On March 13-15, the BIPLA hosted the Northeast Regional Competition for the Giles S. Rich Moot Court, sponsored by AIPLA. Ten teams converged on Suffolk Law School for a round robin competition on Friday, followed by elimination rounds on Saturday.  Sunday’s finals were held in the main moot court room at Suffolk.  This year’s Northeast Regional winner was a local team comprised of Harvard Law students, with the Temple Law School team as runners up. Both finalist teams will proceed to the national competition in April. The other participating teams were from Cornell, Rutgers, Drexel, Temple, University of Pittsburgh, and UNH. This year’s problem concerns claim construction and antitrust. The Pocah-car is a recent entrant to the electric vehicle market but is quickly gaining market share due to its tie-in to excessively cute collectible plush toys also sold by Pocah. Plaintiff Pocah accuses Defendant Tiana of infringing its automobile headlight patent, while Tiana alleges that Pocah’s restrictions on Pocah-car services and parts violate the Sherman Act.

Many thanks to the BIPLA members who helped grade briefs and judge the oral arguments.  It is a big task but the students were very appreciative.  Many thanks also to the students and staff at Suffolk Law School for hosting the competition and providing timekeepers.

Michael Schmitt, Choate

Moot Court Committee Chair