise that many law firms do not always have in-house; our firm is often retained through referrals from clients’ attorneys or accountants, and we value our working relationships with such referral sources. Naturally when our services are retained through such referrals, Calhoun Law Firm adheres to a “no poaching” policy, voluntarily limiting its engagement to the matters it was retained for.

Attorney Joe Calhoun has been the counsel of recond for many high profile intellectual property lawsuits. Here is a description of some of those cases. | Little Rock, AR and Palo Alto, CA LITIGATION BELOW ARE SOME INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAWSUITS WITH JOE CALHOUN LISTED AS COUNSEL OF RECORD: Plaintiff's counsel representing a music reviewer and blogger of music industry news events, against affiliated radio stations that removed Plaintiff's copyright notices on the blog posts and then used those copyrighted creative works as templates for derivative works posted on the radio stations' website blogs. The primary allegations were for copyright infringement and violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Following court mediation, our client received a substantial settlement amount. Defense counsel for a company making soil additive products sold to the nation's largest retailer, defending both against infringement claims involving multiple patents. After having the lawsuit transferred from an out-of-state federal court to federal district court in Little Rock, and following a hearing wherein the court construed the patent claims in dispute to have the meaning asserted by the defendants, summary judgment was entered dismissing all patent infringement claims. Plaintiff’s counsel representing an animal feed manufacturing company against one of the larger animal feed competitors which was accusing Mr. Calhoun's client of trademark infringement. With negotiations nearing an impasse, a Complaint was filed in the federal district court, alleging claims against the competitor for unfair competition, infringement of our client's common law trademark, and cancellation of the competitor's federal trademark registration. Following receipt of the Complaint, the competitor resumed good faith negotiations that led to a settlement along terms very beneficial to our client. Plaintiff’s counsel representing an inventor against his brother and nephew, involving primary allegations of breach of contract and deceit concerning inventorship and ownership of technology. The defendants essentially duped our client into developing an automated grocery cart sanitation system, with promises of co-ownership in a company to be formed for selling or licensing the system; the defendants secretly filed a patent application that failed to name the client as an inventor, and they formed the company without providing the client with any ownership interest. The case settled after the firm obtained partial summary judgment awarding its client co-ownership of the technology and related patent application, declaratory judgment that the defendants’ licensing of the technology was unauthorized, and summary adjudication of liability for breach of contract and conversion. Defense counsel representing a retail chain, with primary allegations of trademark infringement, unfair competition and tortious interference concerning retail sales of hair care products sold by the plaintiff manufacturer only for re-sale by salons. Mr. Calhoun obtained summary judgment dismissing all claims, providing the firm’s client with legal justification to continue selling such products. That summary judgment has also provided a potent shield for deflecting a number of similar demands by other manufacturers. Plaintiff’s counsel representing a chimney sweeping company, pursuing primary claims of state trademark infringement and unfair competition. Calhoun Law Firm represented a business owner against his nephew, who had initially been employed to run the business, then licensed to open a second location for the client’s business. The nephew surreptitiously misappropriated the plaintiff’s telephone number and customer list, then incorporated a competing business under a name confusingly similar to the plaintiff’s. Despite a verdict of infringement and permanent injunction prohibiting the nephew’s continued use of the plaintiff’s mark, the defendant continued to infringe and compete unfairly. The firm then obtained a judgment of willful contempt of the permanent injunction, and the client was awarded costs and attorneys’ fees. Defense counsel representing a fledgling tribe of Native Americans against another tribe, primarily involving alleged trademark infringement by our clients. Mr. Calhoun substituted in as defense counsel, then filed counterclaims against the plaintiff tribe (and third party claims personally against its officers) primarily for their fraudulent trademark registrations, deceptive trade practices, and unfair competition. Calhoun Law Firm’s clients obtained summary judgment that the opponents were liable for fraudulent trademark registration and deceptive trade practices; the relief awarded included cancellation of the opponent’s trademark registrations, destruction of materials bearing infringing marks, and injunction against the use or attempted registration of any confusingly similar marks. Defense counsel representing a manufacture of skin care products in a copyright infringement action filed by a photographer in connection with a swimsuit calendar promoting our client’s products. The court granted partial summary judgment that our client was not liable to the plaintiff for direct copyright infringement or for common law punitive damages. The case settled promptly after the court summarily dismissed the plaintiff’s multi-million dollar claim for statutory damages. Plaintiff’s counsel representing the developer of copyright-protected protocols and materials for counseling and treatment of substance abuse and addiction; the primary claims were for copyright infringement, trademark infringement and unfair competition. The defendant was caught photocopying the client’s materials rather than purchasing authorized copies as previously done. The court permanently enjoined further unauthorized copying (and use of the client’s registered service mark), and ordered the defendants to deliver up all infringing materials for destruction. Defense counsel representing a start-up company and its owners against their former employer, seeking an injunction prohibiting the clients from operating a competing business and soliciting the customers of the former employer; the primary allegations were for trade secret misappropriation and breach of a non-compete covenant in the field of bucket-truck testing services. Despite a seemingly ironclad non-compete agreement specifying application of another state’s law, the court was persuaded to apply Arkansas law and invalidate the non-compete agreement. The court also found that the plaintiff’s misconduct had precipitated the clients’ departure from employment at the plaintiff; accordingly, the court refused to enjoin the defendants from conducting business with most of the known customers, so the firm’s clients were able to continue operating the start-up business. Defense counsel representing co-inventors of a device that improved automotive engine performance, against a plaintiff that bought the device and packaged it for resale in a private-label installation kit. The plaintiff’s complaint primarily alleged theft of trade secrets, unfair and deceptive trade practices, and intentional interference with business and contractual relations. The court granted summary judgment dismissing all of the plaintiff’s claims, and entered summary judgment granting the client’s counterclaim for debt owed; the court also awarded the firm’s client its costs and attorneys’ fees. Plaintiff’s counsel representing an animal feed manufacturer against another, involving primary allegations of false advertising and unfair competition concerning claims made in the advertising of animal feed. A confidential settlement was reached, following appropriate changes to the advertising materials.

The Calhoun Law Firm maintains office in both Little Rock, Arkansas and the Palo Alto, California serving those with legal needs in the areas of Intellectual Property, business start-up, expansion and competion. | Little Rock, AR and Palo Alto, CA CONTACT US LOCATIONS Central Arkansas Office 417 Main Street, Suite 400-5 Little Rock, AR 72201 Phone: 501-374-1700 Fax: 501-374-1701 Bay Area Office 1 Embarcadero Center, Ste. 1200 San Francisco, California 94111 Joe Calhoun: 415-483-5525 Mailing Address P.O. Box 251504 Little Rock, AR 72225 CONTACT FORM Name Phone Email Write a message Submit Thanks for submitting!

Attorneys in our Business Start-Ups practice provide entrepreneurial services and guide small businesses, emerging growth companies and venture-backed companies through each stage of growth. | Little Rock, AR and Palo Alto, CA BUSINESS START-UP & GROWTH EXAMPLES OF SOME OF THE FIRM’S NON-LITIGATION LEGAL EXPERIENCE INCLUDE REPRESENTATION OF THE FOLLOWING: Universities in pursuing patenting of bio-based, optical, electro-magnetic, electronic, mechanical, software-based and nano technologies, and licensing technology to spin-off companies. One of the premier providers of gift products sold in most of the major retailers nationwide, involved in product development, branding and licensing. A start-up agri-biotechnology company in licensing technology patented by the United States Department of Agriculture, and negotiating sub-licensing with companies within the United States and in foreign countries. An animal feed manufacturing company in structuring domestic and foreign distribution agreements and strategic alliances. A start-up drug manufacturing company. A retiree in patenting his invention, commencing manufacturing of his invention/product, and in branding. A cyber security company, in crafting its Master Service Agreement and website Privacy Policy. An inventor of wound treatment biotechnology (and his succeeding start-up company) in pursuing patenting of technology and registration of trademarks within the United States and in foreign countries; subsequent representation of the inventor in sub-licensing of technology from the start-up company for use in particular fields of use. A start-up veterinary products company in licensing negotiations with companies within and outside the United States. A start-up biotechnology company in obtaining and commercializing patents on environmental remediation technology. Inventors patenting medical devices, and licensing medical devices to major medical device manufacturers.

If you need legal representation in the areas of Intellectual Property (patents, copyrights, trademarks), business start-up, expansion, and competition in Central Arkansas, contact our Little Rock office today. AREAS SERVED LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS Technology Park 417 Main Street, Suite 400-5 Little Rock, Arkansas 72201 Phone: 501-374-1700 Fax: 501-374-1701 CONTACT FORM Name Phone Email Write a message Submit Thanks for submitting!

Calhoun Law Firm: Patents Copyrights Trademarks Business Law & Disputes | Little Rock, AR and San Francisco, CA CREATIVE LEGAL SOLUTIONS SM Calhoun Law Firm excels in Intellectual Property (patents, copyrights, trademarks), business start-up, growth and competition. UNDERSTANDING INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW Joseph Calhoun of Calhoun Law Firm explains the basics of intellectual property law. If you need a better understanding of IP law and how it can impact your company, this video will answer many questions. HELPFUL TIPS FOR PATENTING AN INVENTION This video provides helpful tips and a detailed explanation of patents . Also, learn when you or your business should consider patenting an idea. UNDERSTANDING COPYRIGHTS Discover what creative outputs are covered by copyrights and how you can protect the ownership and distribution of your work. UNDERSTANDING TRADEMARKS Learn what a trademark is, and discover the benefits of registering your trademark. DISPUTE RESOLUTION Joseph Calhoun of Calhoun Law Firm explains the basics of handling intellectual property disputes, through arbitration or litigation. HIRING AN IP LAWYER This video explains the primary considerations for discussing your legal needs with a candidate IP attorney, to match your needs and budget with the attorney’s experience and fields of competence, and to determine whether any projects might be possible on a fixed-fee basis.

The Calhoun Law Firm is equiped with decades of experience in all areas of Intellectual Property Law, business start-ups, expansion and competition. | Little Rock, AR and Palo Alto, CA PRACTICE AREAS PATENT PROCUREMENT LICENSING & LITIGATION Patents grant the owner of the patent the exclusive right to prevent others from making (or importing), using or selling whatever invention is specified in the patent claims. The patent owner may also grant others an exclusive or non-exclusive right to make (or import), use or sell the patented invention. The owner’s granting of such rights to another is called a “license”, which is essentially a temporary lease of those rights. By contrast, the conveyance of ownership/title to the patented invention is accomplished by an “assignment” of the patent. Calhoun Law Firm files patent applications and assists clients in obtaining patents, and in patent licenses and assignments. Calhoun Law Firm is also experienced in cases involving enforcement of (or defense against) patent infringement claims. Our webpage entitled Disputes summarizes a representative sample of intellectual property cases (including patent infringement) wherein Joe Calhoun is counsel of record. Patent searching can be achieved at https://patents.google.com/ or www.uspto.gov/patents/search/patent-public-search COPYRIGHT REGISTRATION LICENSING & LITIGATION Copyright registrations provide the creator (or owner) of works of art or authorship with the exclusive right to display (or perform) the original work in public, or make copies, or make derivatives of the original work of art or authorship. The owner’s granting of such rights to others is called a “license”, which is essentially a temporary lease of one or more of those rights. By contrast, the conveyance of ownership/title to the registered work is accomplished by an “assignment”. The attorneys at Calhoun Law Firm are experienced in registering copyrights, transferring copyrights by license or assignment, and enforcing (or defending against) copyright infringement claims. Our webpage entitled Disputes summarizes a representative sample of intellectual property cases (including copyright infringement) wherein Joe Calhoun is counsel of record. Searching of the Copyright Office registrations can be accomplished at www.copyright.gov/public-records/ TRADEMARK REGISTRATION LICENSING & LITIGATION A trademark or service mark can be anything that consumers perceive as a source identifier for the provider of such products/services. Trademark rights enable the owner of the mark to prevent another from adopting a mark that is likely to confuse consumers as to the source or sponsorship of the products/services, if that later adopter used that mark for products/services that are the same as or related to those of the owner. Registration at the U.S. Trademark Office provides procedural advantages and additional means to enforce those trademark rights, possibly throughout the United States, against later adopters of a confusingly similar mark. A license is a lease of one or more trademark rights; an assignment conveys ownership/title to the trademark. The attorneys at Calhoun Law Firm are experienced in registering, licensing and assigning trademarks, and enforcing (or defending against) trademark infringement claims. Our webpage entitled Disputes summarizes a representative sample of intellectual property cases (including trademark infringement) wherein Joe Calhoun is counsel of record. Trademark searching can be achieved at https://tmsearch.uspto.gov/search/search-information TRADE SECRET COUNSELING & LITIGATION In general, trade secrets may include any types of financial, business, scientific, technical, economic or engineering information, if: (A) the owner has taken reasonable measures to keep such information secret ; and (B) the information has actual or potential independent economic value from not being generally known to (and not being readily ascertainable through proper means by) another person who can obtain economic value from its disclosure or use. Misappropriation of trade secrets can occur in several ways, including (1) acquisition of a trade secret by a person who has reason to know that the trade secret was acquired by improper means, or (2) disclosure or use of a trade secret by a person who used improper means to acquire the trade secret, or who, at the time of disclosure or use, had reason to know that the trade secret was derived from somebody who used improper means to acquire it. Calhoun Law Firm is experienced in designing measures deemed legally reasonable to keep such information secret, and in disputes involving the enforcement of (and defense against) claims of misappropriation of trade secrets. UNFAIR COMPETITION COUNSELING & LITIGATION Unfair competition is closely related to trademark infringement, with similar proof elements but with more general forms of violations and with broader implications. For example, unfair competition applies to various courses of business conduct deemed competitively “unfair”, as well as to the misuse of trademarks. Moreover, the federal statutes protecting trademarks (the Lanham Act) provide federal court jurisdiction over unfair competition involving unregistered trademarks, whereas a federally registered trademark is required for federal court jurisdiction over a trademark infringement dispute. Calhoun Law Firm has decades of experience in assisting business clients navigate through competitive minefields and unfair competition litigation. FALSE ADVERTISING DISPUTES Advertising content necessary to establish a case for false advertising generally falls into one of two categories: commercial claims that are literally false as a factual matter; and claims that may be literally true or ambiguous, but which implicitly convey a false impression, or are misleading in context, or likely to deceive consumers. Calhoun Law Firm provides guidance concerning what you (or a competitor) may or may not claim in advertising; the Firm also provides courtroom representation in enforcing (or defending against) claims of false or misleading advertising. BUSINESS ORGANIZATION EXPANSION & LITIGATION Calhoun Law Firm is fortunate to have a number of clients that it helped start and expand, and that now continue to rely upon our prompt and cost effective guidance. Our services include guiding clients in accomplishing many of the everyday endeavors encountered in starting or growing a business. We greatly value long-term relationships, and typically treat each new client as if a long-term relationship is a shared objective. And when disputes arise during business competition, Calhoun Law Firm can be relied upon to provide competent and cost effective legal representation. CONTRACT NEGOTIATION AND ENFORCEMENT Contract forms abound on the internet, some good and some not so good. Calhoun Law Firm maintains an impressive library of contracts amassed during the past 30 years, and the Firm has decades of experience in “stress testing” contracts through litigation involving enforcement of (or defense against) breach of contract claims. We regularly tailor contracts selected from our library, to fit the particular context of the client’s circumstances and to satisfy the client’s legal needs spawned by those circumstances. COMMERCIAL LAW COUNSELING & DISPUTES Commercial law encompasses many areas of law relating to businesses engaged in commerce, such as the sale of products or the rendering of services. Examples of such legal fields include company formation or organization, product development and manufacturing, distribution and sales of products or services, and the acquisition or sale of business assets. Calhoun Law Firm is well-steeped in most aspects of those fields due to our historic core legal practice emphasizing intellectual property law, and business start-up and growth. Experience in commercial law fields is a natural offshoot of our core legal practice. BUSINESS COMPETITION & STRATEGIES COUNSELING Knowing what your company can (or cannot) do in business competition, or what a competitor can (or cannot) do, will provide a firm foundation for developing strategies to successfully market your products or services. Calhoun Law Firm knows the do’s and don’ts. ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION Alternatives to lawsuits include mediation and arbitration, ideally administered or managed by a disinterested third party (paid by one or both parties). Mediation and arbitration cannot be forced upon anybody; both require an agreement to submit the particular type of dispute to mediation and/or arbitration, either as a substitute for a court proceeding or as a prerequisite to the filing of a lawsuit. Arbitration is typically “binding”, meaning the decision (award) of the arbitrator is final and can be converted into an enforceable judgment by a court. But there is no requirement that arbitration be binding, unless it is required by the contract. By contrast, mediation is never binding; mediators typically discuss the case facts and law with both sides, then attempt to use persuasive powers to get the parties to agree to a resolution of the dispute. Calhoun Law Firm is experienced in representing clients in arbitration and mediation, and in court proceedings to either enforce a contractual arbitration clause or to declare it unenforceable. APPEALS Following entry of a judgment by a court, either or both side(s) may decide to appeal portions of the judgment that are adverse. Although most appeals are filed with the applicable state or federal Court of Appeals, the respective state or federal Supreme Court may have jurisdiction to accept some appeals before they are ruled upon by the Court of Appeals. Many nuances accompany the identification of appealable issues, the standard to be applied by the appellate court to determine each such issue, and the overall structuring of the client’s arguments for reversal of the adverse portions of the judgment entered by the trial court. It is sometimes advantageous to have “fresh eyes” review the case and trial transcript concerning appeal strategies, in conjunction with (or as a replacement of) trial counsel. Calhoun Law Firm will capably provide such services in whatever capacity is requested by the client.