Dr. Maria Laccotripe Zacharakis, Boston Office Managing Partner, has 27 years of experience in intellectual property matters. Maria focuses on the area of life sciences, especially in the fields of biotechnology, molecular biology, immunology, biochemistry, interfering RNA, microbiology, tissue engineering, molecular diagnostics, protein therapeutics, and stem cell therapies. She assists clients in developing and implementing effective IP strategies and building strong patent portfolios that protect and facilitate commercialization of biological and pharmaceutical products, as well as platform technologies. She also assists clients, such as companies and investors, with evaluating intellectual property assets in connection with acquisitions, licensing, collaborations, and financing. Maria has developed world-wide strategies to protect products in the market with multi-billion annual sales, as well as performed the IP due diligence for multiple multi-million dollar transactions. She represents a broad range of clients, including start-up biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, established biopharmaceutical corporations, and academic institutions. Maria has extensive experience in:
- Patent preparation and worldwide patent prosecution
- Due diligence evaluations of patent portfolios
- Analysis, evaluation and opinions on the patentability of inventions
- Freedom-to-operate assessments
- Patent validity opinions
- Competitive landscape analyses
- Interference proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeals Board (PTAB)
- Opposition proceedings before the European Patent Office
- Investigating and resolving inventorship disputes
- Involvement in licensing strategies, negotiations, and agreements.
Maria has also conducted pre-litigation investigations and advised clients on patent infringement, Biological Price Competition and Innovation Act (BPCIA) litigations, and ANDA actions under the Hatch-Waxman Act, as well as played an active role in the proceedings when they matured beyond the investigatory stage.
