Benjamin A. Tramm

Assistant:

Andrea Endris
aendris@merchantgould.com
612.371.5370

Education

Bar Admissions

Professional Affiliations

 Articles Authored

Speaking Engagements

Ben is a patent attorney with a background in electrical engineering and physics. He counsels his clients in the strategic use of patents and other forms of intellectual property to protect their inventions and advance their business goals. His clients include individuals, startups, small to mid-sized companies, and large international corporations.

Being registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Ben is familiar with the intricacies of the U.S. patent process, and also frequently works with lawyers around the world to secure international patent rights. In addition to patent searching, preparation, and prosecution; Ben's experience includes patent reexamination, licensing, and opinions.

Ben has a diverse technical background. Fields of technical experience include: software, medical devices, wireless communication, e-commerce, electronics, mechanical devices, business methods, semiconductors, aerospace, magnetic media, and nanotechnology.

Before practicing law, Ben worked for Medtronic, Inc. where he designed and built computer automated test systems for testing medical devices, including electrical and software design. While at the University of Minnesota, Ben was the team leader for the wireless communication team in the design of a solar powered vehicle.

Education

University of Minnesota, Institute of Technology
Bachelor of Electrical Engineering, 2002

Bethel University
Bachelor of Arts, Physics and Engineering, 2002

William Mitchell College of Law
Juris Doctor, cum laude, 2006

Bar Admissions

Minnesota State Bar
U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota
United States Patent and Trademark Office

Professional Affiliations

Minnesota Intellectual Property Law Association
Minnesota State Bar Association
Volunteer Attorney with Volunteer Lawyers Network
Volunteer Attorney with LegalCORPS

Articles Authored

Handling Ownership Issues For A Mutually Satisfying Collaboration, By Benjamin Tramm, MN Nano ENewsletter (November 2009)

Co-author of update to Intellectual Property Counseling and Litigation, Ch. 2, Drafting Patents with a View to Litigation (May 2009)

Phoenix Solutions' Plasma Technology Enables Full-Scale Production of Nanoparticles, By Benjamin Tramm, MN Nano ENewsletter (April 2009)

OmegaGenesis Uses Nanotechnology to Promote Growth of New Blood Vessels, By Don Morrison, Benjamin Tramm, MN Nano ENewsletter (January 2009)

Sage Electrochromics Uses Nanomaterials to Improve Smart Window Technology, By Benjamin Tramm, MN Nano ENewsletter (October 2008)

Supreme Court Dictates Flexible Approach to Obviousness, Tramm, Viswanathan and Kettelberger, Intellectual Property Today, p. 18-19 (June 2007)

Co-author of Patent Pros blog, the new, the useful, and the non-obvious for patent practitioners (August 2005 - November 2006)

Speaking Engagements 

An Overview of Intellectual Property for Business Leaders, presented as part of the Strategic Technology Management course of Bethel University's MBA program, October 2010.

Bilski and Business Methods Pt. 2: Certainty and Uncertainty, BP/G Radio, http://www.bpgradio.com, July 23, 2010.

An Overview of Intellectual Property for Business Leaders, presented as part of the Strategic Technology Management course of Bethel University's MBA program, May 2010.

Intellectual Property, presented with Jarett Millar at the University of Minnesota's mechanical engineering senior design course, May 2010.