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Whitney Blair is a member of the firm’s Intellectual Property section. Her practice focuses on the preparation and prosecution of U.S., international, and foreign patent applications. She advises clients about patentability, inventorship, freedom-to-operate, patent validity, and strategic patent procurement. Ms. Blair also has licensing and counseling experience.
Ms. Blair represents large and small clients, often working closely with in-house counsel to develop worldwide patent portfolios. She specializes in medical device patent applications. Ms. Blair has prosecuted hundreds of medical device patent applications to allowance and has successfully handled appeals before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB).
Previously, Ms. Blair managed the patent portfolio of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which included diverse medical device, vaccine, diagnostic, and therapeutic technologies. In this role, she was responsible for overseeing patent prosecution, as well as negotiating intellectual property licenses with industry partners ranging from small startup biotechnology companies to major corporations.
Ms. Blair is recognized as one of Utah’s Legal Elite.
Experience
- Prior to attending law school, Ms. Blair gained research experience at some of the leading clinical research institutions in the U.S., including Boston Children’s Hospital and the National Institutes of Health.
- Ms. Blair was previously an associate patent attorney at Maschoff Brennan in Salt Lake City, Utah, where she was trained in prosecuting patents in the software art, which has proved useful in light of the emergence of software as an integral part of various medical devices.
