Eric J. Curtin
Phone: 651-259-2303
Email: curtin@ip-firm.com
Eric Curtin has been a part of the team at Crawford Maunu since shortly after the firm’s inception. His practice has included the preparation and prosecution of patent applications in the electronic, electromechanical, biomedical, chemical and optical technology areas, and further in the area of computer-implemented/software inventions. Eric also assists clients in the procurement of trademarks and copyrights, and with various aspects of trademark and copyright law including oppositions, cancellations, and license agreements. He further maintains a robust practice in client counseling, including opinions of infringement/invalidity.
Eric is the chair of the Patent Prosecution Section of the Minnesota Intellectual Property Law Association, leads our internal legal education efforts, has authored multiple intellectual property articles, and serves as an expert on nationally-broadcast panels concerning patent, trademark and copyright matters. Various ones of Eric’s publications may be found on the “Articles” tab above. Recently, Eric has published in the International In-house Counsel Journal on topics including functional claiming and definiteness in claim terminology.Technically, Eric has significant experience in various cross-disciplinary fields including those involving wireless communications technologies, semiconductors, medical/biological devices, thin-film transistors, solar cells, proteomics and nanotechnologies. He has worked extensively in the semiconductor design, physics and materials science fields, and in a variety of communications fields involving mobile electronics, video processing, and media content streaming.Prior to joining Crawford Maunu, Eric worked in engineering and research areas for the automotive and plastics industries. He is experienced in prototype modeling, failure analysis, and in the design, installation, and operation of electronic controls, robotics and communications systems.In addition to his legal and industry experience, Eric is involved with non-profit and community organizations. He serves on the Board of Directors for The Metropolis Foundation and for the Eagan Athletic Association, both of which are Minnesota-based non-profit organizations that promote youth athletics.Eric attended the University of Wisconsin at Madison where he earned his B.S.M.E. After gaining industry experience, he returned to the University of Wisconsin where he earned his Juris Doctor at the Law School. Eric is licensed to practice law in several state and federal courts and is a registered patent attorney.