A former English teacher, football and wrestling coach at Fork Union Military Academy (VA), Chuck had an unusual path to intellectual property law. After teaching, he spent a few years in the Dairy Science Department at Virginia Tech before turning to law school, where his science background helped to develop his niche in the area of intellectual property.
He has more than more than 30 years of experience in:
- U.S. and foreign intellectual property
- Patent prosecution, protection and litigation
- Patent infringement and validity opinions
- Trademark prosecution, protection and litigation
- Copyright prosecution, protection and litigation
- Licensing and technology transfer
As a registered patent attorney, Chuck helps clients, large and small, domestic and foreign. His patent expertise focuses on:
- Biotechnology
- Animal and plant agriculture
- Dairy and cheese science
- Medical products
- Food and nutrition
- Pharmaceuticals
- Mechanical arts, including sporting goods, automotive parts, hunting fishing equipment, construction
Chuck is a former high school national champion rower, collegiate wrestler and football player. His free time pursuits include bicycling, skiing, fly fishing, tennis, photography and the banjo.
Client Recommendations
“I have had the privilege of working with Chuck Sara for several years, both directly as his client for biotechnology intellectual property matters, and in the leadership role he played in building the Wisconsin Biotechnology Association. He is one of the most responsive, trustworthy, competent professionals I’ve ever met, always going beyond the call of duty – often at his own expense – and always making his clients’ best interests his top priority.” – Chuck Oehler, Chairman and CEO, Primorigen Biosciences, Inc.
“...your entire staff spoke very highly of you personally. What a great testament to you, both as a great attorney and also as a great person. Thank you again for your time in everything, we really appreciated all the last-minute efforts last year with the provisional patent filing.” – Leah and Pete Graves, CPMotorworks, Inc., Janesville, WI
“Charles is a consummate professional. He is strategic, decisive and a brilliant leader. He is always involved in innovative projects and serves as a mentor to me, as well as many other colleagues I have referred to him. Charles Sara has my support, belief and respect in the utmost manner.” – Donna Wertalik, Founder, SPEAK MARKETING
“I highly recommend Charles. His comprehensive knowledge and experience in the area of Intellectual Property has proven invaluable to the success of our business.” – John Glascock, President, i2m, LLC
“Mr. Sara assisted me in obtaining a patent for an electro-mechanical assembly and was knowledgeable and very professional in all our dealings. The approval process involved negotiating with the patent office to obtain the broadest claims possible. I would highly recommend Charles Sara for all of your patent needs.” – Ron Pulvermacher, President, Matrix Product Development, Inc.
“I want to thank you – enormously – for all your kindness. I always loved the preciseness in your emails; reading everything word by word and answering or confirming them one by one. Your efforts are invaluable to me, and I will be always grateful to you.” – Elaheh Malakan Rad, M.D., F.A.C.C., Associate Professor of Pediatric Interventional Cardiology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences
Notable Representations
- A major patent infringement action involving a biotechnology patent. This matter was successfully settled to the client’s advantage prior to trial. It resulted in a lucrative license agreement for the client.
- Patent expert in patent litigation dispute. Chuck participated in a major lawsuit involving a patent on steam cleaning. Based in part on his legal analysis and his deposition testimony before opposing counsel, the lawsuit was quickly terminated in favor of his client.
- Coordinated the incorporation of a biotechnology company, a joint venture arrangement between our client, an Indian biotechnology company, and a San Diego biotechnology company to research our client’s patents. This was a joint collaboration involving the transfer of patents, the sale of a business and the transfer of stock (all capably handled by our law firm).
- Assisted a foreign client in forming a U.S.-based corporation to handle client’s patent rights. Through our firm, a U.S.-based corporation was formed to develop and market monoclonal antibody based technology.
- Coordinated the international trademark docket of a multi-national company based in Monaco.
- Coordinated testing, marketing and licensing of our client’s patented nutraceutical. This effort involved the negotiations, monitoring and patent prosecutions related to the testing of a nutraceutical by a university in South Carolina to validate the efficacy of the nutraceutical.
- Developed the licensing program for a major non-profit medical organization in Wisconsin, which currently brings in revenues of over $1 million per year.