Neil Ferraro Image

Neil Ferraro

Chair, Mechanical Technologies Practice

Wolf Greenfield

Neil Ferraro is a Shareholder with Wolf Greenfield. He chairs the firm’s Mechanical Technologies Group. Neil counsels clients in all areas of intellectual property, with particular emphasis on domestic and international patent procurement, clearance to market analyses, acquisitions, diligence, and licensing matters.

Neil represents clients ranging from start-ups to large corporations in wide-ranging technologies including injection molding equipment, medical devices, sports equipment, consumer products, office supplies, imaging systems, electromechanical devices, printers, microfluidic systems, industrial equipment, fabrics, touch fasteners, sensors, optics, utility line equipment, and engines and automotive components.

Neil’s strong technical skills coupled with his deep knowledge of patent law and industry standards allow him to provide sound technical, business, and legal advice to aid clients in obtaining their business objectives.Neil joined the firm after serving as an intellectual property attorney with the Ford Motor Company. His technical experience includes four years as a mechanical engineer, where he was responsible for new product development from concept to design to manufacturing start-up.

Recent Articles by Neil Ferraro

Intellectual Property for Startups: Building a Toolkit to Protect Your Products and Design

Although it may seem like the name “startup” says it all, the reality for many inventors, engineers and companies is that it’s difficult to know where to start when what you have is just an idea for a product, a recently discovered process or an innovation. You may have the “million dollar idea,” but where do you start to move it from concept to market? While startups may be selling wildly different products, or developing different processes or innovations, one thing most have in common is a similar starting point, and a limited budget. Product design, branding and identity are always necessary, and protecting your brand, innovations and products from competition is essential.  But how do you allocate your limited resources while developing the best possible brand and product, and ensuring that your intellectual property is adequately protected?

Investing in Inventing: A Patent Process Primer for Startups

The patent process is long and complex, but well worth the effort if it means protecting your invention and your new company. Key decisions made along the way can help simplify future steps in the process and make obtaining a patent significantly more efficient. Early on, determining a patent scope through patentability searches can help narrow a patent application to the important novel aspects that are most worthwhile to protect. Similarly, preparing a thorough provisional application can make the non-provisional application preparation much simpler and afford better protection against later published works or filings by others. By thinking about these key decisions ahead of time and being aware of the patent process, you can be more prepared when the time comes to seek protection for your invention.