Kara E. F. Cenar

The protection of trade secrets is a vital intellectual property tool for every company. Kara has been involved in complex trade secret cases, including:

• Trade secret technology for stators and manufacturing processes for stators in the hybrid automotive industry.
• Trade secret chemical formulas for flavors and fragrances for the food industry.
• Trade secret chemical formulas for defoamers for the paint industry.
• Trade secret customer lists for the tool industry.
• Trade secret pricing and customer information for the propane industry.

Kara has handled major, complex jury and bench trials, ITC proceedings and litigation involving patents covering medical and surgical devices, medical simulation devices, dental instruments, Internet, computer and software technology, telecommunications, cellphone technology, gift and debit card technology, automotive parts and replacement parts, and electronic and mechanical devices.

In the area of design patent infringement litigation, Kara has been involved in litigation and ITC proceedings concerning the automotive after-market parts, consumer products and power tool industries.

Kara has vast experience in the enforcement and defense of trademarks and trade dress. Her experience has been in a variety of industries and includes representation of famous and distinguished brands.

Kara combines decades of counseling, trial and litigation experience with practical business applications to assist clients in matters involving technology, patents, design patents, trade secrets, copyrights, trade dress and trademarks. Kara’s practice also involves counseling and assisting individuals and businesses with intellectual property rights, business issues, and litigation including international businesses in this industry seeking to do business in the United States.

She helps businesses identify the intellectual property that needs protection and assists with matters including:

• Trademark clearance opinions and searches.
• Counseling and monitoring to confirm that intellectual property rights are used properly and effectively.
• Negotiating and drafting licenses, agreements and transactions related to the rights obtained, domestically and internationally.
• Creating enforcement programs and procedures that promote effective use of the intellectual property and policing against improper use of the intellectual property rights by others.
• Providing opinions and establishing policies and procedures for individuals and companies to avoid conflict with the intellectual property rights of others.
• Pursue or defend IP-based litigation claims and defenses (patent, trademark, copyright, DMCA and trade secrets) as well as business and contract-based litigation claims for this industry.

• Intellectual Property Institute, founding charter member, 2013-present
• Chicago Women in Intellectual Property (ChiWIP, founding member, 2015-present
• Litigation Counsel of America, senior fellow, 2007-present
• American Bar Foundation, Fellow, 2019-present
• Chicago Bar Association
• Illinois State Bar Association
• Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, Board of Directors, 2005-2006
• National Association of Women Business Owners, National Board of Directors, June 2009-May 2011
• National Association of Women Business Owners, Chicago Chapter President, 2005-2006; president-elect, 2004-2005; Advisory Board, 2003-2007; Board of Directors, 2003-2007; special advisor to the president, 2007-2008

To protect and affirm our clients’ legal rights, we provide business litigation services, ranging from general commercial litigation to complex tort, product liability and medical malpractice defense.

Just as our clients focus on building the best team, we also concentrate on recruiting and retaining lawyers with the broad base of legal and other professional skills required to meet our clients’ business objectives. We work as partners in spirit with our clients, and measure our success by the degree to which we surpass client satisfaction.

In every endeavor, we are known for our ability to understand, innovate and solve in ways that earn long-term relationships and new opportunities. We welcome the invitation to explore how we may help you.

At Greensfelder, our clients’ satisfaction defines our success. Clients are the ones signing on the dotted line and must be comfortable with the advice and solutions we present to them. To ensure satisfaction, we focus our efforts on providing timely, precise and practical advice and solutions. We know that the legal advice we provide to our clients must promote their business objectives. Greensfelder’s business objective is to provide each client with advice and solutions that deliver complete satisfaction.

Intellectual property is often the one thing that stands between a business and its competition. It is an asset that is part of every business. Greensfelder’s team of IP attorneys stands with you as you use these assets to set yourself apart and to directly impact your bottom line.

Our clients value their intellectual property. Working with a range of industries, our lawyers understand how intellectual property can and should work for business, and we provide established businesses and start-ups with the protection and enforcement assistance necessary to fully leverage their intellectual property assets.

Like many other business assets, IP works best when it is carefully and actively managed. Our attorneys skillfully manage your IP portfolio proactively by procuring the appropriate patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret rights and protections and by assisting your business with various licensing efforts and other transactions, acquisition and sale of IP and technology rights throughout the business life cycle. We regularly assist our clients with initial and periodic intellectual property audits. Further, when litigation or other enforcement actions are merited or arise, we’re there to guide you through the process. We handle trial, litigation, TTAB proceedings, mediation, post-grant proceedings including IPRs and reexaminations, arbitration and appeal of patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret rights.

Our lawyers will assist you in creating and maintaining an active IP management plan. From IP audits, to surveys, to maintenance programs, your intellectual property will benefit from a portfolio and asset management protocol, enabling you and your team to monitor your valuable properties, weigh the costs and benefits of continued protection of your IP estates, and assess and maintain the value of your IP.

Our team members come from Global 100 law firms, IP boutique law firms, and large in-house corporate law departments. These backgrounds allow us to continually redefine best practices in how we deliver legal services to our clients.