Our Members

Franco S. De Liguori, JD

Mr. De Liguori is the Managing Member at DP IP Group.  He  has successfully represented domestic and international clients in all phases of patent practice including individual inventors, small start-ups, large companies and universities.  Mr. De Liguori counsels and assists clients in the procurement of both U.S. and foreign patents, which includes the preparation and prosecution of patent applications in the electrical and mechanical arts.

Mr. De Liguori has been working in the field of intellectual property law since 1988 when he became a Patent Examiner in the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).   His experience as a former Patent Examiner provides the entire DP IP GROUP team with unique knowledge of the inner workings at the USPTO.  Mr. De Liguori received his B.S. in Mechanical and Aerospace engineering from the University of New York at Buffalo in 1987 and his J.D. in 1994 from the Widener University School of Law.  Mr. De Liguori is a member of the USPTO Patent Bar since 1993 and is fluent in Spanish and Italian. 

Dr. Vassilios Vlahakis

Dr. Vassilios Vlahakis is a Senior Innovation Management, IP and Patent Consultant. He is an expert in helping clients maximize their R&D investments. He has worked for more than 20 years helping large multinationals, SMEs, startups, academia, investors and international organizations to organize and streamline their R&D processes while managing their IP assets, creating and expanding international patent portfolios and leveraging them in M&As, expanding to new markets, attracting investments, lower the cost of capital and gaining tax benefits.

He specializes in technology and science IP and has served, among others, clients in the software, electronics, banking, maritime, manufacturing and biomedical technology industries. He has also been involved in complex projects and joint ventures and dealt with corporate valuations and due diligence using IP, as well as, in risk management using IP, and creating sustainable competitive advantage and Corporate Innovation Culture using IP and Innovation-based employee training aligned with HR processes and corporate strategy.

The added value he brings is the combination of top level technical-scientific, business and IP-legal expertise and the experience brought from working in international companies where he has founded and directed IP departments, government as consultant for large projects, academia as a researcher and faculty member, and IP legal offices as IP expert. He is meticulous to detail and focuses on and adapts to the real needs or clients.

Dr. Vlahakis holds a Ph.D in Electrical Engineering and MSc in Biomedical Engineering, both from Imperial College London, International MBA from AUEB, and BEng in Electronics Engineering from UMIST. He has been trained by the PLI and the EPO on US and EU patent law and is a PQ US and EU Patent Attorney.

David Greaves

David is a Patent Technical Advisor involved in all phases of the preparation and prosecution of patent applications.  He has over 20 years of technical experience in web and software technologies, including computer programming, ecommerce platforms and mobile apps, and is particularly experienced handling cross-discipline sectors such as crypto-currency (block chain technology), web design, social media, copywriting, SEO (search engine optimization), PPC (Pay Per Click, Google Adwords) and digital marketing.

David studied computer science at university and certifications in BTEC Computing with Distinction.  Having always had a passion for technology, David’s focus has always been on maximizing the potential of the web to bring about benefits for businesses, people and society.   With a wealth of knowledge amassed from over 20 years of using different systems in the industry, David has the developed skills to creatively bring multiple systems together in innovative ways.

David also runs a successful web business, Greaves Design Ltd. (www.greavesdesign.co.uk),  which covers all aspects of the web, from website building, ecommerce platforms, mobile apps and integration of systems together.  His company has built around 1,000 websites from small to large businesses in multiple countries.   David is also named as a co-inventor in a portfolio of issued patents and pending patent applications in the field of affiliate marketing and related technologies.