BIOGRAPHY
PRIMARY PRACTICE AREAS
- Patents
- Trademarks
- Copyrights
- Litigation
- Contracts
- Privacy
- Cybersquatting
EXAMPLE TECHNOLOGIES
- Telecommunications
- Computing Platforms & Networks
- Software
- Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning
- Amplifiers
- Semiconductor Packaging
- Systems & Power Management
- Media Codecs
- Operating Systems & Virtualization
- Encryption & Data Integrity
- Smart Lighting & Home Automation
- Optical Waveguides
- Medical Devices & Systems
- Industrial Machines
- Aerospace Technologies
CONTACT
Toll Free: 800-575-1278WILLIAM G. PAGÁN
Member
Will's practice generally focuses on the intersection of law and computing technology with a significant focus on helping creators obtain patents, trademarks, and copyrights. He also helps clients assert or defend against patent, trademark, and copyright infringement, resolves contract disputes, and facilitates B2B transactions. As a Certified Information Privacy Professional/United States (CIPP/US), Will also helps clients with data privacy concerns, e.g., data breaches and confidentiality violations.
Nationally-recognized as a Luminary in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) disciplines at the Hispanic Engineering National Achievement Awards Conference, Will's law practice is informed by 14 years of engineering experience at IBM, including over a decade developing software for IBM's server development business. His work on Intel-based Thurley server platforms earned him IBM's Outstanding Technical Achievement Award. He also served in IBM’s IP Licensing and Assignments organization where he researched, investigated, and produced proofs of potential patent infringement.
In service to the community, he currently serves as a Deputy Regional President for Region VI of the Hispanic National Bar Association and teaches Contract Law to evening students at NC Central University School of Law, one of only six Historically Black College/University (HBCU) law schools in the United States.
SELECTED HONORS
- LEGAL
- The Best Lawyers in America: Intellectual Property Litigation, Best Lawyers, 2024, 2025
- NC Rising Star: Intellectual Property, Super Lawyers, 2019-2024
- Major General Dwight H Wheless Legal Officer of the Year, Civil Air Patrol: United States Air Force Auxiliary
- North Carolina Wing, 2019, 2020
- Mid-Atlantic Region (incl. DE, MD, DC, NC, SC, VA, WV), 2019
- NC Pro Bono Honor Society, North Carolina Pro Bono Resource Center, 2017-2020
- Outstanding Pro Bono Achievement, North Carolina Bar Association IP Law Section, 2019
- Leaders in the Law, North Carolina Lawyers Weekly, 2016, 2018
- 37 Invention Plateau Awards, IBM, 2005-2012
- Master Inventor, IBM Corporate Headquarters / Office of the CIO, 2011
- Research Triangle Park Inventor of the Year, IBM, 2010
- Outstanding Technical Achievement: Intel Thurley Server Platform Integration, IBM, 2007
- Master Inventor, IBM Systems & Technology Group, 2006
- Role Model of the Week, Hispanic Engineering National Achievement Awards Conference, 2008
- Luminary Award, Hispanic Engineering National Achievement Awards Conference, 2007
- Star Award, Distributed Management Task Force, 2007
- Wing Commander’s Commendation, Civil Air Patrol: United States Air Force Auxiliary, 2016, 2017, 2021
- Crisis Service Award, Civil Air Patrol: United States Air Force Auxiliary, 2020
- Meritorious Service Award, Civil Air Patrol: United States Air Force Auxiliary, 2019
- Air Force Organizational Excellence Award, United States Air Force, 2018
EXAMPLE PATENT WORK PRODUCT
- U.S. Patent No. 11,959,746: Active Centering Control of a Gyroscope
- U.S. Patent No. 11,287,325: Electrically Controlling the Field of View of a Passive Infrared Sensor
- U.S. Patent No. 11,052,205: Devices and Methods for Delivering Fluid to a Nasal Cavity
- U.S. Patent No. 10,720,379: Robust Integrated Circuit Package
- U.S. Patent No. 9,864,568: Sound Generation for Monitoring User Interfaces
- U.S. Patent No. 9,189,218: Processing Packets by Generating Machine Code from Pre-Compiled Code Fragments
REPRESENTATIVE CASES
- Successfully negotiated a dismissal of all counterclaims against client in a patent infringement case.
- Serve as local NC counsel in defending a client against patent infringement claims.
- Successfully defended against, or negotiated settlements in response to, demand letters alleging copyright infringement against clients.
- Successfully defended against Meta pixel privacy claims.
- Drafted a contract and, subsequently, a settlement agreement in favor of a client due to breach of that contract.
- Resolved a contract dispute between a franchisor and franchisee to the satisfaction of a client.
- Appealed subject matter ineligibility and obviousness decisions made by the Patent Trial and Appeal Board under 35 U.S.C. § 101 and § 103 to the Federal Circuit.
EDUCATION
- North Carolina Central University School of Law, Durham, North Carolina
- Juris Doctor, Summa Cum Laude
- Evening Program Valedictorian
- Top Forty Under Forty Alumni Award
- North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina
- Master of Computer Science
- Computer Science Alumni Hall of Fame
- Pace University, New York, New York
- B.S., Computer Science
- Bronx High School of Science, Bronx, New York
- Advanced Regents Diploma, Biology Concentration
SELECTED PAST POSITIONS / ROLES
- IBM
- Patent Engineer/Analyst, IP Licensing & Assignments, Corporate Headquarters, 2011-2013
- Master Inventor, Corporate Headquarters / Office of the CIO, 2011-2013
- Master Inventor, Systems & Technology Group, 2006-2013
- Software Engineer, System x Server Development, Systems & Technology Group, 1999-2011
- Distributed Management Task Force
- Chairman & IBM Representative, SMASH / Systems Management Forum, 2005-2007
PRO BONO & VOLUNTEER ROLES
-
Hispanic National Bar Association
- Region VI Deputy Regional President, 2022-Present
-
North Carolina Central University School of Law, Board of Visitors
- Chair, 2023-Present
- Vice Chair, 2022-2023
- Member at Large, 2020-2022
-
Civil Air Patrol, United States Air Force Auxiliary
- NCWG Diversity Officer, 2019-2022
- NCWG Legal Officer, 2017-2021
- NCWG Assistant Legal Officer, 2015-2017, 2021-2022
-
Innocence Project
- Case Manager, 2011-2012
- Researcher, 2010-2011
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS
- Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA), Deputy Regional President, Region VI
- International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP), Certified Information Privacy Professional/United States (CIPP/US)
- Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), Life Member
- North Carolina Society of Hispanic Professionals (NCSHP), Life Member
- Puerto Rican Bar Association of Illinois, Member
SELECTED MEDIA/SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
- Speaker, Impact of the Proliferation of AI on Prior Art and PHOSITA, USPTO Listening Session, United States Patent and Trademark Office, July 25, 2024
- Panelist, The Impact of Data Privacy & Security on Society and the Practice of Law, Annual HBCU IP & Tech Law Summit, Institute for Intellectual Property & Social Justice, February 2024
- Special Guest, Ty Cohen & Caroline Treanor (Hosts), The Money Morning Meetup, Oct. 25, 2023
- Special Guest, Thomas Clifton (Host), The Talented Tenth Podcast, Oct. 3, 2023
- Panelist, The Patent Implications of Generative AI, 2023 Law and Technology Summit, NCCU Technology & Policy Law Center, October 2023
- Guest Lecturer, Inventions and Innovations Class, Henrico County Public Schools, VA, January 2022
- Guest Lecturer, Subject Matter Eligibility (Abstract Ideas), Patent Law Course, University of North Carolina School of Law, Fall 2020
- Keynote Speaker, NC State Computer Science Diploma Ceremony, Fall 2018
- Lecturer, Intellectual Property: Securing a Competitive Advantage in the Marketplace, North Carolina Society of Hispanic Professionals, 2017
- Special Guest, Cup of Technology, WCOM-LP 103.5 FM, 2017
- CLE Teacher, Patent Subject Matter Eligibility: Arguing Against Abstract Idea Rejections, The Knowledge Group, 2016
- Panelist, IP Law Panel Discussion, NCCU School of Law, 2015
- Featured Alum, Taking Flight: Meet William Pagán, NCCU, 2014
- Speaker, Valedictory Address, NCCU School of Law Commencement Ceremony, Spring 2014
- Featured Lecturer, Effective Leadership of Invention Brainstorming, IBM, 2011 to 2013
- Featured Lecturer, Being a Successful Inventor: Practical Advice for All Levels of Inventors, IBM, 2007 to 2013
- Featured Lecturer, Efficiently Writing Effective Patent Disclosures, IBM, 2007 to 2013
- Lecturer, Getting Agile in the Real World: Best Practice Adoption in Complex Environments, IBM Webcast, 2010
- Lecturer, Key Leadership and Advancement Behaviors, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers Region VII Conference, 2009
- Lecturer, Best Practices in Standards Participation, IBM, 2008
- Host, Leadership in the Management and Technical Executive Tracks, Hispanic Engineering National Achievement Awards Conference, 2007
- Booth Presenter, IBM Systems Management Technologies and Importance of Interoperability Standards, Microsoft Management Summit, 2006
- Presenter, SMASH Forum Overview and SMASH CLP Validation, DMTF Management Developers Conference, 2006
- Presenter, Eliminating Systems Management Device Drivers via Enhanced Serial Port Architecture, IBM Tech Connect, 2004
BAR ADMISSIONS
- State of North Carolina
- U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina
- U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina
BLOG POSTS
Member William G. Pagán Supports Henrico County Public Schools
In January 2022, Attorney William G. Pagán was a guest lecturer for three sections of an “Inventions and Innovations” class at Elko Middle School in Henrico County, Virginia. The class, taught
Should I Pursue Reissue of my Patent?
Applicants who have obtained a patent may be dissatisfied with the scope of protection they have obtained. In some cases, an applicant may discover that
William G. Pagán Admitted to NC Pro Bono Honor Society Four Years Running
Every year, the North Carolina Pro Bono Resource Center (PBRC) and the Supreme Court of North Carolina honor attorneys of the NC bar who have
Welcome Attorney Bennett C. David
Coats & Bennett, PLLC is proud to welcome its newest associate, Patent Attorney Bennett C. David. Licensed to practice at the USPTO since 2016, Bennett
Member Gavin Parsons Once Again Ranked by Chambers USA for Commercial Litigation
CARY, N.C. (May 2020) – Coats & Bennett, PLLC is pleased to announce that Member Gavin Parsons has been listed in the 2020 Edition of
Serving Foreign IP Scoundrels Electronically
An increasing problem for copyright and trademark owners are infringers in foreign countries who use Amazon and other services to sell infringing products online in