William P. Dani

Partner | wdani@wnj.com | V-Card Grand RapidsT 616.752.2197F 616.222.2197 Bill Dani counsels clients on a wide range of intellectual property matters, including patent, trademark, trade dress, trade secret and copyright matters. He's experienced in all aspects of patent law, including assessing the patentability of inventions, preparing and prosecuting utility and design patent applications and evaluating patent infringement and patent validity issues. He has worked with mechanical, electrical, electro-mechanical and computer... Read More

Bill Dani counsels clients on a wide range of intellectual property matters, including patent, trademark, trade dress, trade secret and copyright matters. He's experienced in all aspects of patent law, including assessing the patentability of inventions, preparing and prosecuting utility and design patent applications and evaluating patent infringement and patent validity issues. He has worked with mechanical, electrical, electro-mechanical and computer-related patents in a wide range of fields such as automotive components, consumer goods, furniture, electronics, control systems, HVAC, manufacturing equipment and software systems.

Bill's clients, which include individuals as well as corporations with sales in the billions, appreciate his deep understanding of how intellectual property can be used most effectively in a wide range of business environments and technology landscapes. He's experienced in developing tailored strategies for intellectual property rights and for managing intellectual property portfolios.

Bill also has extensive experience in mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, collaborations and other multiple-party interactions involving intellectual property. Bill has worked on a wide range of development agreements, joint ventures agreement, licensing agreements, purchase agreements and other technology procurement agreements.

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Industries

Practices

Education

  • University of Michigan J.D. 1993    
  • Michigan Technological University B.S. 1990 Computer Science magna cum laude

Admitted

  • 1993, Michigan
  • U.S. Patent & Trademark Office

Courts

  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit

Honors and Awards

  • AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated, Martindale-Hubbell

Bar Associations

  • American Bar Association
  • State Bar of Michigan
    Intellectual Property Law Section, Chair (2001-02); Chair, Patent Committee (1996-97); Council Member (1995-Present)
  • Grand Rapids Bar Association

Experience

  • Lead outside patent counsel to companies of various sizes, ranging from small family-owned businesses to large corporations, including one with more than  $10 billion in annual sales
  • Coordinated international patent portfolio directed to complex electrical technology with more than 700 patents and applications
  • Developed corporate-wide intellectual property strategy and related policies for large international corporation
  • Coordinated patent prosecution for large international portfolio of design patents and design registrations
  • Conducted patent clearance work and patentability assessments in the U.S. and abroad for a wide range of mechanical and electrical inventions
  • Drafted and negotiated a variety of intellectual property agreements, including license agreements, joint development agreements, supply agreements, employee agreements,  confidentiality agreements and technology procurement agreements

Publications

  • The Patent Leadership Conference:  Top Partners on Best Practices & Winning Legal Strategies for Managing Patent Portfolios

Professional Affiliations

  • American Intellectual Property Law Association
  • Michigan Patent Law Association
  • Michigan Technology Council
    Board of Directors, West Michigan Chapter (1994-96)

Community Affiliations

  • Grand Rapids Ballet Company
    Board Member and Secretary
  • Sparta Community Foundation
    Chair, Board of Trustees

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