George Romanik
Professional Experience
George J. Romanik is a shareholder, team leader, and member of the leadership group at Kinney & Lange. He applies his extensive experience as an executive-level in-house intellectual property counsel to offer Kinney & Lange’s clients a broad range of advice regarding intellectual property and commercial law, business transactions, and related matters. George has a particular focus on IP protection and portfolio development (e.g., patents, trademarks, trade secrets, copyrights), IP transactions (licensing and other commercial transactions), and information technology support (licensing, outsourcing, and other IT matters).
Before joining Kinney & Lange, George was Associate General Counsel, Intellectual Property at Chemtura Corporation (now LANXESS Solutions US) where he led the in-house intellectual property team. George began his legal career at United Technologies Corporation, where he served in a number of positions over the course of 21 years, notably as Chief Intellectual Property Counsel for both the Pratt & Whitney and Hamilton Sundstrand (now part of UTC Aerospace Systems) divisions. George also served as counsel to Pratt & Whitney’s information technology organization.
George holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from Lehigh University (Bethlehem, PA) and a JD from the University of Connecticut School of Law (Hartford, CT). He splits his time between the firm’s office in Minneapolis and residence in Connecticut where he is available to meet directly with the firm’s clients in the Northeast.
Education
- University of Connecticut School of Law, Hartford, Connecticut
- Juris Doctor, highest honors; Managing Editor, Connecticut Law Review
- Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
- Bachelor of Science, Chemical Engineering
- University of Virginia, Darden Graduate School of Business, Charlottesville, Virginia
- United Technologies Corporation Senior Executive Leadership Program
- United Technologies Corporation Executive Leadership Program
- Carnegie Mellon University, Graduate School of Industrial Administration, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- United Technologies Corporation E-Commerce Program
Bar Admissions
- United States Patent and Trademark Office
- United States District Court for the District of Connecticut
- State of Connecticut
Publications
- Note, Federal Common Law Alive and Well Fifty Years After Erie: Boyle v. United Technologies Corp. and the Government Contractor’s Defense, 22 Conn. L. Rev. 239 (1989).
Selected Presentations
- Filing Foreign Patent Applications: Whether to File EPC or PCT?, presented at the Patent, Copyright, and Trademark Section, American Bar Association Annual Meeting, New York, NY, 10 August 1993.
- Pratt & Whitney’s Freedom to Operate Study Process, presented at Intellectual Property Law: Beyond the Basics (hosted by Kinney & Lange), Minneapolis, MN, 15 June 2007.
- What Is Your IP Strategy? Do You Have One?, presented as part of the 2008 Conn ACCA Continuing Seminar Series for In-House Counsel, Hartford, CT, 15 April 2008.
- Engaging Outside Counsel on IP Matters: In-House Attorneys’ Perspectives, presented as part of the New York Intellectual Property Law Association Continuing Legal Education Lunch Program, New York, NY, 16 May 2008.
- IP Strategies: The Legal Aspects of Protecting Technology Developments, presented as part of the 2008 Pratt & Whitney Fellows Lecture Series, East Hartford, CT, 5 June 2008.
- Conference on Intellectual Property Rights and Technology Transfer in the UN Climate Negotiations, panelist for program sponsored by Center for Environmental Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley, CA, 26-27 October 2009.
- Navigating the Intersection of Antitrust and IP Law: Current Issues Impacting on Licensing Transactions, panelist for 2nd Advanced Legal Forum on Technology Licensing Agreements sponsored by American Conference Institute, Washington, DC, 24 March 2010.
- Cutting Edge: The Current Legal and Business Issues Faced by High Tech Companies, panelist for the Section of Intellectual Property Law program, American Bar Association Annual Meeting, Toronto, ON, Canada, 5 August 2011.
- IP Outsourcing: Is Outsourcing Toothpaste Out of the Tube?, panelist for Webinar sponsored by KPO Consultants, 7 September 2011.
- New Perspectives on Building an IP Aware Open Innovation Culture, panelist for Growth, Innovation and Leadership University sponsored by Frost & Sullivan, San Jose, CA, 14 September 2011.
- The Evolution of the IP Department: What’s New in IP Monetization?, panelist for Global LPO Conference sponsored by KPO Consultants, Los Angeles, CA, 6 October 2011.
- Global Intellectual Property (IP) Offshoring Panel Discussion, panelist for Webinar sponsored by KPO Consultants, 15 February 2012.
- Outsourcing Patent Prosecution & Litigation Support: Getting High Quality Solutions that Deliver Low Cost Benefits, instructor for Global Outsourcing Association of Lawyers Master Class, 22 May 2012.
- Aligning Your IP Strategy with Your Business Strategy, panelist for Intellectual Property Fundamentals: What Everyone in R&D Must Know program, American Chemical Society 2013 Northeast Regional Meeting, New Haven, CT, 23 October 2013.
- General Counsel Panel Discussion on the Most Pressing IP Issues, panelist for Protecting Your Business Assets Globally Through IP Strategies program, sponsored by Bracewell & Giuliani LLP, Houston, TX, 24 April 2014.
- Improve Efficiency in International and Regional IP Prosecution, panelist for Corporate IP Counsel Forum sponsored by World Congress, New York, NY, 23 March 2016.
- Streamline Process to Enhance the Value of Your In-House IP Department, panelist for Corporate IP Counsel Forum sponsored by World Congress, New York, NY, 24 March 2016.
- Counsel to Counsel, panelist for webinar sponsored by Dilworth IP, 28 June 2018.