Innovation Consultant, Informed Innovation
Formerly a corporate and intellectual property lawyer, I graduated Harvard Law School and later earned a Master's in Industrial Design at Pratt Institute. From toys to complex medical devices, I've spent the past 26 years guiding innovation through strategic product design, and have helped hundreds of clients bridge the elusive gap between creative insight and commercial success. As design consultant to a broad range of markets and industries, I keep my finger on the pulse of critical trends in consumer electronics, medical devices, transportation, IOT, toys, and a host of other product categories. I bring that foundation of understanding to my work as design expert witness, and it has proven invaluable to developing effective litigation strategies and legal arguments. I'm named inventor on over 45 US design and utility patents, and serve as Co-Chair of The Industrial Designers Society of America's (IDSA) Design Protection Special Interest Section. Designers think in such a unique way that it's been coined “Design Thinking,” while legal analysis requires a distinctly analytic perspective. As design expert witness I approach disputes involving the protection of design from both vantage points, and my value to your case is enhanced by the ability to address legal challenges from both a designer's and a lawyer's perspective.
I look forward to connecting, please feel free to contact me directly at 773.517.1862, or schedule a meeting at www.informedinnovationinc.com.
If you’re an industrial designer with legal questions. ask Joel Delman, IDSA. Joel is known for providing personal guidance to IDSA members on IP and contractural issues, and this year has been especially generous with his time and resources. “I’m always available to help,” he tells us.
Formerly a corporate and intellectual property lawyer, Joel is a graduate of Harvard Law School and later earned a Master’s in Industrial Design at Pratt Institute. He is the current Chair of IDSA’s Design Protection Committee, and IDSA’s liaison to both the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA)’s Industrial Design Committee and Design Profession Subcommittee. In 2020, he also participated in planning the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)’s “Design Day,” and spoke at two IDSA National events. In August, he participated in a Design Voices webinar with host Charles Mauro CHFP, IDSA and co-presenter Elizabeth Ferrill, titled “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: How Recent Design Patent Cases Will Impact Design Protection.” In September, as part of the first virtual International Design Conference, he presented the seminar “Legal Contracts for Designers: (Almost) Everything you Need to Know.”
“With respect to accomplishments this year, I want to highlight the significant contributions of Charles Mauro, a long-standing and esteemed IDSA member who has played a leading role in fostering knowledge and appreciation of design protection amongst the IDSA community and the world at large,” Joel says. “This year alone, Charles put in many hours to spearhead IDSA’s Amicus Brief in Columbia Sportswear v. Seirus, and organized/hosted the Design Voices webinar noted above. My contributions in 2020 rest on a foundation which Charles helped build over many years.”
Additionally, Joel says he is inspired by “the positive impact and efforts of so many IDSA members, through the design of everything from life-saving medical devices to stylish masks during the crisis we’re all going through.” He remains optimistic about what the future will look like for industrial designers on the other side of the crisis, and will no doubt continue to be of service.
