Panitch Schwarze Belisario & Nadel LLP is pleased to announce that intellectual property attorney Ronald J. Ventola II has been appointed to serve as vice chair of the U.S. Patent Office Practice Committee of the Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO), an international trade association representing organizations and individuals in technology with an interest in intellectual property rights.

The Committee works to improve patent prosecution practice in the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), studying and reporting on changes in the process and making recommendations to the USPTO. As vice chair, Ventola will periodically meet with USPTO officials and organize informative presentations sponsored by the Committee at the IPO’s annual meeting.

The Intellectual Property Owners Association membership includes more than 450 organizations and spans more than 30 countries. IPO advocates for effective and affordable IP ownership rights and offers a wide array of services, including supporting member interests relating to legislative and international issues; analyzing current IP issues; providing information and educational services; supporting and advocating for diversity, equity, and inclusion in IP and innovation; and disseminating information to the public on the importance of IP rights.

Ventola is an experienced intellectual property attorney licensed in Pennsylvania and registered to practice before the USPTO. He has a broad range of experience, including counseling clients, obtaining protection, and litigating disputes under the laws governing patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets. He is well-versed in a variety of technologies, having prosecuted and advised on patents for industrial equipment, medical devices, manufacturing methods, tools, and support structures, among others. He also counsels clients on patent clearance and licensing and prepares agreements for both outbound and inbound assignment and licensing of patents and know-how.

Ventola represents and counsels clients in litigation matters and pre-litigation disputes, including disputes involving allegations of patent infringement, copyright infringement, and breach of agreements involving intellectual property.