CPTCLA

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The CPTCLA is the oldest legal association dedicated to practitioners of Intellectual Property law in North and South Carolina. CPTCLA typically hosts an annual Spring CLE seminar in North Carolina, as well as a Fall CLE seminar in South Carolina, offering approximately nine to twelve hours of CLE credit on a yearly basis. Our Fall CLE meeting will be held on September 26-27, 2025 at the Kiawah Island Golf Resort on Kiawah Island, SC. We are currently finalizing a great line-up of speakers. JOIN US

Board Members

Lillian Fant

Past President

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Lillian is an Intellectual Property Attorney at Dority & Manning in Greenville, SC. Lillian has experience preparing and prosecuting U.S. and foreign patent applications related to the electrical and software arts. Lillian also advises clients on aspects relating to copyright registration and trademark prosecution. Lillian received a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from Wofford College, and her Juris Doctor degree, from the University of Georgia School of Law. Lillian is also involved in the community including volunteering with the Upstate Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and serving as a Co-Chair of the Wofford College Class of 2017 5-year Reunion Committee.

Bryce Rufener

President

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Bryce Rufener serves as Senior IP Counsel for Apex Tool Group in Lexington, South Carolina where he is responsible for all patent and trademark matters for the Global Power Tools Division. Prior to joining Apex Tool Group, Bryce served as in-house patent counsel for Caterpillar. Bryce has also worked as an associate at two national law firms in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where his practice focused on patent drafting, prosecution, clearance, and counseling for mechanical and electromechanical technologies. Bryce received a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Brigham Young University and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Virginia. In addition to serving as a Board Member of the Carolina Patent, Trademark & Copyright Law Association, he is a member of the Association of Corporation Counsel and has served on the Intellectual Property Owners Association Industrial Designs committee.

John Dresch

First Vice President

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John Dresch is of counsel in the Litigation and Intellectual Property practices of Arnall Golden Gregory LLP, where he focuses his practice on patent preparation and prosecution before the United States Patent & Trademark Office in mechanical and electromechanical technologies.Leveraging more than two decades of patent and trademark prosecution experience in the Washington, DC and Northern Virginia area, John focuses his practice on providing personalized and comprehensive intellectual property counseling to major corporations, emerging companies, and individual inventors in the U.S. and abroad and counsels clients on establishing, developing, and managing their patent and trademark portfolios, as well as advising on issues related to patent infringement, patent validity, avoiding infringement, and patent valuation.

John received a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Lehigh University and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law. Prior to beginning his law practice, he worked as an engineer for The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company where he managed mechanical/electrical systems upgrades and medical laboratory renovations at the Yale University School of Medicine.

John resides in the Columbia area of South Carolina and, in his free time, enjoys boating and water sports activities with is family on Lake Murray.

John Rappold

Second Vice President

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Originally from New Orleans, John moved to Charleston in 2006 to attend the College of Charleston where he studied Political Science and Music. John went on to attend the Charleston School of Law where he focused his studies on intellectual property and licensing. After working for a personal injury firm in North Charleston, he decided to pursue his passion for intellectual property law and achieved his LL.M from George Washington University Law School in Washington, DC. Aside from his law practice, John is a musician, audio engineer, music composer and producer, a former member serving on Charleston Angel Partners' (CHAP) diligence team, and a former writer for the long-acclaimed intellectual property podcast, Entertainment Law Update. John lives in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina with his wife Lindsey, daughter Eva, and their two dogs, Milo and Bowie. In his free time, he enjoys snowboarding, biking, traveling, composing music, and keeping abreast of the latest developments in trademark, copyright, and other intellectual property law.

Stephen Petroski

Director of Communications / Membership

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Stephen Petroski is a shareholder at Myers Bigel & Sibley, P.A., in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he focuses his practice on patent preparation and prosecution in mechanical and electromechanical technologies. Stephen received his Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, cum laude, from Duke University, his Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois, and his Juris Doctor degree, with honors, from the University of North Carolina. He is a member of the North Carolina Bar and is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Prior to entering law school, Stephen gained more than five years experience as a development and product engineer at Ingersoll Rand Company. He is a registered Professional Engineer in North Carolina.

Katie Lyddane

Secretary

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Katie is an Intellectual Property Attorney at Dority & Manning in Greenville, SC. Katie has experience preparing and prosecuting U.S. and foreign patent applications related to medical devices and the biomechanical arts. Katie also advises clients on aspects related to IP licensing and trademark prosecution. Katie received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Virginia, and her Juris Doctor degree, with honors, from the George Washington University. Prior to and while attending law school, Katie worked as a patent examiner at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for five years.

R. Flynt Strean

Treasurer

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Flynt Strean is a partner at Womble Bond Dickinson, LLP, in Charlotte, North Carolina in the firm’s Mechanical Patents Group. His practice focuses on managing client intellectual property portfolios and counseling clients to procure, protect, and license intellectual property rights. Flynt has extensive experience in preparing and prosecuting U.S. and foreign patent applications, preparing non-infringement/invalidity and patentability opinions, performing clearance investigations, and conducting intellectual property due diligence investigations. Flynt received his J.D. from the University of Kentucky in 2004. He received a B.S.M.E., cum laude, from Virginia Tech in 1993, and an M.S.M.E. from Virginia Tech in 1996. Prior to attending law school, Flynt spent six years as a research and development engineer for Lexmark International, Inc. Flynt has been recognized as a North Carolina Rising Star by Super Lawyers Magazine. In addition to serving as a Board Member of the Carolina Patent Trademark & Copyright Law Association, he also serves on the Advisory Board of Virginia Tech’s Science, Technology, and Law Program.

Alex Long

Director of Information Technology

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Alex is a partner with Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP where he splits his time between the firm's Charlotte and Greenville offices, focusing on patent prosecution as well as patent, trademark, and copyright litigation. Alex received his Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering cum laude with general and departmental honors from Clemson University, and his Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina. He is a member of the bars of both North and South Carolina, and is registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Alex is also admitted to practice before all federal courts of North and South Carolina, the United States Courts of Appeal for the Fourth Circuit and the Federal Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court. He developed and teaches a course on intellectual property in the paralegal program at Midlands Technical College.