Alex Ewing has joined the company as head of Global IP Strategy and General Counsel and will oversee all legal matters for LiquiGlide, focusing on IP and trademark strategy, harvesting and protecting inventions, licensing, and managing its global patent portfolio.
100 pending patents
Dave Smith, CEO, LiquiGlide, told DairyReporter, the announcement is part of a pre-emptive move because so much of the value of LiquiGlide’s technology is IP (i.e., the “recipes” for its custom slippery coatings).
The coating can be applied for example to packaging for mayonnaise, yoghurt, ketchup without leaving any residue and using up all the contents, preventing waste.
"Alex is a full-time employee; he started this summer. LiquiGlide has not had any issues with IP litigation, and does not anticipate any involvement in IP litigation in the future. Nevertheless, as a material science company, we recognize the importance of intellectual property,” he said.
“We have a broad, global patent portfolio with 18 patent families, three issued US patents, and more than 100 pending applications worldwide. Ultimately, we believe Alex’s extensive patent enforcement experience affords him a unique and valuable perspective on the strengths and weaknesses of intellectual property.
“We hired Alex because we believe he has a bold strategic vision for maximizing the value of our portfolio."
Before joining LiquiGlide, Ewing was a commercial litigator in private practice at Wolf Greenfield & Sacks and prior to that, WilmerHale.
Apple, Intel, Sony
He has represented clients including Apple, Intel, Sony, and AthenaHealth in the International Trade Commission and US District Courts across the country.
Ewing graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College, concentrating in history and winning the Thomas Temple Hoopes Prize. He received his J.D. from Harvard Law School, where he served as the Editor-in-Chief for the BlackLetter Law Journal.
After Harvard, he joined the Honorable Robert H. Henry as a law clerk on the US Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit and then the Honorable William G. Young in the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts.
“Protecting LiquiGlide’s unique IP is a key component of our international commercialization goals,” said Ewing.
“Our award-winning technology for liquid-impregnated surfaces is changing the way liquids move, and as a result, we’re seeing enormous global interest.
“People are recognizing the real benefits we deliver by eliminating waste, creating energy efficiency and cost savings, and enabling innovative new uses for viscous liquids.”
LiquiGlide was founded in 2012 by Dave Smith and MIT professor Kripa Varanasi to commercialize MIT’s patented liquid-impregnated surface technology. The patents are licensed exclusively to LiquiGlide from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.