Enrique (Rick) Sanchez, Jr.

Rick represents his clients in nearly every aspect of intellectual property and technology law, including prosecution, litigation, licensing, and post-grant procedures.

Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, and Emerging Technologies

Rick advises clients at the intersection of technology and law by: conducting AI surveys to identify relevant stake holders and areas primed for AI implementation; drafting tailored governance policies aligned with the NIST AI Risk Management Framework, OECD AI Principles, and the EU AI Act; drafting joint development agreements, data usage agreements, and license agreements; protecting Al models, ML algorithms, and related systems via patent, copyright, and trademark filings; and navigating regulatory compliance in the U.S. Rick was selected to be part of the 2025 Cohort of MIT's Professional Certificate Program in Digital Transformation in the AI Age. Additionally, Rick is currently enrolled in the AI Governance Professional certification training program. With regard to blockchain, Rick has represented several blockchain-focused clients regarding distributed ledger applications and cryptocurrencies.

IP Prosecution, Litigation, and Licensing

Rick leverages his electrical engineering degree, his background in cryptology, and his litigation expertise to prepare and prosecute patent applications in a wide range of technology fields, including: cryptocurrency, blockchain, semiconductor, augmented reality, VTOL, aircraft, rotorcraft, and control systems, among others. He also counsels his clients regarding their international intellectual property portfolios. His clients also rely on him to draft Freedom-to-Operate opinion letters, as well as conduct and analyze patent novelty and trademark knock-out searches. Rick also prepares and prosecutes trademark applications before the USPTO. His practice further includes filing copyright registration applications and responding to copyright registration refusals from the U.S. Copyright Office. Bolstered by his prosecution expertise, Rick also represents both plaintiffs and defendants in the litigation of patents and trademarks in Federal Court.  While in-house, he managed concurrent international patent litigation in several countries, including Germany, China, France, and Italy. Rick also sends and responds to cease and desist letters related to intellectual property matters. Rick drafts and negotiates licenses and other agreements, such as patent license agreements, trademark license agreements, acquisition agreements, master services agreements, joint-development agreements, and consent agreements. He also represents clients in the entertainment industry, by drafting copyright assignment and license agreements, among others.

Technical Background

As an electrical engineer, Rick designed and commercialized signal processing and communication systems at companies such as Raytheon and SAIC. He has served in the U.S. Navy Reserve as a cryptologic officer, after having been selected for Direct Commission as an enlisted cryptologic petty officer – prior to which he was enlisted Army.