Cantor Colburn has been named a Tier 1 firm in Hartford for Patent Law, Trademark Law, Copyright Law, Litigation - Patent, and Litigation - Intellectual Property Practice in the 2025 edition of Best Law Firms®.

Cantor Colburn is proud to announce that the following attorneys are recognized as 2025 Best Lawyers: Christopher C. Boehm, David Bomzer, Alison Caless, Michael A. Cantor, Michelle P. Ciotola, Philmore H. Colburn II, Steven M. Coyle, Nicholas A. Geiger, Charles F. O'Brien, Roberta L. Pelletier, Leah M. Reimer, Ph.D., David E. Rodrigues, Ph.D.,  Michael J. Rye, Bryan D. Zerhusen, Ph.D., Susan M. Zerull. Michael Cantor is a Best Lawyer Lawyer of the Year. 

On April 23, 2024, the FTC voted to finalize the “Non-Compete Clause Rule." Subject to exceptions, the Rule generally states that entering into a non-compete clause with a worker after the Rule’s effective date, including senior executives, is an unfair method of competition. Read Cantor Colburn's Client Alert about this issue. UPDATE 

AUTM’s Annual Meeting is the largest gathering of technology transfer professionals. This year's meeting on February 19-21, 2023, in Austin is a chance to connect, and gain insights from world-class speakers and panels from more than 90 educational sessions. Cantor Colburn's team at the meeting is Anne Maxwell, Ph.D. Bryan Zerhusen, Ph.D., Charlie O'Brien and Nicholas Herrel, Ph.D. 

In August 2021, the United States Federal Circuit Court of Appeals held in Omni Medsci vs. Apple Inc. that a university IP policy and employment agreement providing that patents developed by an employee “shall be the property of” the university does not present an automatic assignment of future patent rights, and therefore is not sufficient to effectuate the assignment of legal title to the university. This case is a reminder that proper assignment language in a contract must be utilized to effectuate the desired transfer of intellectual property, and without it, you may not own what you think you own.

The recent U.S. Supreme Court opinion in Minerva Surgical, Inc. v. Hologic, Inc., et al. upholds the centuries-old doctrine of assignor estoppel while simultaneously clarifying the boundaries of the doctrine’s application. Minerva may impact how businesses develop and implement their strategies to perfect ownership of their intellectual property. Cantor Colburn's Client Alert discusses what this means to you.

Cantor Colburn is the founding sponsor of the Innovation Summit, now in its tenth year.

On Monday, June 22, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling in Kimble v. Marvel Enterprises that leaves intact a 50-year-old rule barring royalty agreements that continue after a patent expires. Cantor Colburn partner Charles O'Brien is among the experts who comment in IP Law360.

Cantor Colburn’s Charles O’Brien, a partner at the intellectual property law firm, was quoted in a recent Hartford Courant news article about “patent trolls.”

The Connecticut Invention Convention honored Cantor Colburn partner Charles O'Brien as he stepped down from its board of directors after four years as a member.

Cantor Colburn was nationally ranked for patent litigation by Corporate Counsel magazine in its October 2013 issue. Cantor Colburn’s dedicated team of litigation attorneys have decades of experience in presenting technically complex matters for trial in front of judges and juries. A partner participates in every facet of the case, bringing results that count for the client. And at each phase of the litigation, Cantor Colburn seeks practical strategies to achieve a prompt, efficient resolution of the dispute.

Charlie O'Brien discusses Invalidity Opinions in Patent Litigation: Shielding Against Liability and Reducing Exposure to Enhanced Damages, Attorney-Client Privilege Implications, a live 90-minute premium CLE video webinar with interactive Q&A, presented by Strafford. This CLE course will provide patent counsel with guidance on using invalidity opinions in defense of patent infringement claims. The panel will discuss the issue of waiver of the attorney-client privilege and other factors when considering invalidity opinions. The panel will provide best practices for obtaining and using invalidity opinions.

Charlie O'Brien will be a panelist for the webinar "Evaluating and Acquiring Patent Portfolios: Key Considerations: Structuring the Transaction, Conducting Due Diligence, Drafting and Negotiating Key Provisions" on February 23, 2023, presented by Strafford. This CLE webinar will guide patent counsel on the key considerations for evaluating and acquiring patent portfolios and provide insight into strategic considerations and transaction structures as well as the key issues to consider when conducting patent portfolio due diligence.

AUTM’s Annual Meeting is the largest gathering of technology transfer professionals. This annual, international meeting is a chance to connect, and gain insights from world-class speakers and panels from more than 90 educational sessions. The 2023 meeting will be held on February 19-22, 2023 in Austin, Texas.

Cantor Colburn LLP's Charles O'Brien presented a webinar on Inventorship - its requirements, its relationship to assignments and licenses - in collaboration with UConn Technology Commercialization Services on May 12, 2022.

The 100th Dinner in Honor of the Federal Judiciary will be held on March 25, 2022 in New York City.

The Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM) Annual Meeting takes place February 20-23, 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Cantor Colburn is a proud sponsor of the 2019 Connecticut Children's Gala. Co-Managing Partner Michael Cantor and Partner Charles O'Brien will attend the gala on November 2, 2019
at the Connecticut Convention Center.

Nursing is central to the high-quality, patient and family care experience at Connecticut Children's. Money raised will provide extraordinary support for the nurses and their innovative research and ensure a strong future for nursing at Connecticut Children's.

Charles O'Brien will present an introductory workshop on IP Basics and Agreements to the Greater Hartford Chapter of SCORE on October 9, 2019 from 1-3 PM at the Noah Webster Library in West Hartford, Connecticut.

Cantor Colburn is proud to sponsor 2019 ScaleUP CT on June 6, 2019 at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut. Presented by the Connecticut Technology Council, ScaleUP CT is designed to support companies that are beyond the startup phase. ScaleUP CT is an event built to educate and invigorate the leaders of Connecticut's growing tech-oriented companies. Now in its third year, the event will support companies in the tech sector at every stage of their growth and development. Co-managing partner Michael Cantor is on the CTC board of directors and will be a part of the program. 

Cantor Colburn is proud to sponsor the Boys & Girls Club of Hartford's 2019 GREAT Futures Celebration on April 18, 2019 at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford, Connecticut.

Cantor Colburn is proud to sponsor the New York Intellectual Property Law Association's 97th Annual Dinner in Honor of the Federal Judiciary on March 22, 2019. The firm is a longtime sponsor of the Judges' Dinner.

Partners Phil Colburn, Charlie O'Brien, Bud Bedingfield and Jenae Gureff will attend the American Intellectual Property Law Association MidWinter Meeting, January 30-February 2, 2019 in Tampa. 

Transactional Practice Group Chair Charlie O'Brien will speak on Monetizing Intellectual Property Assets Using Effective Licensing Strategies at a program presented by the Connecticut Bar Association Business Law Section On December 11, 2018 at the Quinnipiac Club in New Haven, Connecticut. 

Charlie O'Brien and David Bomzer will present "What Non-IP Attorneys and Business Professionals Need to Know About IP Transactions," with West LegalEdcenter, a Thomson Reuters Webinar. This session will provide attorneys and business professionals with an overview of the basic categories of intellectual property and describe the various structures of typical IP transitions.

Cantor Colburn Partner Charles O'Brien will present an introductory workshop on IP basics for business owners, "Intellectual Property for Business Owners," coordinated by the Greater Hartford Chapter of SCORE on November 7, 2018 in Simsbury, Connecticut.

Cantor Colburn is proud to be a Magic Moments Sponsor of the Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters, Start Something Big Gala being held at The Society Room at 6:00PM

Cantor Colburn is proud to sponsor ScaleUP CT on October 30, 2018 in Fairfield, Connecticut. Presented by the Connecticut Technology Council, ScaleUP CT is designed to support companies that are beyond the startup phase. ScaleUP CT is a half-day event built to educate and invigorate the leaders of Connecticut's growing companies.

The LES (Licensing Executives Society) Annual Meeting takes place October 14-17, 2018 in Boston. Cantor Colburn's Transactional Practice Group assists clients with sophisticated IP-related transactions.

Cantor Colburn Partner Charles O'Brien and Henkel Patent Counsel Taylor Coon will present an introductory workshop on IP basics to the Greater Hartford Chapter of SCORE on Tuesday, May 22, 2018 from 9-11AM at the Institute of Technology & Business Development in New Britain, Connecticut.

Cantor Colburn is proud to sponsor the New York Intellectual Property Law Association's 96th Annual Dinner in Honor of the Federal Judiciary on March 23, 2018. The firm is a longtime sponsor of the Judges' Dinner.

Charles O'Brien and Taylor Coon will present an introductory workshop on IP basics to the Greater Hartford Chapter of SCORE on March 14, 2018 from 10AM-12PM in East Hartford, Connecticut.

The Connecticut Intellectual Property Law Association (CIPLA) presents the workshop, “How IP Motivates Investors and Helps Price Drugs” on Wednesday, January 31, 2018 at the Graduate Club in New Haven, which includes a pre-event workshop for investors, entrepreneurs and attorneys.

Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin will speak at the MetroHartford Alliance Rising Star Breakfast on January 9 in Hartford.

CURE, BioscienceClubhouseCT, and the UConn Technology Incubation Program present "Lessons in Herding Cats: Strategic Opportunities for Life Science Companies" on November 14 at the Grossman Auditorium, Cell & Genome Sciences Building at UConn Farmington.

Charlie O'Brien presented a webinar on Artifex Software, Inc. v. Hancom, Inc. to the Intellectual Property Owners Association's Open Source Committee.

Cantor Colburn is proud to sponsor the New York Intellectual Property Law Association's 95th Annual Dinner in Honor of the Federal Judiciary on March 31, 2017.

The Innovation Summit is the largest networking event for Launch, Growth and Proven companies, featuring workshops,  Lunch with an Angel, Company Showcase, and more! Perfect for entrepreneurs, businesses, venture capitalists, angel investors, and members of the public. Cantor Colburn is the founding sponsor of this event.

The Licensing Executives Annual Meeting takes place on October 23-26, 2016 in Vancouver, BC, Canada, and will host more than 1,000 industry leaders from more than 800 companies. Cantor Colburn partner Charlie O'Brien is a presenter.

Cantor Colburn is proud to sponsor the Innovation Summit, presented by the Connecticut Technology Council.  

Charles O'Brien presented a webinar for the California State Bar Intellectual Property Section, entitled, "What’s the Deal? What In-House Counsel Need to Know About Intellectual Property Transactions" on August 19, 2015.

Partner Charles O'Brien presented "How to Value Your Innovation" to members of the Connecticut Inventors Association on July 28, 2015 at Fairfield University.

Mr. O'Brien chairs the firm's IP Transactional Practice Group and concentrates his transactional practice on the exploitation, transfer and licensing of technology, and IP rights through various IP related transactions. He has extensive experience in all aspects of complex IP licensing.