Welcome to the North Star Chapter

The North Star Chapter of the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) is a not-for-profit membership organization founded in Minnesota to develop and disseminate the interdisciplinary principles and practices that enable the realization of successful systems across diversified business sectors.

Contact us at northstar@incose.net

 

Chapter Events

POSTPONED: INCOSE North Star: Joint meeting with IEEE- Software Patents

Minnetonka, Minnesota , USA

Meeting Title: Joint meeting with IEEE- Software Patents
Speaker(s)Benjamin Edlavitch
Date: POSTPONED - WILL BE RESCHEDULED
Time: POSTPONED - WILL BE RESCHEDULED
VenuePOSTPONED - WILL BE RESCHEDULED

Agenda:
6-6:30 Networking/pizza time
6:30-6:45 INCOSE/IEEE intros
6:45-7:45 Presentation
7:45-8:00 Questions (Library closes at 8pm)

Meeting Description:
There is a popular misconception that patenting software innovations is prohibited in the United States. There is also a mistaken belief that “software patents” are unenforceable. The Software Patent Presentation, presented by Benjamin Edlavitch of Edlavitch Law PLLC, will debunk these myths and provide practical approaches to procuring patents on software innovations as well as enforcing, defending, and monetizing such patents.

Biography:

Benjamin Edlavitch is a USPTO registered patent attorney and dedicated intellectual property law strategist with a unique combination of technical backgrounds in the life sciences, software, and electrical and computer engineering.

With over 27 years of experience in the IT industry (including over 8 years as a web application developer and computer programmer and 18 years as an intellectual property law specialist), Ben primarily counsels clients on patent, copyright, and trademark law, trade secrets, complex commercial agreements, and technology licenses. This includes counseling clients on open-source software issues and other complicated matters that occur in computing and e-commerce as well as the overlap of electronics, software, and biotechnology.

Ben also provides domestic and international patent and trademark prosecution services for clients headquartered in the United States and abroad and assists executives, in-house counsel, and litigation generalists with intellectual property disputes. Furthermore, he advises on the development of trade secret policies and assists with trademark and copyright registrations. 

Education:

  • Chicago-Kent College of Law – J.D.
  • Purdue University – Graduate Coursework in Electrical and Computer Engineering
  • University of Illinois at Chicago – B.S. Electrical Engineering
  • University of California, Berkeley – Professional Certification in Computer Information Systems
  • Washington University in St. Louis – A.B. in Biology and Psychology as well as a Minor in Music

Career Highlights:

  • Admitted to practice law in Minnesota and Illinois and before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
  • Big law experience and expertise and was an intellectual property attorney at the prestigious international law firms of Greenberg Traurig and Brinks Gilson & Lione.
  • Before entering private practice, was the sole in-house counsel for an enterprise software company.  
  • In the last four years, prepared over one hundred U.S. patent applications. Many of the applications describe innovations in the crossover of the life sciences and electrical and computer engineering, including inventions in agriculture and medicine. The applications also cover inventions in farming electronics and information systems, e-commerce, telecommunications, computer hardware and software, fintech, artificial intelligence, deep learning, computer vision, blockchain, cybersecurity, medical devices, MEMS, biosensors, semiconductors, power electronics (including solar power), electrophysiology, robotics, automated driving systems, the Internet of Things (IoT), telemedicine, wireless, digital media and gaming, mobile apps, and education technology.

  • Over the past nineteen years, worked on over fifteen hundred patent applications for various types of clients including individuals, startups, corporations, and universities inventing in the fields of computer science, electrical and computer engineering, mechanical engineering, and biomedical engineering as well as for teams innovating medical devices, semiconductors, farm and construction equipment, food processing tech, control systems, and financial technologies.

  • Dedicated volunteer for local and nationwide STEM organizations as well as an active pro bono attorney. For more information, please visit LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/benedlavitch/.

Chapter News

INCOSE Events & Materials

POSTPONED: INCOSE North Star: Joint meeting with IEEE- Software Patents

Minnetonka, Minnesota , USA

Meeting Title: Joint meeting with IEEE- Software Patents
Speaker(s)Benjamin Edlavitch
Date: POSTPONED - WILL BE RESCHEDULED
Time: POSTPONED - WILL BE RESCHEDULED
VenuePOSTPONED - WILL BE RESCHEDULED

Agenda:
6-6:30 Networking/pizza time
6:30-6:45 INCOSE/IEEE intros
6:45-7:45 Presentation
7:45-8:00 Questions (Library closes at 8pm)

Meeting Description:
There is a popular misconception that patenting software innovations is prohibited in the United States. There is also a mistaken belief that “software patents” are unenforceable. The Software Patent Presentation, presented by Benjamin Edlavitch of Edlavitch Law PLLC, will debunk these myths and provide practical approaches to procuring patents on software innovations as well as enforcing, defending, and monetizing such patents.

Biography:

Benjamin Edlavitch is a USPTO registered patent attorney and dedicated intellectual property law strategist with a unique combination of technical backgrounds in the life sciences, software, and electrical and computer engineering.

With over 27 years of experience in the IT industry (including over 8 years as a web application developer and computer programmer and 18 years as an intellectual property law specialist), Ben primarily counsels clients on patent, copyright, and trademark law, trade secrets, complex commercial agreements, and technology licenses. This includes counseling clients on open-source software issues and other complicated matters that occur in computing and e-commerce as well as the overlap of electronics, software, and biotechnology.

Ben also provides domestic and international patent and trademark prosecution services for clients headquartered in the United States and abroad and assists executives, in-house counsel, and litigation generalists with intellectual property disputes. Furthermore, he advises on the development of trade secret policies and assists with trademark and copyright registrations. 

Education:

  • Chicago-Kent College of Law – J.D.
  • Purdue University – Graduate Coursework in Electrical and Computer Engineering
  • University of Illinois at Chicago – B.S. Electrical Engineering
  • University of California, Berkeley – Professional Certification in Computer Information Systems
  • Washington University in St. Louis – A.B. in Biology and Psychology as well as a Minor in Music

Career Highlights:

  • Admitted to practice law in Minnesota and Illinois and before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
  • Big law experience and expertise and was an intellectual property attorney at the prestigious international law firms of Greenberg Traurig and Brinks Gilson & Lione.
  • Before entering private practice, was the sole in-house counsel for an enterprise software company.  
  • In the last four years, prepared over one hundred U.S. patent applications. Many of the applications describe innovations in the crossover of the life sciences and electrical and computer engineering, including inventions in agriculture and medicine. The applications also cover inventions in farming electronics and information systems, e-commerce, telecommunications, computer hardware and software, fintech, artificial intelligence, deep learning, computer vision, blockchain, cybersecurity, medical devices, MEMS, biosensors, semiconductors, power electronics (including solar power), electrophysiology, robotics, automated driving systems, the Internet of Things (IoT), telemedicine, wireless, digital media and gaming, mobile apps, and education technology.

  • Over the past nineteen years, worked on over fifteen hundred patent applications for various types of clients including individuals, startups, corporations, and universities inventing in the fields of computer science, electrical and computer engineering, mechanical engineering, and biomedical engineering as well as for teams innovating medical devices, semiconductors, farm and construction equipment, food processing tech, control systems, and financial technologies.

  • Dedicated volunteer for local and nationwide STEM organizations as well as an active pro bono attorney. For more information, please visit LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/benedlavitch/.

2024 North Star Christmas Party

North Star Linkedin Site

The North Star Mission

Share, promote and advance the best of systems engineering from across the state of Minnesota while working with a world view for the benefit of humanity and the planet.

The North Star Vision

To be the preeminent authority on Systems Engineering in our region through educating our practitioners and encouraging Best Practices through our relationship with INCOSE.

Join the North Star Mailing List

Be the first recipients of the North Star Chapter news and events

Please click on the link below

https://mailchi.mp/33a319ff7c8c/nsc-leads

Chapter Officers

Brendan Hall

President 2025

Brendan.Hall@incose.net
Bren_2

Katherine Garvey

Past President 2024

katherine.garvey@incose.net
katherineg

Roz Dolid

Secretary/Past-President

rosamond.dolid@incose.netROZPic

Mike Keyes

Treasurer

MK Headshot

Taconna Mhoon

Director of Communications

TaconnaM

Ron Hannig

Director of Industry

Hannig1_Pic

Soniya Mantri

Membership Director 

SoniyaMantri_342

Udhaya Kumar Dayalan

Director of Academia and Government
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Steve Untz

Past President 2023

steve.untz@incose.netUntz-1

Sean McCoy

Past President

sean.mccoy@incose.net
Sean McCoy Headshot

Paul Frenz

Past President, ESEP

paul.frenz@incose.net
frenzp

John Palmer

Past Treasurer

john.palmer@incose.net
johnincose



Kousha Davoudi

Webmaster 

kousha.davoudi@incose.net
Kousha

Eileen Arnold

ESEP

eileen.arnold@incose.net

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