Douglas Wm. Massinger
Partner - Registered Patent Attorney
Douglas Wm. Massinger brings over 30 years of experience in intellectual property law and litigation to the firm and is a registered U.S. patent attorney. He is passionate about helping firm clients gain an edge over their competition and increasing their net worth by protecting and leveraging their IP, both domestically and in foreign countries. He is equally passionate about defending clients wrongfully accused of IP rights violations.
Mr. Massinger’s litigation experience in both state and federal courts is brought to bear in IP-related cases for both plaintiffs and defendants including cases involving, for instance, patent, trademark and copyright infringement, trademark dilution, unfair competition, false advertising, misappropriation of trade secrets, trade defamation, cybersquatting and a variety of commercial cases involving technically oriented contracts and IP asset ownership issues.
With a background in health-related chemistry and biology, Mr. Massinger secures patent protection for client inventions in a wide variety of technical fields ranging in complexity from “better back scratchers” to plasma physics and has a special interest in medical/surgical devices and innovations in the firearms/defense industries. His patent practice includes the performance of patent searches, the filing and prosecution of U.S. and foreign patent applications, and the provision of patentability, validity, freedom to operate and infringement studies.
Mr. Massinger routinely assists clients with the adoption of legally strong brand names for their products and services, the screening of prospective marks for use, and the protection of trademarks and trade dress. He litigates trademark cases in federal and state courts as well as before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. His practice further includes counseling clients on a variety of other IP related issues including software, website and domain name protection, non-competition and confidentiality in the workplace and protection of trade secrets and proprietary information. He routinely negotiates various technology development, manufacturing, distribution, licensing and transfer agreements.
Appointments/Other Positions Held
Mr. Massinger served four years on the bench in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania presiding over more than 10,000 hearings, trials and other proceedings, providing him with valuable insight into what makes an effective trial lawyer. He has also served as a law clerk to the Honorable R. Barclay Surrick in the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas, an Assistant Solicitor for the Borough of Folcroft, PA, has served as a member of the Board of Directors for the Delaware County Bar Association, and has served as Chairman of both the Patent, Trademark and Copyright Committee and the Electronic Lawyer Referral System Oversight Committee of the Delaware County Bar Association.
Lectures/Public Speaking
In addition to teaching Business Law as an adjunct professor at Widener University School of Business Administration, Mr. Massinger has lectured on intellectual property law and business law at several colleges and universities including Widener University, Central Florida College, Webster University and Saint Leo University. He has also presented numerous continuing legal education (CLE) courses to colleagues, served as the Keynote speaker for several civic and professional organizations such as Rotary International, local Chambers of Commerce and the Florida Advertising Federation, and has been the guest speaker on both television and radio programs, all on the subject of intellectual property law.
Doug and his wife Christine met in law school while representing indigent clients in a civil law clinic. Christine, now a tenured Professor, started her career as a criminal prosecutor before becoming the youngest woman to be elected as a Judge in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania at the age of 27. Their mutual love of animals ultimately brought them to Ocala where they are the proud parents of several horses, dogs and cats. When his law practice and farm chores permit, you will usually find Doug on a tennis court. He also enjoys playing guitar and competitive pistol shooting (IDPA, Steel Challenge and USPSA).