Attorneys:
Charles L. Evans is Of Counsel with the Olive Law Group. Mr. Evans has more than 10 years of experience in a wide variety of intellectual property areas, including copyrights, trademarks, patents, licensing, due diligence, e-commerce and computer law. He has a broad range of experience in both private practice and as in-house corporate counsel for a computer software development company in the Raleigh area.
Mr. Evans graduated from North Carolina State University with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and a B.S. in Computer Engineering and received his J.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is also registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Mr. Evans represents emerging growth, software, and technology companies, and he assists clients in the prosecution of U.S. and foreign patent applications in the electronics, computer software and business method arts.
Education
Laura L. Kiefer is Of Counsel with the Olive Law Group and has over 11 years of experience preparing, filing, and prosecuting patent applications before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Before obtaining her law degree, Dr. Kiefer worked as a research scientist in both large and start-up pharmaceutical companies and is co-author on 17 scientific articles published in peer-reviewed journals. Prior to joining the Olive Law Group, Dr. Kiefer worked in private practice at a North Carolina intellectual property law specialty firm and as in-house corporate counsel for an entrepreneurial medical device development company spun out of Duke University.
Dr. Kiefer focuses her practice on assisting clients in building a strategic international patent portfolio, and she has significant experience with international patent prosecution, including PCT International and National phase patent prosecution. In addition, she assists clients regarding patentability and patent infringement matters and development of technology-based agreements and new business due diligence. Dr. Kiefer also advises clients on the selection, use, and enforcement of trademarks and trade secrets.
Dr. Kiefer’s practice has included work in the following technology areas:
Justin R. Nifong is an associate with the Olive Law Group. Mr. Nifong’s practice focuses on patent prosecution before the United States Patent and Trademark Office and patent prosecution in foreign countries, including PCT patent applications. Mr. Nifong’s practice also includes rendering patentability and clearance opinions, and counseling clients in regards to intellectual property litigation. Mr. Nifong has represented many international companies, including serving as outside counsel for a Fortune 100 company. Mr. Nifong also has experience in United States reissue, reexamination and European opposition practice. Mr. Nifong has represented clients in various intellectual property litigation matters including patent infringement, patent invalidity, patent ownership, trade dress and trade secret matters.
Mr. Nifong is a frequent speaker on intellectual property issues for various organizations. Additionally, Mr. Nifong serves as editor of the North Carolina Bar Association official intellectual property publication, IP Links.
Mr. Nifong’s practice has included work in the following technology areas:
Bentley J. Olive, is the founder of the Olive Law Group and has over twelve years of experience in intellectual property matters including patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets. Prior to forming the Olive Law Group, Mr. Olive was a partner at a North Carolina intellectual property law specialty firm.
Mr. Olive's practice includes preparing, filing and prosecuting patent, trademark and service mark applications before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. In addition, Mr. Olive assists clients regarding patentability and patent infringement matters. He also has significant experience with international patent prosecution, including PCT International and National phase patent prosecution. Mr. Olive also assists clients regarding the selection, use and enforcement of trademarks and service marks. Further, Mr. Olive assists clients with respect to trade secret matters.
Currently, Mr. Olive serves as Council Member of the Intellectual Property Law Section of the North Carolina Bar Association, and previously served as Chair of the Patent Law Committee of the Intellectual Property Law Section of the North Carolina Bar Association. He also serves on the North Carolina State University Engineering Foundation Board. Mr. Olive formerly served on the Board of Advisors of the North Carolina Journal of Law & Technology at the UNC School of Law.
Mr. Olive has lectured on various intellectual property law topics at the College of Engineering at North Carolina State University and at the UNC School of Law.
Mr. Olive volunteers pro bono services for the North Carolina Bar Association's NC LEAP program. In addition, Mr. Olive has volunteered as a judge in American Bar Association law student competitions.
Mr. Olive’s practice has included work in the following technology areas:
Charles L. Evans is Of Counsel with the Olive Law Group. Mr. Evans has more than 10 years of experience in a wide variety of intellectual property areas, including copyrights, trademarks, patents, licensing, due diligence, e-commerce and computer law. He has a broad range of experience in both private practice and as in-house corporate counsel for a computer software development company in the Raleigh area.Mr. Evans graduated from North Carolina State University with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and a B.S. in Computer Engineering and received his J.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is also registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Mr. Evans represents emerging growth, software, and technology companies, and he assists clients in the prosecution of U.S. and foreign patent applications in the electronics, computer software and business method arts.
Education
- J.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- B.S., Electrical Engineering, North Carolina State University
- B.S., Computer Engineering, North Carolina State University
- North Carolina Bar Association
- American Intellectual Property Law Association
- North Carolina State Bar
- United States Patent and Trademark Office
Laura L. Kiefer is Of Counsel with the Olive Law Group and has over 11 years of experience preparing, filing, and prosecuting patent applications before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Before obtaining her law degree, Dr. Kiefer worked as a research scientist in both large and start-up pharmaceutical companies and is co-author on 17 scientific articles published in peer-reviewed journals. Prior to joining the Olive Law Group, Dr. Kiefer worked in private practice at a North Carolina intellectual property law specialty firm and as in-house corporate counsel for an entrepreneurial medical device development company spun out of Duke University. Dr. Kiefer focuses her practice on assisting clients in building a strategic international patent portfolio, and she has significant experience with international patent prosecution, including PCT International and National phase patent prosecution. In addition, she assists clients regarding patentability and patent infringement matters and development of technology-based agreements and new business due diligence. Dr. Kiefer also advises clients on the selection, use, and enforcement of trademarks and trade secrets.
Dr. Kiefer’s practice has included work in the following technology areas:
- Peptide, protein, receptor biochemistry, cell-based assays, and antibody-based technologies, including medical devices and diagnostics
- Bioinformatics, including, genomics/proteomics/metabolomics for biomarker discovery and disease diagnosis and prognosis
- Agricultural biotechnology, including plant genetic modification for crop trait improvement
- J.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Ph.D., Biochemistry, Duke University
- M.S., Biochemistry, University of Georgia
- B.S., Biochemistry, Florida State University
- North Carolina Bar Association
- American Intellectual Property Law Association
- North Carolina State Bar
- United States Patent and Trademark Office
Justin R. Nifong is an associate with the Olive Law Group. Mr. Nifong’s practice focuses on patent prosecution before the United States Patent and Trademark Office and patent prosecution in foreign countries, including PCT patent applications. Mr. Nifong’s practice also includes rendering patentability and clearance opinions, and counseling clients in regards to intellectual property litigation. Mr. Nifong has represented many international companies, including serving as outside counsel for a Fortune 100 company. Mr. Nifong also has experience in United States reissue, reexamination and European opposition practice. Mr. Nifong has represented clients in various intellectual property litigation matters including patent infringement, patent invalidity, patent ownership, trade dress and trade secret matters. Mr. Nifong is a frequent speaker on intellectual property issues for various organizations. Additionally, Mr. Nifong serves as editor of the North Carolina Bar Association official intellectual property publication, IP Links.
Mr. Nifong’s practice has included work in the following technology areas:
- Medical products, including medical bandages, testing equipment and drug delivery devices
- Mechanical devices, including aviation seating arrangements and turbine engines
- Optical products, including lens assemblies
- Electrical devices, including semiconductors, lighting systems, and RFID technology
- Electronics, including Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) and home entertainment systems
- Computer systems, including computer monitoring systems for monitoring a production line
- J.D., University of Wake Forest School of Law
- B.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
- B.S., Physics, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
- North Carolina Bar Association
- American Society of Mechanical Engineers
- North Carolina State Bar
- United States Patent and Trademark Office
- United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina
Bentley J. Olive, is the founder of the Olive Law Group and has over twelve years of experience in intellectual property matters including patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets. Prior to forming the Olive Law Group, Mr. Olive was a partner at a North Carolina intellectual property law specialty firm. Mr. Olive's practice includes preparing, filing and prosecuting patent, trademark and service mark applications before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. In addition, Mr. Olive assists clients regarding patentability and patent infringement matters. He also has significant experience with international patent prosecution, including PCT International and National phase patent prosecution. Mr. Olive also assists clients regarding the selection, use and enforcement of trademarks and service marks. Further, Mr. Olive assists clients with respect to trade secret matters.
Currently, Mr. Olive serves as Council Member of the Intellectual Property Law Section of the North Carolina Bar Association, and previously served as Chair of the Patent Law Committee of the Intellectual Property Law Section of the North Carolina Bar Association. He also serves on the North Carolina State University Engineering Foundation Board. Mr. Olive formerly served on the Board of Advisors of the North Carolina Journal of Law & Technology at the UNC School of Law.
Mr. Olive has lectured on various intellectual property law topics at the College of Engineering at North Carolina State University and at the UNC School of Law.
Mr. Olive volunteers pro bono services for the North Carolina Bar Association's NC LEAP program. In addition, Mr. Olive has volunteered as a judge in American Bar Association law student competitions.
Mr. Olive’s practice has included work in the following technology areas:
- Hardware
- Software
- Medical equipment and devices, including medical imaging technologies
- Smartphone applications
- Cleantech
- Thermoelectric technologies
- Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs)
- Semiconductors
- Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS)
- Information Technology (IT), including business method and Internet technologies
- Nanotechnology
- Telecommunications, including SIP and IP signaling
- Microfluidics
- Construction test equipment, including nuclear-based moisture-density surface gauges
- Mechanical devices and equipment
- Flight recorder and in-flight entertainment technologies
- J.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- B.S., Electrical Engineering, North Carolina State University
- B.S., Computer Engineering, North Carolina State University
- North Carolina Bar Association
- IEEE
- North Carolina State Bar
- United States Patent and Trademark Office
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