Neil J. Beaton, National Partner in Charge, Grant Thornton LLP to Speak at KC’s Commercial Damages: Overview and Cross Examination - Bullet Proof or Bullet Holes?

New York, NY, October 13, 2010 --(PR.com)-- The Knowledge Group/The Knowledge Congress Live Webcast Series, the leading producer of regulatory focused webcasts, has announced today that Neil J. Beaton, CPA/ABV/CFF, CFA, ASA, National Partner in Charge, Valuation Services Group, Grant Thornton LLP will speak at the Knowledge Congress’ webcast entitled: “Commercial Damages: Overview and Cross Examination - Bullet Proof or Bullet Holes?” This event is scheduled for October 28, 2010 at 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM ET.

(For further details, please visit: http://www.knowledgecongress.org/event_2010_Commercial.html)

Event Synopsis:

The headlines are filled with the BP catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. BP has even agreed to a damage fund of $20 billion, but what about the other companies involved in the Deep Water Horizon drilling rig, Transocean, Halliburton and others? And what about the businesses that are damaged but their claim is turned down?

Commercial damages is like a three legged stool: the plaintiff has to prove liability, damages and collectability. If one leg is not there, the stool falls over. The reality of a plaintiff’s situation centers on the task of proving to a reasonable certainty all three legs of the stool within the confines of the rules of evidence.

The measurement of damages from a defendant’s infringement on intellectual property falls into three main categories:

1. Lost profits to the plaintiff
2. Reasonable royalties imposed on the defendant
3. Disgorgement of the defendant’s profits realized

This event would present three examples of claims for cross examination and discussion:

1. A statistical trend line
2. A contractual infringement and
3. A trade secret royalty

About Neil J. Beaton

Neil is the National Partner in Charge of Grant Thornton LLP’s valuation services group. He has over 25 years of experience analyzing both closely- and publicly-held companies. Neil has appeared as an expert witness across the country and in international tribunals, is an instructor for the AICPA’s business valuation courses, and speaks nationally on business valuation with a special emphasis on early stage and high technology companies. Neil has published two books and written many articles on early-stage company valuations as well. He has served on the AICPA’s National Accreditation Commission and the Financial Accounting Standards Board Valuation Resource Group. Neil has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics from Stanford University and a Masters of Business Administration in Finance from National University. In addition to his formal education, Neil is a Certified Public Accountant, Accredited in Business Valuation, Certified in Financial Forensics, a Chartered Financial Analyst and an Accredited Senior Appraiser in business valuation from the American Society of Appraisers.

About Grant Thornton LLP

The people in the independent firms of Grant Thornton International Ltd provide personalized attention and the highest quality service to public and private clients in more than 100 countries. Grant Thornton LLP is the U.S. member firm of Grant Thornton International Ltd, one of the six global audit, tax and advisory organizations. Grant Thornton International Ltd and its member firms are not a worldwide partnership, as each member firm is a separate and distinct legal entity.

For more information about Neil J. Beaton, and Grant Thornton LLP, please visit: www.grantthornton.com

About The Knowledge Group, LLC/The Knowledge Congress Live Webcast Series

The Knowledge Congress is a series of live webcasts produced by The Knowledge Group, LLC, which examine trends, regulatory, and technology changes across a variety of industries. To contact or to register to an event, please visit: www.knowledgecongress.org.

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