Areas of Practice

Jeff Harmes concentrates his practice in business law, including commercialization of intellectual property, distribution and procurement contracts, business alliances, outsourcing, and privacy.

 

Professional Experience and Honors

• Principal of Karcher Harmes PS (2010 –Present)
• Partner, KL Gates and predecessor Preston Gates & Ellis (2006 – 2010)
• Chair, Licensing and Electronic Transactions Group, KL Gates/ Preston Gates & Ellis (2006 – 2009)
• Partner, DLA Piper/Gray Cary Ware & Freidenrich (2000 – 2006)
• Managing Partner, Seattle office, DLA Piper and predecessor Gray Cary Ware & Freidenrich (2001 – 2006)
• Partner, Tonkin Torp LLP (1988 – 2000) and Chair, Business Transactions Practice Group
• The Best Lawyers in America – (2015)
• Top Rated Lawyer in Technology Law (2015)

 

Representative Experience

• Negotiated and drafted settlement agreement between two major technology companies involving multi-million dollar cash consideration and cross licensing and distribution of electronic games.
• Acted as lead counsel representing buyer in purchase of two pharmaceutical product lines from major drug company.
• Currently represents large public university in connection with a variety of technology transfer transactions.
• Represented major wireless communications company in significant logistics outsourcing project.
• Acted as lead counsel in connection with the sale of innovative food processing technology.
• Represented major motion picture company in formation of joint venture for development and publication of digital games.
• Served as primary licensing counsel for major electronic game company. Designed and prepared standard game development and distribution agreement forms and negotiated and documented numerous contracts and strategic relationships.
• Served as primary licensing counsel for several significant business software companies. Developed and distributed sets of annotated contracts and helped develop and administer contract management systems.
• Represented licensee in complex license agreement procuring rights to comic book characters for use in electronic games for wireless devices.
• Assisted client with design and implementation of agreements for distribution of music on wireless devices, including digital rights management implementation and rights clearance strategies.
• Represented major digital content provider in connection with software development outsourcing project in India.
• Represented medical device company in acquiring patent licenses from University of Washington and purchase of ancillary third party patent rights.
• Drafted and negotiated agreement for sale of pharmaceutical patent rights to University of California.
• Represented fuel cell developer in negotiation and drafting of patent license agreements and technology development collaboration.

 

 

Professional/Civic Activities

• Board Member, Bainbridge Island Public Television (2008 – 2010)
• Board Member, University of Washington’s Shidler Center for Law, Commerce & Technology (2001 to 2008)
• Instructor, Technology Commercialization Program, University of Washington Department of Bioengineering (2003)

 

Speaking Engagements

• “How to Streamline Licensing with Non-Profit Institutions,” Licensing Executives Society Seattle Chapter Speaker’s Series (November 22, 2010)
• “Technology Transfer-Licensing Intellectual Property from Universities,” Carolina Patent, Trademark and Copyright Association (September 25, 2009)
• “Technology Transfer-Licensing Intellectual Property from Universities,” Carolina Patent, Trademark and Copyright Association (September 25, 2009)
• “Technology Transfer – Licensing Intellectual Property from Universities,” Carolina Patent Trademark & Copyright Law Association 2009 Fall Meeting
• “Handling Unique Issues That Arise Out of Improvements Made on Licensed and Collaboration Technology,” American Conference Institute Advanced Forum on Technology Licensing Agreements (April 30, 2008)
• “Drafting and Negotiating License Agreements,” Advanced IP Licensing Transactions Conference, Seattle, Washington, co-chair (January 2004)
• “Pirates vs. Profits: Is Digital Entertainment Technology Safe for Business?” WSA Dinner Meeting, Seattle, Washington (November 2003)
• “Evaluating and Negotiating Licenses and Outsourcing Agreements,” Municipal Broadband Conference, San Francisco, California, September 2002, and Seattle, Washington (December 2002)
• “Ethics in Negotiations,” Ethics for the Transactional Lawyer Continuing Legal Education Seminar, Seattle, Washington (November 2002)
• “Maximizing the Value of Intellectual Property Assets in a Down Market,” Forum for Women Entrepreneurs seminar, Seattle, Washington (June 2002)
• “Contract Management and Intellectual Property Tricks and Traps,” PricewaterhouseCoopers General Counsel Forum, Seattle, Washington (March 2002)
• “Intellectual Property Law,” CLE Bootcamp, Seattle, Washington (January 2002)
• “Contracting with Application Service Providers,” 3G Wireless Workshop, Seattle, Washington (May 2002)
• “New Business Structures,” Doing Business Online: U.S. and Canada conference, Vancouver, B.C. (May 2001)
• “Due Diligence—Protecting Intellectual Property,” Venture Capital Financing conference, Seattle, Washington (October 2000)
• “New Business Structures,” Doing Business Online conference, Seattle, Washington(October 2000)
• “E-commerce for Business Lawyers,” MBA-CLE conference, Portland, Oregon (March 2000)
• “Intellectual Property Issues in Employment Contracts,” Covenants Not To Compete conference, Portland, Oregon (September 1999)

 

Admissions

• Oregon State Bar Association (1982 to Present)
• Washington State Bar Association (2001 to Present)

 

Education

• 1982, Juris Doctor, University of Oregon School of Law, awarded Order of the Coif
• 1978, Bachelor of Arts, University of Minnesota