As an attorney who practices in all areas of intellectual property litigation, as well as data privacy and security, Eric Chad prides himself on keeping thieves, trolls, hackers, and the government off his clients’ backs. In every matter, Eric makes sure he understands his client’s objectives and takes all relevant factors into account when offering advice, including legal implications, business impact, and budgetary restrictions.
Eric understands that, when a client calls him, the top priority is a pragmatic and affordable solution to that client’s legal issues. Rather than dive down a rabbit hole of legal minutiae, Eric gets to work collaborating with his client to resolve any issues efficiently and quickly.
On the data privacy and security side, Eric counsels clients on a multitude of issues, such as navigating compliance with complex legal and regulatory frameworks like the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation and the California Consumer Privacy Act. This includes working with clients to ensure that attempts at compliance are necessary and that issues are appropriately prioritized to promote efficiencies. Eric also helps his clients by drafting, or aiding in the drafting of, internal and public-facing policy documents, such as privacy notices and website terms of use. Other services Eric performs in this area include vendor management, developing and implementing incident response plans, and counseling regarding numerous sectoral regulations, such as the FRCA, FERPA, COPPA, and others.
Eric has also spent the last decade litigating complex intellectual property disputes, including cases involving patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, publicity rights, and unfair competition. Eric has appeared in Federal District Court’s across the country advocating for his clients. He involves himself in all aspects of these litigations, from pre-filing investigation through post-trial briefing and appeals. Eric has also represented clients before the Patent and Trademark Office’s Trademark and Appeals Board.
Eric Chad previously served as an adjunct professor at the University of Minnesota Law School where he taught the Intellectual Property Moot Court class and coached the IP Moot Court team. He also works with the Children’s Law Center of Minnesota to represent children who have been or are in danger of being removed from their homes.
Outside of the office, Eric spends time with his wife, Vanessa, and his daughter, Grace, playing with his dog, reading, gardening, and pretending to exercise.