Professionals
Dean Munyon
Director/Shareholder
Mr. Munyon received his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Alabama in 1991, graduating summa cum laude. At Alabama, Mr. Munyon received a number of honors, including being named the University’s Outstanding Senior Engineering Student. Mr. Munyon was awarded a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship to attend Stanford University, where he received a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering in 1992. At Stanford, Mr. Munyon was part of the Computer Systems Laboratory, where he specialized in both the hardware and software aspects of computer systems architecture.
After graduating from Stanford, Mr. Munyon joined International Business Machines in Austin, Texas, as an electrical engineer. At IBM, Mr. Munyon was responsible for providing worldwide technical support for the manufacture of IBM’s RS/6000 line of Unix workstations. This role included assignments in Italy and Australia. Mr. Munyon subsequently joined the Somerset Design Center, where he was a member of the joint IBM/Motorola team that developed the successful G3 Power PC microprocessor.
In 1997, Mr. Munyon left IBM to join Conley, Rose & Tayon, P.C., as a technical advisor/patent agent. At Conley, Rose & Tayon, Mr. Munyon specialized in patent prosecution and preparation in the electrical and computer-related arts, particularly focusing on microprocessor architecture and high-performance 3D graphics.
In 2001, Mr. Munyon graduated from the University of Texas School of Law with high honors. At UT, he received a number of scholarships and was recognized with several awards for legal writing. Mr. Munyon was a member of Texas Law Review and Chancellors, an honorary recognizing the top sixteen students in the class. Mr. Munyon was also a national semifinalist in the Giles S. Rich Intellectual Property Moot Court competition.
Mr. Munyon clerked for the Hon. William C. Bryson of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, D.C., from September 2001 to September 2002. From October 2002 to September 2005, Mr. Munyon practiced as a patent litigation associate in the Washington, D.C., office of Kirkland & Ellis, and the Austin, Texas, office of Dewey Ballantine. Mr. Munyon has represented a number of clients, including Agere Systems, Microsoft Corporation, and Gateway, Inc., on litigation matters related to various aspects of personal computer technology.
Mr. Munyon is admitted to practice in Texas, the District of Columbia, and before the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
Dwayne Goetzel
Director/Shareholder
In addition to trial matters, Mr. Goetzel has been involved in many opposition and cancellation proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, as well as numerous domain name arbitration matters via ICANN’s Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy.
On a daily basis, Mr. Goetzel assists clients with a wide variety of copyright, trademark and domain name needs, including prosecution, anti-piracy protection, clearance, and obtaining rights through applications and agreements. For example, he has been responsible for and involved in all aspects of copyright and trademark prosecution practice, including responding to office actions, declarations of continued use, renewals, and amendments to existing registrations. He has prepared innumerable documents and agreements pertaining to intellectual property matters, such as contracts, licenses, assignments, work for hire agreements, non-disclosure agreements, and employer-employee covenants. In addition, Mr. Goetzel has built up a worldwide network of attorneys and trademark agents that allow his clients to file applications through our offices in just about any country of interest to the client.
Mr. Goetzel graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in history, from Angelo State University in 1986. As an undergraduate, he received the Presidential Award, the Modern Languages Award, and was a member of several academic honor societies. Mr. Goetzel also received a Rotary International Graduate Fellowship, and attended German law studies at Philipps-Universität in Marburg, Germany, from 1986 to 1987.
After legal studies in Germany, Mr. Goetzel attended the University of Texas School of Law, and received his Doctor of Jurisprudence degree in 1990. While in law school, Mr. Goetzel was a National Finalist in the Jessup International Moot Court competition, a member of the Texas International Law Journal, a Finalist in the Susman, Godfrey Moot Court competition, and was inducted into the Order of Barristers in 1990. He also received the Dean’s Achievement Award in European Community Law.
Mr. Goetzel is admitted to practice before the State Bar of Texas, and the U.S. District Courts for the Western District of Texas, the Northern District of Texas, the Eastern District of Texas, and the Southern District of Texas. He is also admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California and the State Bar of California (inactive status as to California). Mr. Goetzel is an active member of the International Trademark Association (INTA) and the European Community Trademark Association (ECTA), and attends meetings and conferences of these associations worldwide.
Languages: German.
Mark DeLuca
Patent Agent
Dr. DeLuca received his Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1986. While an undergraduate, Dr. DeLuca performed research studying the synthesis and properties of charge separated heterocyclic compounds. Dr. DeLuca received the award for best undergraduate thesis in chemistry for this work.
Dr. DeLuca received his Ph.D. in Chemistry, with a specialization in Organic Chemistry, from the University of Texas at Austin in 1991. His Ph.D. research was involved with the synthesis of complex natural products. During this research Dr. DeLuca was involved in the completion of the total synthesis of the natural products: koumine, strychnine, and UK-1. After completion of his Ph.D., Dr. DeLuca worked as a Research Associate in the Department of Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Texas at Austin. In this position, Dr. DeLuca’s research involved the synthesis and analysis of novel heterocyclic compounds for use in the treatment of cancer and osteoporosis. Dr. DeLuca is the author and co-author of eleven publications which have appeared in various chemical journals. Dr. DeLuca is a member of the American Chemical Society.
Larry J. Merkel
Patent Agent
Mr. Merkel received his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering with high honors from the University of Texas at Austin in 1990. While an undergraduate, Mr. Merkel was selected as a member of Tau Beta Pi.
Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Merkel was employed with International Business Machines Corporation where he worked in the superscalar microprocessor design area of the Advanced Workstations and Systems division. Mr. Merkel participated in several successful microprocessor designs, including the PowerPC line of processors. He performed logic design, circuit design, and verification work during his employment. Mr. Merkel is a co-inventor on four issued patents.
Ryan Beard
Director/Shareholder
Mr. Beard attended Texas Tech University School of Law, from which he earned a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree in May 1999. While in law school, Mr. Beard served as an Articles Editor on the Texas Tech University Law Review and authored a comment entitled, “”Reciprocity and Comity: Politically Manipulative Tools for Protection of Intellectual Property Rights in the Global Economy,”” 30 TEXAS TECH L. REV. 155 (1999). Mr. Beard’s comment was entered by the Texas Tech School of Law into the Scribes Notes and Comments Competition.
Mr. Beard’s legal practice specializes in negotiating and drafting various types of contracts for individuals and businesses, including license and assignment agreements for intellectual property rights. Mr. Beard further specializes in all aspects of intellectual property litigation, infringement and invalidity analysis of patents, and evaluation of patent portfolios for businesses. Mr. Beard also has extensive knowledge concerning general business practices, trade secret protections, confidentiality agreements, trademarks, and copyrights. Mr. Beard is licensed to practice before all Texas State Courts and the United States District Courts for the Western, Northern, Eastern and Southern Districts of Texas.
Mike Davis
Associate
Mr. Davis received his Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin in 2011, graduating with honors. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in the Plan II Liberal Arts program. Mr. Davis attended UT as a National Merit Scholar and prepared an undergraduate thesis on satellite-based navigation for CAT II/III aircraft landings.
While at UT, Mr. Davis worked at Applied Research Laboratories, Centaur Technology, and Intel. His work included system-on-a-chip validation, test automation, x86 validation, and GPS software development.
Mr. Davis received his Doctor of Jurisprudence degree with honors from The University of Texas School of Law.