On April 30th, the Intellectual Property Institute of Mitchell Hamline School of Law completed a month-long series of “Lunch & Learn” educational presentations to employees of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The invitation to present to USPTO staff came from the USPTO’s Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity, which has responsibility for providing continuing education opportunities. The IP Institute and the USPTO have long maintained a strong, collaborative relationship, and the IP Institute was delighted to be able to comply with the USPTO’s request.
The presentations all centered on how IP practice intersects with IP policy. The final presentation on April 30th focused on issues in trademark law, and included a panel discussion by nationally prominent trademark experts, Stephen Baird, shareholder in Greenberg Traurig LLP, Kristine Boylan, partner in Taft, Stettinius & Hollister, LLP, and David Pacheco, Director and Assistant Chief IP Counsel at 3M Corp. The earlier presentations were led by Professor Carl Moy, the Director of the school’s IP Institute, and Emeritus Professor Jay Erstling. They addressed issues in patent law, including the relationship between restriction and unity-of-invention practices, patent infringement law and policy, and sustainability aspects of IP rights worldwide.
“These presentations are directly related to the IP Institute’s strong focus on the connection between real-world practice issues and the underlying policy and history of IP law,” said Carl Moy. “We are very pleased to have been given the chance to be of service to the USPTO and its employees, and we look forward to additional opportunities in the future,” he said.
The success of the Lunch & Learn programs was highlighted by USPTO attorney examiner Maryam Ipkachi, the President of the Intellectual Property Society of Iranian Americans (IPSIA), a USPTO affinity group and the program’s principal sponsor. “Professors Erstling and Moy are the epitome of teachers! They share a wealth of knowledge and experience in an unbelievably humble, caring, and relatable way. IPSIA at the USPTO was honored to have them warmly share their insights about IP law with the USPTO community during a Lunch & Learn IP law series. Thank you so much Professors Erstling and Moy!”