I am honored to serve as President of the Boston Intellectual Property Law Association for 2025 and help lead our organization into its second century! Thank you to all of you who attended the 2024 Annual Meeting. It is always a pleasure to connect with so many of our fellow intellectual property practitioners. BIPLA again has many exciting opportunities for you to get involved this year –from committee meetings to larger events, we look forward to connecting.
Registration and sponsorships are open for our 5th Annual Symposium, which will be held on April 2-3, 2025. The Symposium will offer two days of interesting panels and speakers, including keynote speaker David J. Kappos, former Under Secretary of Commerce and Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, as well as great opportunities for connecting with colleagues over breakfast, lunch, and networking receptions.
We also invite you to volunteer for the 2025 Giles Rich Moot Court Competition, which is scheduled for March 14-16, 2025, and provides law students with valuable opportunities to practice their advocacy skills. The Moot Court Committee (mootcourt@bipla.org) is looking for volunteers to judge briefs and grade oral arguments.
If you haven’t already, please renew your membership, encourage colleagues to become members, and take advantage of the opportunities BIPLA provides. We welcome everyone’s participation to help us continue BIPLA’s role in advancing intellectual property discourse and building community among intellectual property practitioners throughout the First Circuit. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with questions or suggestions. You can reach me at president@bipla.org.
Emily R. Whelan
President, Boston Intellectual Property Law Association
Editor's Notes | BIPLA Statement on Recent Federal Policy Announcements | 2024 Annual Meeting |
The BIPLA had a busy fall program, and this newsletter brings reports of events sponsored by the International and Medical Device Committees, the Antitrust Committee, and Invented Here! The minutes of the annual meeting are also provided. The annual meeting is a much more festive event than the minutes would imply and we encourage you to join us at this year’s annual meeting. In addition, we are delighted to publish one of the winning essays from the 2024 writing contest. | The Boston Intellectual Property Law Association (BIPLA) has been reviewing recent policy announcements to understand the potential implications for IP law. BIPLA supports efforts that maintain the strength of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the innovation ecosystem, including for populations that have been underrepresented in that ecosystem. We suggest that the Trump administration consider the effect of recently-announced policies in three areas—related to employment, diversity, and immigration—that may negatively impact the innovation landscape in the United States. <<Read More>> | On December 4, the BIPLA gathered at the State Room to reconnect with colleagues and celebrate a year of insightful programming. We also enjoyed an illuminating presentation from Administrative Law Judge Lawrence Stanley about practice before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB). We elected a new slate of officers and recognized the winners of our Pro Bono Award, Joel Lehrer of Goodwin Procter, and the annual Writing Competition, Luke Colomey and Emily Ganem, both at Northeastern University School of Law. Ms. Ganem’s first place paper is published in this issue of the Newsletter. Mr. Colomey’s second place paper was entitled “Batman v. Superman v. Copyright v. Trademark: The Future of the Public Domain and Source Identification”. |
Fast-Tracked Patents | Minutes of the BIPLA Annual Meeting | Panel Discussion with UPC Technically Qualified Judge |
The patent system allows inventors to exclude others from using their inventions, offering a way to collect profits.1 This allows patent holders to increase prices, but patents also benefit society by disclosing technical information and incentivizing innovation.2 In the United States, for example, issuance of a patent offers a monopoly to the patent holder (also called “patentee,” typically the inventor) in exchange for full disclosure of their invention “so that, at the expiration of the monopoly, ‘the knowledge of the invention inures to the people, who are thus enabled without restriction to practice it and profit by its use.’”3 <<Read More>> | Following a networking cocktail hour, President Joshua Dalton called the meeting to order and presented welcoming remarks, in which he thanked the event’s sponsors, the BIPLA Board, and the 2024 committee chairs for their hard work and commitment over the past year. He thanked the Association’s longtime administrator, Constance Brennan, for their work over their many years with the organization. He introduced and thanked Spencer Jawitz, the BIPLA’s new Events & Communications Manager. President Dalton also thanked his activities chair, Erin McGuine, and recognized all BIPLA past presidents in attendance. | On February 12, the BIPLA presented a panel discussion titled “Essential Strategies for U.S. Patent Counsel at the EPO and UPC” featuring Michael Fleuchaus, a Technically Qualified Judge at the Unified Patent Court, along with Craig Smith and Tom Sullivan of Lando & Anastasi, Ken Thompson, Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Cantor Fitzgerald, and Kent Robbins, Senior Director at TransPerfect IP. The audience learned about recent developments at the nascent UPC as well as practice tips for proceedings at the court, followed by a networking reception at the University of Massachusetts Club in Boston. The BIPLA thanks Lando & Anastasi and TransPerfect IP for co-sponsoring the event. |