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Dr. Travis W. Bliss takes an approach to intellectual property law that seeks to assist clients throughout the entire IP process, from strategy development, counseling, and opinions; to procurement of appropriate IP rights (patents, trademarks, trade secrets); to monetization of those assets through development and implementation of effective IP licensing strategies; and, finally, to enforcing, defending, and challenging IP rights through litigations in court and before the USPTO.  Travis’s technology focus is largely on the life sciences, animal and plant health and genetics, agriculture, horticulture, and cannabis industries.  Travis’s legal approach considers the needs of each particular client and the primary issues facing and driving the relevant industry up-front to ensure the most beneficial and effective IP strategies are being developed and implemented.  This approach, coupled with his broad and multi-faceted view of IP rights, allows Travis to provide his clients with a comprehensive view of the IP landscape and solutions tailored to the client’s specific business needs and goals.

Dr. Travis W. Bliss counsels a variety of clients ranging from individual inventors to small businesses to Fortune 500 companies in nearly all aspects of intellectual property law.  Travis prepares and prosecutes patent applications; litigates patent, trademark, and other IP disputes in federal and state courts; represents clients before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Patent Trial and Appeal Board; counsels clients in a variety of IP issues, including due diligence, FTO, infringement, and patentability; works with clients to develop effective IP monetization strategies; and prepares and negotiates IP licenses.

Whether counseling clients on the most advantageous intellectual property avenues to pursue for a particular technology or counseling clients on the most practical ways to avoid or overcome the intellectual property of competitors, Travis strives to assist his clients from the planning stages all the way through execution to make sure his clients are getting the most out of their intellectual property assets. Travis’s flexibility and adaptability to consider and work in the newest legal proceedings and technologies give value to clients who are looking for optimal solutions specific to their business needs.

From a technology standpoint, Travis’s practice falls largely within the life sciences field, including pharmaceuticals and biologics, diagnostic testing methods/apparatus, and treatment methods. Travis’s practice also includes a focus on novel plant varieties and transgenic plants in the agriculture, horticulture, and cannabis/hemp industries, including procuring patent and trademark protection for novel varieties and monetizing those IP rights through licensing. His efforts in IP counseling in procurement in the cannabis and hemp space have allowed Travis to be ranked as a “Band 1” attorney in the area of Cannabis Law by Chambers USA. Additionally, Travis was named a 2021 Top Delaware Lawyer by Delaware today and he served as chair of the IP Biotechnology & Life Sciences Practice Group at a large, national firm before joining Panitch Schwarze.

Prior to entering the legal profession, Travis earned both a Bachelor of Science degree and a Ph.D. in animal science from the University of Delaware, with course work and research that focused on animal and plant genetics, molecular immunology, biotechnology, and bioinformatics. His Ph.D. dissertation addressed gene expression in avian macrophage cells using EST libraries and DNA microarrays, and he also participated in research projects that involved diagnostic testing, pathogen identification, vaccine analysis, and cell culture. These undergraduate and graduate programs gave Travis technical experience in numerous areas of the chemical and biological arts.

In addition to his regular legal work, Travis has spent hundreds of volunteer hours as a pro bono child attorney for the Delaware Office of the Child Advocate.

 

Memberships
  • AIPLA food and drug law section, member, 2021 — present
  • CIOPORA (International Community of Breeders of Asexually Reproduced Horticultural Plant Varieties), member and frequent educator, 2014 — present
  • AmericanHort, member and frequent educator, 2017 — present

 

Testimonials

“We are working with Travis Bliss on patents and Bridget Labutta with Trademarks, and they are both
outstanding in their respective fields.”

– Jacques Ferare, The Conard Pyle Company

 

“Travis Bliss does exceptional work. Timely in response with clear instructions and guidance.”

– Eric Lundgren, Fall Creek Farm and Nursery Inc.

  • Transgene and BioInvent International AB v. Replimune Limited, PGR2022-00014
  • Durr Systems, Inc. v. EFC Systems, Inc., C.A. No. 18-cv-02597-GJH (D. Md. 2021) (patent infringement and unfair competition relating to mechanical devices)
  • Ethox Chemicals, LLC v. The Coca-Cola Co., 683 F. App’x 958 (Fed. Cir. 2017) – (omitted inventor action under 35 U.S.C. § 256 concerning polymer compositions)
  • The Broad Institute, Inc. v. Regents of the University of California, Interference 106,048 – (Crispr-Cas9, 2016)
  • Laird Technologies, Inc. v. GrafTech International Holdings, Inc., IPR2014-00023, -024, -025 (expanded graphite materials)
  • Dung v. Buehler, Interference No. 105,893 – (analgesic compounds, 2014)
  • Agilent Technologies, Inc. v. Kirkland et al., C.A. No. 3512-VCS (Del. Court of Chancery 2010) (trade secret misappropriation relating to HPLC materials)
  • IP Star, Managing Intellectual Property, 2022, 2024
  • Patent 1000, IAM, Recommended Lawyer, 2024
  • Named 2021 Top Lawyer in Intellectual Property by Delaware Today, 2021
  • Ranked Band 1 in Cannabis Law, Chambers USA, 2019
  • David B. Brown Pro Bono Service Award from Potter Anderson & Corroon LLP, 2011

Travis serves as president of his neighborhood civic association, has volunteered as a coach for softball, wrestling, basketball, and soccer for a local youth club, and currently volunteers to run and coach a girls fastpitch softball team. In his spare time, he is an avid gardener, growing vegetables and fruits, and also enjoys making hard cider from locally sourced apple cider.

Hard apple cider made by Travis Bliss Fresh vegetables on a kitchen countertop
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Panitch Schwarze commits the time to listen to and evaluate each client’s unique needs so we can advise on the best forms of IP protection.