Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | February 9, 2026 | Worcester Business Journal 11 Clarity & Confidence Starts with a Bank that Cares Our C.A.R.E. process ensures that we understand your unique finanicial goals and tailor solutions to meet them. Every moment with our clients matters. At Fidelity Bank, we see every interaction as an opportunity to listen, care, and provide clarity — so you can spend less time worrying about your financial life and more time focusing on the things that matter most. Call or visit a caring LifeDesign Banker Today 800.581.5363 FidelityBankOnline.com LAUNCHING INNOVATION: CENTRAL MASS. VISIONARIES F O C U S introduced a quality control depart- ment. e problem was examiners would get in trouble if they allowed a case, and the quality control people said they shouldn't have. e number of allowed patents for a few years dipped appreciably until they addressed it." Protecting assets Even when an entrepreneur or inven- tor has a legitimate claim to intellectual property, that doesn't mean it's going to lead to a short or easy legal battle, said Gleason of Mirick. A retired Marine and University of Connecticut School of Law graduate, Gleason ran his own firm alongside his wife Jo Ann Jorge, a career path allow- ing the two to create their own schedule and not miss their kids' important mo- ments. With his kids now college-aged or older, Gleason and Jo Ann joined Mirick, allowing access to the resources a large firm provides. Fights over IP oen become a battle of resources, necessitating the consider- ation of how much a battle over is going to cost, and what could actually be won, he said. Trials over IP disputes are rare, Gleason said. Settlements are typical, as court cases can drag on for so long, the amount of money and time spent on them can lead to a pyrrhic victory. "You may get a judgment, but is it collectible?" he said. "en there are ap- peals. So you go on and on and on, and you might forget why you even started." Regardless of the details of a partic- ular situation, compromise is oen the wisest and most cost-effective op- tion, said Cather- ine Rajwani, an IP lawyer and patent attorney at Harbor Law in Northbor- ough. "Patent liti- gation is very expensive. It's very document intensive," Rajwani said. "You need to hire experts. You're usually talking about as far as attorneys fees, like hundreds of thousands of dollars. Most clients are sort of always weighing, how valuable is the product? What's the risk? What could potential damages be? Does it make sense to go through litigation? Most cases settle." Even if they are in the right, smaller businesses need to proceed with cau- tion, she said. "A lot of my clients, when they're small to midsize companies, the deci- sions whether or not to enforce or how to enforce are informed not only by the patents and the infringing product, but also just by how much it's going to cost to enforce their patent rights," she said. Big businesses can use the process to their advantage, as litigation can take years, Rajwani said. "You might be selling your product, and then a competitor swoops in and they start undercutting you, and you think, 'ey can't do that, because I have this patent,'" she said. "Unfortu- nately, you then have to go through litigation. Sometimes larger companies just use that as a tactic. ey are looking to drive the smaller company out of business." When an entrepreneur or inventor feels they've come up with the next big idea, it's easy to want to rush to turn it to reality. is can lead to disaster for startups, Gleason said. "Don't let yourself get into a rush state of mind where you think there's a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow," he said. "I would just urge people to make inquiries, ask lawyers about intellectual property, and what they can do. A lot of time just a short consultation can help get the right documents in place." Patent practitioners in Central Mass. Central Massachusetts is home to 246 registered patent practitioners. Westborough leads the pack, boosted by several in-house practitioners at med-tech firm Olympus Corp. Municpality No. of practitioners Westborough 31 Worcester 25 Marlborough 23 Framingham 20 Hopkinton 13 Acton 12 Natick 12 Groton 10 Southborough 10 Sudbury 8 Harvard 6 Wayland 6 Northborough 5 Shrewsbury 5 Source: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office W Catherine Rajwani from Harbor Law in Northborough

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