Damon Ashcraft assists clients in identifying, protecting, and maximizing the value of their intellectual property. In that regard, he has experience conducting intellectual property audits, preparing patent and trademark applications, preparing intellectual property and software license agreements, and handling various intellectual property litigation matters, including actions for patent infringement. Damon has a keen understanding of the needs of emerging companies and is often called upon to identify and protect and monetize a company's intellectual property assets. Further, Damon often is called upon to provide training to clients' employees in identifying valuable intellectual property.
As a registered patent attorney, Damon prepares and prosecutes patent applications in the biotechnology, medical device, electronics, software and business method areas, and manages numerous global patent portfolios. His technical experience includes medical devices, software, microbiology, optics, pumps, heaters, ultrasound, semiconductors, wireless devices, software and circuitry.
Damon has experience in domestic and foreign trademark registration and currently manages numerous trademark portfolios. Further, he enforces and defends clients’ trademark rights before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board and in various federal and state courts. Damon has represented trademark owners in numerous domain name disputes resolved by the Universal Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy, or “UDRP.”
He also negotiates intellectual property and software assignments, license agreements, material transfer agreements and research development agreements. Damon’s practice further includes assisting clients in handling intellectual property transfer and due diligence during mergers and acquisitions. His experience with mergers and acquisitions include serving as the principal intellectual property attorney on deals valued in the range of twenty-five million dollars to over eight hundred million dollars.
Damon is a frequent speaker on various intellectual property topics and has authored and co-authored various articles. He is also an active member of the International Trademark Association ("INTA") and the Intellectual Property Constituency (IPC) of Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) which has a significant role in Internet governance.
As part of his role with ICANN, Damon represented the IPC as their delegate to ICANN's Nominating Committee (NomCom) which appoints 50 percent of ICANN's Board of Directors and other key leadership positions within ICANN. In September 2017, ICANN's Board appointed Damon as Chair-Elect of the NomCom.
