ISBA Ethics Opinions on Dual Professions

Patent law firm may not provide or receive a royalty-type fee for services matching client-inventors with client-product promoters, unless the firm can rebut the presumption of undue influence and the firm obtains informed written consent of all affected clients to the fee arrangement, to the potential disclosure of confidential information, and to the inherent conflicts of interest. The specific facts of particular situations may make consent to certain conflicts of interest unreasonable.