MINNEAPOLIS – October 23, 2017 – Winthrop & Weinstine, P.A., is pleased to announce that shareholder and firm Board member David Aafedt been re-elected to his fifth term as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Better Business Bureau (BBB) of Minnesota and North Dakota. Since 2010, David has held positions on the Finance Committee, Executive Committee and as Vice-Chairman of the Board.

As Chair, David convenes and manages meetings of the full Board as well as all meetings of the Executive Committee; including acting as an ex-officio member of all committees. David is actively involved in the development of the BBB budget and acts as an ambassador for the organization, promoting its mission and values as well as the benefits of accreditation.

With more than 6,400 locally Accredited Businesses, the BBB of Minnesota and North Dakota is a not-for-profit organization with a 22-member volunteer board of directors. Board members, who generally serve a three-year term, are business owners and executives representing a variety of industries, professions and company sizes, as well as organizational partners such as higher education. The BBB aims to be the leader in advancing marketplace trust by promoting ethical relationships between businesses and the public through voluntary self-regulation.

Prior to joining Winthrop & Weinstine in 2003, David served as an Assistant Attorney General with the Minnesota Attorney General’s office. His practice at the firm now mirrors his practice while at the Attorney General’s Office. He uses his extensive experience to advocate on behalf of his clients in a wide range of settings in all 50 states, including state and federal regulatory matters, business and consumer litigation, as well as state and federal audits, investigations, and market conduct examinations.

MINNEAPOLIS – Oct. 19, 2017 – After nine years of litigation, Winthrop & Weinstine successfully proved that industry giant Arkwright Advanced Coating, Inc. (“AACI”) infringed client Jodi Schwendimann’s patents covering single-step, iron-on image transfer sheets for dark colored textiles. Furthermore, the firm successfully protected Schwendimann against an allegation that Schwendimann’s companies infringed patents owned by AACI.

On Oct 18, 2017, the jury in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota rendered a verdict in Schwendimann’s favor, resolving the last and final lawsuit on Schwendimann v. Arkwright Advanced Coating, Inc, which began in 2008 against its predecessor Arkwright, Inc. and was refiled in 2011. Among other favorable rulings on this matter, the jury most notably found AACI had infringed Schwendimann’s patents. The jury also found AACI to have willfully infringed Schwendimann’s patents. With regard to AACI’s patents, the jury found one of them to be not infringed and the other to be invalid.

“I’m incredibly thrilled for Jodi. This long-fought battle is finally over and her business and integrity remains protected,” said Devan Padmanabhan, a shareholder at Winthrop & Weinstine who represented Jodi Schwendimann. “This David vs. Goliath battle is significant for inventors and innovation in the manufacturing industry and has the potential to set the standard for interference practices. We were able to guard these patents and rightfully preserve Jodi’s claim as inventor to this ground-breaking technology.”

The team of Devan V. Padmanabhan, David A. Davenport, Michelle E. Dawson, Britta S. Loftus, Nadeem W. Schwen and Justice Ericson Lindell have been working on behalf of Schwendimann on these matters for over nine years. In December 2016, Winthrop successfully represented Ms. Schwendimann in front of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, which effectively ruled that she was the true inventor of the disputed image transfer sheet technology.

Winthrop & Weinstine, P.A., is pleased to announce that Aimée Dayhoff has been elected Vice Chair of the Minnesota Zoo Foundation Board of Directors. Aimée was a trustee on the Minnesota Zoo Board of Directors from 2013-2017, and since 2010, has been a Member of the Governance Committee. As a Trustee of the Minnesota Zoo Foundation Board, she has twice chaired the Zoo’s largest annual fundraiser, the Beastly Ball.

The Minnesota Zoo is a year-round destination located in Apple Valley, just minutes south of Mall of America. The Zoo’s mission is to connect people, animals and the natural world to save wildlife. The Minnesota Zoo is a leader in saving wildlife through engagement, inspiration and action.

Aimée Dayhoff is a shareholder in Winthrop & Weinstine’s commercial litigation department. Since joining the firm in 2002, Aimée’s practice has been built on the foundation of her deep understanding of her clients’ businesses, which run the gamut from large publicly held corporations, to thoroughbred horse trainers, to small family-owned businesses, to Minnesota wineries. With her straightforward communication style and desire to efficiently and effectively achieve her clients’ goals, Aimée excels at listening to her clients and advising them on their various options and the costs associated with the same. Her frank and direct approach to practice has earned her numerous accolades and recognition from both clients and practitioners alike.