Location | Cleveland

Topic | The State of the Trademark Office

Professor Holte attended the Cleveland Intellectual Property Law Association (CIPLA) meeting with two first-year IP students from The University of Akron School of Law. Mary Boney Denison, the Commissioner for Trademarks at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, spoke on the state of the trademark office. Those in attendance enjoyed a cocktail reception and dinner.

Location | Auburn Science and Engineering Center at The University of Akron

Topic | IP Career Opportunities for Engineering Students

Professor Holte spoke with engineering undergraduate students about career opportunities after receiving a technical undergraduate degree. He described the path to law school after receiving a technical undergraduate degree. He also explained what intellectual property career paths are available to students with technical backgrounds, such as engineering.

Location | The University of Akron School of Law Room - 380

Topic | Duties and Life of IP In-house Counsel

IPTLA hosted a Lunch and Learn with Smucker’s in-house Intellectual Property Counsel. Students enjoyed Jimmy John’s as Dean Peters and Professor Holte introduced the members of Smucker’s in-house team. The Smucker’s team discussed their experiences and career paths to in-house counsel work. They discussed the importance of understanding legal and business aspects of a company while working in-house. The attorneys discussed their day-to-day responsibilities and their strong ties with outside counsel in the process of patent preparation and prosecution. The team concluded the discussion by answering questions from students, explained the costs and benefits of in-house work, and provided insight into different pathways of becoming in-house counsel. Members of the UPSTO and IP attorneys from Jones Day were present and also provided valuable insight.

Location | The University of Akron School of Law

Topic | Preparing for a Career in Patent Law

IPTLA met to discuss career path opportunities in the field of patent law and how to set yourself apart from other IP students by taking the Patent Bar. Dean O’Brien discussed the importance of preparing final resumes for the PLIP (Loyola Patent Conference) and Spring OCIs. Nick Buchmuller provided a patent law time line that displayed important benchmarks and deadlines throughout your law school career to create the best opportunity for securing a patent law job upon graduation. Professor Holte further stressed the importance of building a strong resume displaying interests in patent law. He also explained the career benefits of having the Patent Bar on your resume early on in your law school career as well as the importance of showing dedication to this particular field of work on your resume. Professor Hrdy and Professor Brean expressed their personal takes on the importance of utilizing career services and taking advantage of employers visiting Akron Law for OCIs.

Location | The University of Akron School of Law

Topic | Criminal Trademark Enforcement and Trademark Counterfeit Act

Professor McKenna, a professor from University of Notre Dame Law School visited Akron Law School to present a lecture on the topic of criminal trademark enforcement. After introductions from Dean Peters and Professor Holte, Professor McKenna went into further detail on this subject and discussed the Trademark Counterfeit Act, which creates narrowly enforced criminal penalties for egregious criminal trademark counterfeiting. Additionally, Professor McKenna explained the effect such penalties have, in comparison to civil penalties imposed on trademark counterfeit issues, when used outside their narrow scope. IP Faculty, local Northeastern Ohio IP attorneys, as well as IPAC and IPTLA members were present. Free CLE credit was offered to all attorneys and Old Carolina lunch was served to all in attendance.

Location | The University of Akron School of Law

Topic | All IP

The University of Akron School of Law's Center for Intellectual Property and Technology hosted its Annual IP Scholars Forum. Participants from throughout the United States came to Akron for the Forum. The IP Scholars Forum is an event held each fall. The forum's purpose is to bring together a small group of prominent scholars for intensive, high-level discussions on cutting-edge issues of common interest. Participants enjoyed a concert at Blossom Music Center after the Forum.

Location | The University of Akron School of Law

Topic | Do courts give too much deference to the Patent Office?

Professor Saurabh Vishnubhakat, an associate professor of Texas A&M School of Law, discussed whether courts give too much deference to the Patent and Trademark Office. Akron Law Professors Daniel Brean and Camilla Hrdy expanded and complimented the discussion siting as a panel directing questions to Professor Vishnubhakat. Attendees enjoyed a complimentary lunch and gained valuable insights into the modern world of Intellectual Property Litigation.

Location | The University of Akron School of Law

Topic | All IP

The Intellectual Property Advisory Council is a body of experts from around the world that assists Akron Law students and the law school via advice and guidance. IPAC is composed of dozens of IP attorneys who are passionate about helping advance Akron’s IP curriculum and aiding students in their career planning process.

IPAC brought together movers and shakers within the intellectual property community. President Wilson was in attendance. The group spent the day discussing numerous IP related topics and making plans for the upcoming year. IPAC members were also able to tour the new Law School building. The day ended with a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the conclusion of the Law School’s construction.

Location | The University of Akron School of Law

Topic | All IP

IPTLA kicked off the year with food and IP! Students enjoyed Jimmy Johns while the IP Faculty and Student Leadership were introduced. Once introductions were done, leadership explained the numerous opportunities for IP oriented students at Akron Law. Dean Benedict O’Brien from Student Services made a cameo and spoke about current job opportunities, encouraging students to take full advantage of these offerings. Leadership gave a quick explanation about the Intellectual Property Law Center and the work it does to prepare students for careers in IP. Students also learned about the IP Certificate and LLM program. The meeting concluded with a directed discussion with Patent Bar Eligible students to explain what the Patent Bar process entails.