DURHAM, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Global intellectual property (IP) attorney firm Murgitroyd has expanded its IP strategy and patent searching capabilities with the addition of industry heavy-hitters Michael Chernoff and John Wootress and a 16-strong patent engineer team to its staff.

Messrs Chernoff, Wootress and colleagues will enhance Murgitroyd’s offering in the areas of:

• Patent research – including searching worldwide patents and non-patent literature to provide search reports that will assist with patentability, freedom-to-operate, validity and IP landscaping projects;
• Patent analytics – detailed patent reviews, including patent categorization, filing and grant trends, and analysis of key inventors and companies;
• IP strategy – optimization and management of global IP portfolios for start-up and established companies.

Mr Chernoff was previously the Chief Intellectual Property Officer of MDB Capital Group, LLC and joins Murgitroyd as Director, IP Strategy and Portfolio Management. He brings over 22 years of experience in the field of IP to his role at Murgitroyd.

Prior to heading up IP Strategy at MDB, Mr Chernoff served as Director of Legal Services, Patent Operations at Accenture, as Associate Patent Counsel for Worldcom, and as an Associate at the boutique IP law firm Burns, Doane, Swecker and Mathis LLP. Before that, he was a Patent Examiner at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Mr Chernoff is ranked as one of the “World’s Leading IP Strategists” in the 2015 and 2016 editions of Intellectual Asset Magazine’s IAM Strategy 300.

Mr Wootress was previously the Director of Intellectual Property at MDB Capital Group, LLC, and joins Murgitroyd as Director, IP Research and Analysis. He brings over 16 years of experience in the IP field to his role at Murgitroyd.

Prior to managing the IP Services Division of MDB, he served as Deputy General Counsel for Belkin International, as an Associate General Counsel for Aristocrat Technologies Inc. and as an Associate at Merchant & Gould.

Mr Chernoff commented: “We are very excited to join Murgitroyd with our team. Our commitment to high quality patent research and outstanding customer service fit perfectly and enhance Murgitroyd’s principles of innovation, invention and entrepreneurship”.

Murgitroyd’s CMO, Jamie LeLiever commented on the appointments: “We are delighted to welcome Michael, John and the team to Murgitroyd. Their reputation precedes them and we look forward to further enhancing the Murgitroyd customer experience with their expertise on board”.

ENDS

About Murgitroyd

Murgitroyd ranks among the largest groups of patent and trademark attorneys in Europe, with over 60 patent and trademark professionals and 260 staff. Its 14 European offices in the UK, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy and Switzerland provide local and European representation. It also has direct representation rights in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, two client liaison offices in the United States, together with the addition, with today’s acquisition, of an office carrying out patent searching services in Managua, Nicaragua. The firm works across all industrial sectors.

Visit murgitroyd.com for further information.