Ernest W. Grumbles III

612.336.4601  |  Email  |  vCard  |  Biography

Minneapolis Office
3200 IDS Center
80 South Eighth Street
Minneapolis, MN
55402 USA

ph: 612.332.5300
fax: 612.332.9081

Assistant:

Carol Hough
chough@merchantgould.com
612.371.5257

Education

Bar Admissions

Professional Affiliations

Media Sites

Recent Podcasts

Quoted

Interviews

Recent Articles

Recent Presentations

Ernest is a trial attorney and has handled numerous intellectual property disputes in federal courts around the United States, including patent litigation related to semiconductor wafer inspection tools, medical devices and electronic gaming equipment, and trademark enforcement for national consumer brand companies. Ernest just second-chaired a four-week patent infringement trial in spring 2009 in the District of Minnesota for a wafer inspection client, handling several witnesses on direct and cross-examination, including damages experts. The matter, still pending, resulted in a jury verdict for the client in excess of $6 million and a rejection of defendant's invalidity allegation. Ernest was co-lead counsel in a copyright infringement lawsuit related to the Baltimore Ravens Super Bowl ring, a matter which settled favorably on the eve of trial. While practicing on the Texas-Mexico border, Ernest was first-chair defense counsel in a federal narcotics conspiracy trial and also argued before the Texas Court of Appeals.

IP/innovation counseling and portfolio development are also important parts of Ernest's practice. He is a counselor to several startup and early-stage enterprises, assisting them in recognizing and protecting IP assets and evolving innovation strategies around launch, growth and finance. Current technology focuses include interactive web applications, medical devices, location- and mobile-based services, green-tech, food/drug coatings and IC/wafer inspection.

Ernest is a community advocate for startups and innovation policy in Minnesota and is a Co-Founder and leader of MOJO Minnesota (http://www.mojominnesota.com/). MOJO, a collective of entrepreneurs, VC's, angel investors and startup advisors, launched in 2009 and has been working on various policy change and community building efforts to make Minnesota a strong place to launch and fund new innovative enterprise.

Ernest is also active in social media, including as co-host of BP/G Radio, a intellectual property podcast found at http://www.bpgradio.com/. He also posts on new IP, technology and startup developments on twitter (www.twitter.com/ernestgrumbles) and Tech.MN (http://tech.mn/). Ernest regularly speaks on IP and innovation issues, including recent presentations on IP for Startups, Minnesota's Angel Investor Tax Credit, Green Tech IP and others.

Ernest has achieved an AV peer review rating by Martindale-Hubbell.

Education

Boston College
B.A., Political Science, magna cum laude, 1989

University of Wisconsin-Madison
J.D., with honors, 1995

Judicial Clerk, Honorable Reynaldo G. Garza, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, 1995-1996

Bar Admissions

Texas, 1995
Wisconsin, 1995
Minnesota, 1997
U.S. District Courts - D. Minn.; W.D. Wis.; E.D. Wis.; E.D. Texas; S.D. Texas; N.D. Fla.
U.S. Courts of Appeals - Federal; 8th; 5th

Professional Affiliations

Media Sites

bp/g radio - IP podcast - www.bpgradio.com

ernest's twitter feed: www.twitter.com/ernestgrumbles

Recent Podcasts

Bilski and Business Methods Pt. 2: Certainty in Uncertainty, July 23rd, 2010 View

Can Your IP Practice Go Green?, April 30th, 2010 View

Raising the Bar - Patent Reform EPO-Style, March 5th, 2010 View

Bloggers, Obey the Law: a Visit with the FTC on the New "Blogger Guidelines", January 20th, 2010 View

To hear older podcasts visit BP/G Radio

Quoted

Domain name auction company sued over sham bids by Sheri Qualters
The National Law Journal - November 2009 View

Facebook Members to Become Masters of Their Domain Names, By Renay San Miguel.
TechNewsWorld - June 2009 View

Wall Street Firms In A Trade Secrets State Of Mind, By Jesse Greenspan
IPLaw360 - May, 2008 View

Interviews

http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/07/30/pm-podcast/

"PTO, foreign agencies fast-track green technology" - National Law Journal, January 25, 2010

"The Three Year Anniversary of eBay v. MercExchange: A Statistical Analysis of Permanent Injunctions" - Intellectual Property Today - November 2009 (with Rachel Hughey and Susan Perera)

Fear and Trembling - Or Not: Thoughts on the VoloMedia Podcasting Patent, August 25, 2009 View

Verizon's Holiday Present - A $33 Million Judgment Against a Cybersquatter
namesmash website - January 2009 View

FTC 404's Canadian Domain Scammers
namesmash website - August 2008 View

Downfall of the Rogue Registrar: Lessons from the Dell Case
namesmash website - June 2008 View

Co-author of The Inventor Who Died and Other Mysteries - Resolved
Intellectual Property Today - January 2008 View

Co-author, with William D. Schultz, of Issues in Keyword Advertising
IP Law360 - December 2006

Co-author of Trademarks on the Internet: An Update on Metatags, Sponsored Links, and Pop-up Advertisements
The IP Book - October 2006 View

Co-author of Protective Orders: An Evolving Balancing Act
The Patent Lawyer - Spring 2006 View

Recent Presentations 

Startup Weekend - Twin Cities, Presentation Judge - Sept. 19, 2010 (upcoming)

MOJO Launch Event - MOJO Minnesota - Co-Host - May 27, 2010

"Minnesota's Angel Investor Tax Credit" - Community Venture Network - April 23, 2010 

"How to Work with Lawyers" - Holmes Center for Entrpeneurship Guest Speaker - April 22, 2010 

"'IP for Mobile Startups" - Mobile Twin Cities - April 20, 2010 

"Secrecy vs. Collaboration in Inventions" - Third Place - March 12, 2010

"IP for Startups" - CoCoMSP Entrepreneur DayCamp - January 27, 2010

Clean and Green: A Sensible Approach to IP Protection for New Energy Innovation, Energy Synergy: Melding the Green Economy and the Law (December 8, 2009) 

Presentation Archive