Sylvester quoted in ABA Journal

Douglas Sylvester, dean of the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State University, was quoted by staff writer Stephanie Francis Ward in a Sept. 24 article for the ABA Journal’s column, Legal Rebels.

The article, “How patent lawyer Raj Abhyanker developed a $8.5M book of business with Trademarkia,” explores 38-year-old Abhyanker’s trademark search engine, Trademarkia, and how he transformed it into Legal Force, a law firm with offices in five major cities around the world.

"I wouldn't be surprised if some people didn't quite get Raj," said Sylvester. "His questions weren't about interpretations; they were challenges to the whole idea.”

Abhyanker said his search engine uses the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's trademark database more efficiently than the government's own search tool. This, he said, is why the company has grown from 10 trademarks a year in 2009, to 9,000 in 2013.

"He was never very interested in learning the doctrine of rules," Sylvester added. "It was always about 'I don't think this is right.'"

To read the full article, click here.