Smart Grid Focus
The surge of innovation and investment in the Smart Grid is fast becoming a tidal wave. Innovation will drive Smart Grid progress, and intellectual property associated with that innovation will have a huge impact on its future. New and upgraded technologies will span from transmission infrastructure, to interactive consumer appliances, to solar/wind interfaces, to grid data security. Alston & Bird’s patent prosecution attorneys, patent litigators, trademark attorneys and licensing attorneys are at the forefront of this wave, bringing key issues to the attention of industry players and advising clients on how to take advantage of IP opportunities while avoiding IP pitfalls as they pursue Smart Grid ventures.
As these attorneys become immersed in the technology and IP issues related to the Smart Grid, they follow the initiatives of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Our attorneys focus on the key technology areas identified by FERC and NIST as those agencies coordinate a massive push to implement the Smart Grid:
- Wide-Area Situational Awareness (WASA)
- Demand Response
- Electric Storage
- Electric Transportation
- Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI)
- Distribution Grid Management (DGM)
The firm has become an observing member of the Smart Grid Interoperability Panel (SGIP) set up by NIST, and actively participates in the SGIP's Intellectual Property Rights Working Group.
RESOURCES
Alston & Bird attorneys are unique in their efforts to bring IP issues to the attention of companies who wish to participate in Smart Grid standards development and implementation, through articles published in industry publications and appearances at major technical conferences.