Ashley L. Kirk
Associate
Denise Adams
713.223.2300 x2749
Ms. Ashley Kirk is an intellectual property attorney whose practice includes patent and trademark prosecution, licensing and technology transfer, as well as intellectual property litigation. She has experience prosecuting patents in the electrical, optical, mechanical, and biomedical fields including systems and controls, communications technologies, electrical materials, LCD and plasma display technology, laser technology, medical devices, and software.
Representative Matters
Lisa Frank, Inc. v. Jakks Pacific, Inc. CIVIL ACTION NO. CIV 03 271TUCRCC - Favorably settled matter for Lisa Frank, Inc. in a case involving patented pencil design and method of manufacture.
Tele-Publishing, Inc. v. Andrew B. Sutcliffe et al. CIVIL ACTION NO. CIV 04 506TUC CRP - Favorably settled matter for Sutcliffe and several weekly newspapers in a case involving a patented software application.
Freecycle Network v. Tim Oey et al. CIVIL ACTION NO. CIV06-173-TUC-RCC NINTH CIRCUIT ACTION NO. D.C. No. 06-16219 - Represented Oey et al. in a trademark dispute with the Freecycle Network. A favorable, unanimous decision of the the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held that there is no legal cause of action for “trademark disparagement.”
Represented a major international software company in a multi-million dollar software licensing agreement.
Publications and Speeches
"USPTO Initiatives," University of Texas, CLE, 2007.
"IP & Licensing: Top 5 Mistakes Start-ups Make With Regard to IP," 2006.
"Eliminate Intellectual Property Concerns When Partnering with a Pharmaceutical Company," Bio Southwest, 2006.
"Planning to Execute: Perspectives on Intellectual Property for Startups," Panelist Idea Funding, 2005.
"Obtaining IP on a Budget: How to control outside counsel costs," Association of Corporate Counsel, 2004.
Education
J.D., University of Illinois College of Law, 2002
B.S., Electrical and Computer Engineering, Baylor University, 1999
Bar Admissions
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Texas
Arizona
Court Admissions
U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit
The Supreme Court of Texas
Supreme Court of the State of Arizona
U.S. District Court Arizona
Affiliations
State Bar of Texas
State Bar of Arizona
Central Texas Angel Network, Austin
Screening Panel for the Texas Emerging Technology Fund, San Antonio
Board Member, San Antonio Technology Accelerator Initiative (SATAI)
San Antonio Manufacturers Alliance
Bexar County Women’s Bar Association