Intellectual Property Copyrights Consultants: 21

Brooks Hilliard, CMC, CCP is the only actively practicing expert witness in the world who is both a Certified Management Consultant and a Certified Computing Professional specializing in computer system selection and problem resolution. He has testified more than 30 times as a computer expert witness and has been engaged on more than 90 such matters for both plaintiffs and defendants. Mr. Hillard has done expert witness and consulting assignments in 25 states, and has qualified as an expert witness on computer software and hardware (including ERP, SCM and CRM systems) in both state and federal litigation. His expert witness engagements have included courtroom and deposition testimony in lawsuits, arbitrations, mediations and formal governmental hearings. 

Areas of Expertise:

• Allegations of ERP and CRM system failures and/or defective business software/systems
• Computer Forensics
• Intellectual property
• Valuation of computer hardware, software and services
• Regulatory, Procurement and Tax matters

Biernath Consulting helps small to midsized companies envision how AI and other advanced science & technology can help grow their business. He helps them create and implement innovative solutions to achieve success.

Rolf Biernath, PhD in Chemical Engineering, has over 30 years in the Chemicals and Electronics Industries with a concentration on AI advanced technology new product development. He developed new products and product lines at 3M for 31 years in senior technical roles. His 58 issued US patents span a broad range of scientific and engineering disciplines. 

Rolf has a strong drive to find the simplest and most effective solutions that meet customer needs and business objectives. His broad technical background and his resourceful ability to learn new fields quickly make him an ideal partner to help turn product's into fully realized new products and services. If it can be done, he'll find the way. If not, he'll tell you why, and let you know what advances might enable it in the future.

Rolf also works with VC and Angel Investors to assess a startup's new technology odds of technical and business success. He is known for his ability to break down complex technical problems and find the critical aspects that will make or break a new product. This helps investors ensure that financial investments are used to target the highest risks first, thereby reducing the money and time wasted chasing after products that may likely never see the light of day.

Consultant Specialties:

New Product Innovation Manufacturing Innovation Adhesives and Tapes Generative AI Prompt Engineering Root Cause Identification Chemical Engineering

Smart Devices IoT Devices IIoT Sensors Electromechanical Assemblies

Background Experience - Dr. Biernath has 58 Issued US Patents on New Products, including:

• Industrial Adhesives and Tapes – 3D printing materials, development, automation, and tape application processes
• Electronic Displays and optical display films, outdoor digital displays, backlights, LED color mixing
• Electronic Materials, epoxy thermoset adhesives, application process, elastomeric, high speed electronic connectors
• Signage, retroreflective signage, license plate recognition, ADAS, Human Invisible, Machine-Readable Coding System
• IoT and IIoT, Automatic and predictive selection and replacement of controllers, novel low-cost oil-detection sensor
• Microreplication, microfluidics, textured adhesives and processes

View Dr. Rolf Biernath's Expert Witness Profile.

Rob Wallace has unique expertise in Trademark, Trade Dress, Copyright, Brand Identity and Package Design Infringement. For 30+ years, Rob ran one of the nation's top Brand Identity Strategy and Package Design Resources providing global branding expertise to Fortune 500 companies in virtually all CPG categories. His clients include P&G, Nestle, Pepsico, Unilever, Kraft, Colgate, The Home Depot, Brown-Foreman, Novartis, J&J and more than 30 market leading companies. Manhattan-based, Rob has been an expert witness for important litigation involving:

• Likelihood of Consumer Confusion, Brand Valuation & Dilution
• Innovation/Ideation Copyright
• Package Graphic/Structural Design
• Product Design
• Branding Industry Best Practices
• False Advertising
• Corrective Advertising
• and all brand related issues.

Rob has commissioned literally hundreds of consumer surveys and is uniquely qualified to determine the results of all research. He has worked for attorneys on both the plaintiff and defense sides of his cases. He is effective and efficient with the average project report requiring between 10 and 12 hours.

Michael Nranian, JD, MBA, MS has over 30 years experience focusing in Product Development, Intellectual Property, Patent Litigation, Legal and Technical Compliance, and Product Liability Litigation. He is a licensed attorney in Michigan, Texas, & the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Mr. Nranian is a Six Sigma Black Belt, Professional Engineer, & Certified Project Management Professional. He has an in-depth background and education in Law, IP, Electrical, Chemical & Computer Engineering, & Business. He has testified extensively as an expert witness in depositions, hearings, and trials in state & federal courts.

Mr. Nranian conducts Product and Technology Analysis, Patentability & Prior Art Research,and provides Technology & Litigation Support for Intellectual Property. His litigation background includes patent infringement / non-infringement under literal infringement and the doctrine of equivalents, patent validity / invalidity, prior art, & file-wrapper estoppel, for both ITC and Federal cases, including Inter Partes reviews. He conducts analysis of patents and products, prepares claim charts, & expert witness reports. This includes testimony and document preparation for cases before state, and federal court jurisdictions, and the International Trade Commission and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.

Mr. Nranian is thoroughly familiar with all 101, 102, 103, 112, and other enablement and prior art arguments. His experience includes Technology Standards Boards and Licensing Authorities, Antitrust / DOJ, Technology Development and Transfer, Patents, Trademarks, Trade Secrets, and Copyrights, Licensing, Unfair Competition/Trade, False/Deceptive Advertising, & Lanham Act Actions, & Class Actions.

His Product Liability Expert Witness litigation background includes all types of Safety Systems, Electrical Systems, Fires, Accident Reconstruction, and Evaluation of Alternative Designs for Automotive, Medical and other industries. He has over 29 years of experience in Automotive Safety Systems, Sensors, Seatbelts, Airbags / Curtains, Seats, Diagnostic Systems, Crash Recorders, Crash Pulse Analysis, System Diagnostic, Fault Codes, Structure (including roof-crush and door) and front, side & roll-over systems (including sensing and algorithm development) for domestic and international corporations. He is thoroughly familiar with all regulatory (including FMVSS), and corporate due-care requirements, & preemption arguments, occupant kinematics, & injury causation.

Argent Media™ is a full-service Search Engine Marketing Agency that offers website optimization, search engine marketing strategies, and online reputation management. Founded by Chris Silver Smith and based in Dallas-Fort Worth, Argent Media has been provided high-quality, custom services to large and small companies, both domestic and international. 

Argent Media offers a broad range of bespoke web marketing services including:

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Local Search Optimization Image SEO and Video SEO

Social Media Management Online Reputation Management SEO Expert Witness Consulting

Chris Silver Smith, the President and CEO of Argent Media™, has an extensive background in search engine optimization and online marketing. He has worked for some of the top agencies in the SEO industry, researching and developing search optimization and providing search marketing strategies for Fortune 500 and Internet Retailer 500 companies. 

Mr. Smith worked at Verizon/Idearc for over ten years, serving as the Head of Technology & Advanced Development for their Superpages.com sites. His projects there included R&D, local search development, user interface design, map-based search, mobile applications, and more. He was awarded the Verizon Individual Excellence Award in 2004 for his innovations, which increased site traffic (and click-through revenues) for the company. 

In 2006, Mr. Smith founded and chaired the Idearc SEO Council, which brought together individuals from across the company to focus on natural search optimization. 

Mr. Smith currently has five patents pending. His work has been featured in several publications, and he regularly contributes articles to Natural Search Blog, Nodal Bits, and Search Engine Land (which is the leading online publication dealing with paid and natural search marketing). Mr. Smith is a regular speaker at a number of technology and marketing conferences, and he also previously served on the Board of Advisors for Thomas-Reuters FindLaw's SEO Advisory Board, and on the Board of Advisors for Universal Business Listing (UBL).

View Chris Silver Smith's Expert Witness Profile.

FORENSIC EXPERT WITNESS - PHOTOGRAPHY

Professor Jeff Sedlik has decades of experience at the highest level of professional photography including advertising, corporate, editorial and stock. He is a respected and acknowledged authority on photography having served as Past National President of professional photography's leading trade organization,  "Advertising Photographers of America". Professor Sedlik is also an experienced Expert Witness. 

Areas of Expertise:

Contracts Copyright Licensing Publicity Rights Model Releases

Lost/Damaged Film Stock Photography Business Practices Forensic Scene Recreation Forensic Image Analysis