Robert A. Kalinsky

612.336.4771  |  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:

Patricia Larrimore
plarrimore@merchantgould.com
612.371.5255

Education

Bar Admissions

Professional Affiliations

Publications

Presentations

Honors and Awards

Rob practices general intellectual property law, including both patent prosecution and litigation. The patent prosecution aspect of his practice has a concentration in the electrical and mechanical arts, including an emphasis in software and biomedical device patents. In addition, Rob provides litigation support in a variety of areas.

Rob helps clients of all sizes to strategically grow their patent portfolios. He has experience helping individuals and companies develop patent strategies. Rob has particular expertise in preparing and prosecuting software and business method patents. He has helped many clients patent Internet-based and financial innovations. Rob understands the unique issues surrounding these technologies and helps his clients think strategically when seeking to protect core business processes.

Rob also enjoys representing children in foster care proceedings on behalf of the Children's Law Center of Minnesota.

Before practicing law, Rob was a software engineer for MCI Telecommunications, working on the design and integration of sophisticated calling card platforms.

Education

University of Iowa
B.S.E., Biomedical Engineering, 1996

University of Iowa
J.D., with distinction, 2000

Bar Admissions

Minnesota State Bar, 2001
U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, 2001
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, 2001
Federal Circuit, 2003

Professional Affiliations

Minnesota State Bar Association
American Bar Association
Minnesota Intellectual Property Law Association

Publications

Software Patent Litigation
American Bar Association, ABA Section of Litigation, Intellectual Property Litigation Roundtable Discussion (April 2006)

Google Digital Library Lawsuits
American Bar Association, ABA Google Digital Library Litigation Subcommittee Report (February 2006)

Supreme Court's Inducement Theory in Grokster Creates Uncertainty
Intellectual Property Today (August 2005)

Brief of Amicus Curiae Association of Patent Law Firms In Support of Plaintiff-Appellants' Combined Petition for Panel Rehearing and Rehearing En Banc
Hoffmann-La Roche Inc. v. Promega Corporation (May 2003)

The Supreme Court Clarifies Electronic Rights for Freelancers and Publishers
The Licensing Journal (April 2002, Vol. 22, No. 4)

ANALYSIS: Tasini -- Online Publishers Beware
Minnesota State Bar Association Computer Law Section, Computer Law News (Spring 2002, Vol. 18, No. 3)

Brief for Amicus Curiae American Intellectual Property Law Association In Support of Neither Party
The New York Times Company v. Tasini (January 2001)

Presentations

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) 

Death to Software Patents! Nah.....
BP/G Radio - http://www.bpgradio.com/ (May 7, 2008)

File Sharing 101: Napster, Aimster, Grokster - What's Nextster?
Minnesota Intellectual Property Law Association, MIPLA Stampede (May 4, 2005)

Honors and Awards

Recognized as a "Minnesota Rising Star" by Minnesota Law & Politics (2006-2009)