PHILADELPHIA, February 2, 2022―Richard L. Cruz has joined Duane Morris LLP as a partner in the firm’s Intellectual Property Practice Group in its Philadelphia office. Prior to joining Duane Morris, Cruz was a partner at DLA Piper.
“We’re proud to have an Intellectual Property Practice Group with a deep bench of extraordinary talent,” said Duane Morris Chairman and CEO Matthew A. Taylor. “Our intellectual property practice is an absolute powerhouse, and now even more so. We’re thrilled that Richard has decided to join us.”
“With his engineering background and focus on the electrical arts such as blockchain and cryptocurrency technologies, Richard enhances the firm’s skillset in these areas,” said Woody Jameson, chair of the firm’s Intellectual Property Practice Group. “We look forward to supporting Richard with his existing clients and to leveraging his experience with clients of Duane Morris.”
Cruz focuses his practice on domestic and foreign patent, trademark and copyright prosecution; trade secrets; IP clearance, validity and infringement analysis and opinions; trademark oppositions and cancellations; reexamination and reissue proceedings; intellectual property program development and deployment; strategic IP portfolio development; website/domain name protection and website policies. As it pertains to patents, Cruz handles matters in the electrical and mechanical arts generally, with a particular focus on computer and software technologies, including digital health technology, online healthcare records, artificial intelligence, business methods, financial sector services, blockchain and cryptocurrency technology, electronic transactions and platforms, e-commerce, online banking, electronic data storage and retrieval, online gaming, internet-related technologies, networking and telecommunications. He has represented clients before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board in various proceedings at the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and has advised in both patent and trademark proceedings in foreign jurisdictions including Canada, the United Kingdom, Singapore, China, Brazil, Italy and others. In addition, Cruz has represented clients before the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers in formal Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy proceedings.
“Beyond benefiting from the firm’s internal platform, its collaborative culture and industry focus, I’m very excited to be part of such a strong, dynamic intellectual property group,” added Cruz.
Cruz is a graduate of the Widener University School of Law (J.D., 2002) and the University of Pittsburgh (B.S., 1994).
About Duane Morris
Duane Morris LLP provides innovative solutions to today’s multifaceted legal and business challenges through the collegial and collaborative culture of its more than 800 attorneys in offices across the United States and internationally. The firm represents a broad array of clients, spanning all major practices and industries. Duane Morris has been recognized by BTI Consulting as both a client service leader and a most recommended law firm.
