Women In IP Law Committee Special Edition Newsletter Networking 2014 Welcome Letter U.S. and Canadian Networking Events Australia and New Zealand Networking Events Welcome Letter The 2014 AIPLA Women in Intellectual Property (IP) Global Networking Event was a resounding success. Held at 50 sites throughout the world – including in Asia, New Zealand, Australia and Europe for the first time – the event offered hundreds of women in IP the opportunity to establish and strengthen relationships in their respective geographic regions. Thanks to the steadfast dedication and commitment of the co-chairs (Carol ThorstadForsyth of Fox Rothschild LLP and Elise Selinger of Conley Rose, PC) and European liaison (Yelena Morozova of Gill Jennings & Every LLP), this year’s event featured a significant increase from past years in the total number of locations at which the event was held. Europe Networking Events Thanks to each of our hosts for making each of our networking events a success. This newsletter is dedicated to sharing photos and other information provided by our hosts. You may also view a video of the presentations given by the AIPLA President, Executive Director and Chair of the Women In IP Law Committee, which has been made available via the Women in IP Committee microsite. India Networking Events We hope that you will continue to strengthen relationships established at the networking events and we look forward to your participation at the next networking event. Best Wishes, The Women in IP Law Committee Hathaway Russell (chair), Randi Karpinia (co-vice chair) Bea Swedlow (co-vice chair) Save the Date for the next Networking Dinner: May 21, 2015 U.S. and Canadian Networking Events Our 2014 Networking Team: Carol ThorstadForsyth Elise Selinger Yelena Morozova ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Atlanta, GA We are looking for a few good Webinar Sponsors! Please contact: Yelena Morozova The Atlanta event was held at the offices of Schwegman Lundberg & Woessner. Since May 22nd was the date when the Wright Brothers received their patent for a flying machine we chose the theme of "Take Flight." There was wonderful food, drink and conversation. Dr. Susan Blewett gave a talk relating to “Is stress keeping you grounded? Take Flight Simple Mind Body Skills for Stress Reduction and Wellness -- 80% of all chronic illness is caused by stress.” Dr Blewett also talked about the impact of chronic stress on our body and simple tools that can help us deal with stress and live a healthy life. Dr Blewett also provided tools for learning how to get out of your brain and into your body! morozova.yelena@gmail.com At our event, each attendee received a kite. or Debora Plehn-Dujowich Debora.PlehnDujowich@dbr.com Austin, TX Thanks to our sponsors: Norton Rose Fulbright and Pirkey Barger Pllc View Our Guideline on how to submit an article for publication in the newsletter Guidelines for submitting an article for publication in the newsletter ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Boston, MA Thanks to our sponsor: Goodwin Procter LLP ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chicago, IL Brinks, Gilson & Lione and Fitch, Even, Tabin & Flannery LLP co-hosted the seventh annual AIPLA Women in IP Global Networking Event for the Chicago chapter. The event, which was held at the historic Union League Club in downtown Chicago, was free to attend and was open to both members and non-members of the AIPLA. Forty-five women attorneys and legal professionals attended. Follow us The event was structured as a cocktail reception followed by a “progressive” dinner during which guests sat at different tables for each of three courses, ensuring all attendees had the chance to meet and interact with one another. A moderator at each table presented previously chosen topics during each course, resulting in lively conversation by all. At the conclusion of the evening, the event organizers encouraged non-members to take AIPLA membership brochures and invited all attendees to help themselves to thank-you gifts on their way out. The attendee feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with many expressing interest in creating more opportunities to build relationships among the group through future meetings and social media. Fitch Even attorneys Christine Abuel Pompa and Nicole L. Little and Brinks attorneys Danielle Anne Phillip and Danielle Cendrowski Gillen worked closely together to organize the Chicago event. Mark your Calendar 2014 Annual Meeting October 23-25, 2014 Washington, D.C. Dallas The Dallas AIPLA Women in IP Event was the perfect evening for networking hosted by Winstead P.C. Over 30 women socialized on the rooftop deck overlooking the Dallas skyline accompanied by live music before convening in the rooftop dining room for dinner. The event attracted an eclectic mix of in-house counsel, law students, government attorneys and private practitioners, including one visiting attorney from Panama. For some attendees it was the first AIPLA event yet others have regularly attended since 2007. All expressed interest in continuing to fellowship and mentor over the year via the local networking groups flourishing out of the first AIPLA Women in IP event. For more information on local networking, please contact Cathryn Berryman at Winstead, P.C. or Elise Selinger at Conley Rose. 2015 Mid-Year Meeting January 28-31, 2015 Orlando, FL. 2015 Spring Meeting April 30-May 2, 2015 Los Angeles, CA ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cleveland, OH Thanks to our sponsor: Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff LLP ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ft. Meyers/Naples, FL Thanks to our sponsor: Jones, Haber & Rollings PL. Denver, CO Over 50 women were in attendance at the 2014 AIPLA Cross-County Women in IP Networking Event held on May 22, 2014 in Denver, Colorado. For the third year in a row, Merchant & Gould hosted the event which kicked off with wine tasting, hors d’oeuvres, and networking at Maggianos. Despite technical difficulties preventing the scheduled international phone conference and flood warnings, the evening was a huge success. We had two scheduled speakers that included Caldwell A. Camero, Senior Trademark Counsel at General Mills and Lisa A. Osman, Partner and former Chair of Dorsey’s Trademark, Copyright, Advertising & Brand Management group. Camero shared her struggles with appearing younger and less experienced than she is and encouraged attendees to build and develop their own personal brand, one that is authentic, concise, and passionate. Osman discussed the necessity of “Staying true to your goals” and having the courage to take a “sidestep” to a new practice or area when needed to get the most out of one’s career. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Detroit, MI This year marked the third consecutive year that Brooks Kushman hosted the AIPLA’s Women in IP Networking Event. This year, we hosted the event at the Skyline Club in Southfield, Michigan. We had a fantastic turn-out! Nearly 45 women came together to support the initiative. The evening also included a presentation by Elizabeth Jolliffe, a legal professional coach, who is held in high regard in our community. It was a pleasure to have Ms. Jolliffe join us. While we were sorry the call-in did not happen, we appreciate that the AIPLA continues with this great event! Greenville, SC Dority & Manning had a strong turnout for its first time hosting the AIPLA Women in IP Networking Event in Greenville, SC, and we look forward to making it an annual tradition. Around 15 attorneys from across the state attended the event, where we enjoyed good conversation and delicious food. We have already heard from several attendees saying they cannot wait for next year, so we think our first event was a great success! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Houston, TX McDermott Will & Emery and Conley Rose hosted 38 women for dinner in a private room at the Grotto Ristorante in Houston, TX. Our attendees included both in-house and law firm attorneys from across the Houston metropolitan area. In the spirit of women helping women, several of our attendees brought donations for Dress for Success Houston. At the end of the 3 course dinner, old friends and colleagues had reconnected, new connections had been made, and everyone agreed it had been an enjoyable evening of networking. Each attendee was given a gift bag of donations from numerous sponsors. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Irvine/Orange County, CA Thanks to our sponsor: K&L Gates ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Miami, FL Thanks to our sponsor: Florida International University, College of Law Indianapolis, IN In Indianapolis, Faegre Baker Daniels and Cummins, Inc. together hosted the AIPLA WIIPL Dinner. We had an enjoyable evening at Oceanairre, feasting on delicious seafood entrees and Baked Alaska (pictured). Guests received gifts selected from women-owned businesses in Indianapolis, including popcorn from Just Pop In and The Harriett Headband from Crimson Tate, Modern Quilter. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Los Angeles, CA Glaser Weil proudly hosted the Los Angeles location of the AIPLA Women in IP Global Networking Event. Adrian Pruetz, Chair of the Intellectual Property Department, along with Erica Van Loon and Mieke Malmberg, both partners in the IP group, toasted to an evening of networking and education. This single night event is a simultaneous meeting of women located throughout the U.S. and/or abroad who practice in the areas of IP litigation and/or transactional law, and provides an opportunity for localized networking, mentoring, and education. The evening was a great success, with a fantastic showing of women enjoying excellent food, spirits, and conversation, complete with door prizes, including a spa certificate and an iPad Mini. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nashville, TN Thanks to our sponsor: Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP Portland, OR Thanks to our sponsor: Klarquist Sparkman, LLP ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Minneapolis, MN In Minneapolis/Saint Paul, the AIPLA Women’s Intellectual Property Lawyers Association (WIIPL) event was co-hosted by 3M, Faegre Baker Daniels, and Shumaker & Sieffert. Guests toured the 3M Innovation Center, enjoyed great conversation and hors d’oeuvres, and took home gifts from local women-owned businesses. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Raleigh, NC Myers Bigel Sibley & Sajovec, PA (MBSS) hosted a 2014 AIPLA Women in IP Law Networking Event in Raleigh, NC. Women in IP in the Research Triangle Park and surrounding areas discussed the practice of IP law, shared war stories and inspired each other. Female in-house counsel, outside counsel, patent agents, paralegals and technology transfer professionals networked over heavy hors d’oevres and cocktails, and several lucky attendees took home door prizes. More importantly, the attendees took home a renewed pride in our profession and a better appreciation of the importance of networking for women in IP. MBSS proudly hosted this networking event and also sponsored the AIPLA Women in IP Law committee’s webinar "Mentorship and Sponsorship - the Road to Success." Northern, VA Oblon Spivak hosted the AIPLA Northern Virginia Women in IP networking dinner on May 22, 2014. Guest speaker Michelle Lee, Deputy Director of the USPTO shared her experiences and insights about the Intellectual Property industry from a woman's perspective. Living in Silicon Valley, Ms. Lee was surrounded by engineers and innovators who were changing the world through their new products, services and companies, which encouraged her to contribute to the growing force of innovation. Ms. Lee also focused her speech on the encouragement of America’s next generation of strong, creative women. She spoke of and praised the establishment of STEM education worldwide and other similar outreach programs that allow women to be competitive and inspire them to be innovative entrepreneurs. Among other things, Ms. Lee talked about her involvement with the local Girl Scouts of America troop and her role in the formation of ChIPs, a Silicon Valley based non-profit organization with a mission of “supporting and promoting the advancement, development and retention of women in technology and IP.” Noting that it takes a lot of work to be involved in such organizations, Ms. Lee confirmed that the benefits make it very worthwhile. The statistics shared by Michelle Lee demonstrated that strides are clearly being made towards promoting and supporting women in the Intellectual Property field. In 2013 alone, the USPTO worked with over 3,000 young women through targeted programming focused on IP and science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) opportunities. Michelle inspired the attendees by reciting figures regarding women working at the USPTO and other high visibility organizations: At the USPTO, 36 percent of the workforce is female, 44 percent of all managers and officials are women and 32 percent of the senior executives are women. All of the attendees were inspired by Michelle Lee’s determination and accomplishments and enjoyed an evening of networking and camaraderie. New York City, NY The New York City event was co-hosted by Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi and Goldstein Patent Law. The event was held at beautiful office space of Robins Kaplan on the 34th floor of the Citigroup building. The event was attended both by in-house and outside counsel. Wine, cheese, vegetables, and sushi were served, followed by an assortment of decadent desserts. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Oklahoma City, OK Under the leadership of IP attorneys Sasha Beling and Jessica John Bowman, McAfee & Taft's Intellectual Property Group hosted the AIPLA Women in IP networking event in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Attendees included professionals from area law firms and businesses as well as law students from the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma City University. The event, which kicked off with a cocktail hour where attendees had the opportunity to network while enjoying heavy hors d’oeuvers and drinks, was followed by an open discussion forum featuring Judge Joe Heaton of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma and McAfee & Taft trial lawyer John Kenney on how to effectively present complicated technology to judges and juries. After the discussion, the event agenda included viewing a pre-recorded video from AIPLA and participating in the global AIPLA roll call. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Palo Alto, CA Thanks to our sponsor: Morrison & Foerster Philadelphia, PA Dechert LLP was pleased to host distinguished female intellectual property counsel from the Philadelphia area. Prior to dinner, attendees enjoyed a networking reception while taking in an impressive view of the Philadelphia skyline. A highlight of the evening was a presentation by Shelley Potente, Senior Vice President & Managing Director of The Leader’s Edge/Leaders By Design on “Body Language: What Messages Are You Sending?” Attendees participated in a lively discussion on how they are perceived by those around them through visual, vocal and verbal cues. Ms. Potente also offered tips regarding body language at networking meetings and noted how personal style can impact how one is approached by others. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Phoenix, AZ Tucson, AZ Las Vegas, NV Lewis Roca Rothgerber hosted events at our offices in Phoenix, Tucson and Las Vegas. Our theme was Chocolate & Champagne, with chocolate fountains and champagne flowing, as well as other snacks in abundance. Following the AIPLA video and roll call, we hosted a client panel CLE with women in-house counsel from PetSmart, Kahala and Las Vegas Sands discussing “Challenges in IP Law”. The panel discussion was very interesting and our panelists did a great job both educating and entertaining our attendees. Our events were a success and we hope to participate again next year! Salt Lake City, UT In Utah the 2014 AIPLA Women in IP Networking Event was held at the offices of Workman Nydegger in downtown Salt Lake City. The attendees participated in a roundtable discussion regarding several of the issues raised in the book “The Confidence Code: The Science and Art of Self-Assurance - What Women Should Know” by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman. The discussion covered whether the attendees agree with the authors that a confidence gap exists between men and women, and if there is a gap, whether this is a problem and what can be done to narrow the gap. Attendees shared stories about relevant experiences in the workplace and with their families. The discussion also involved strategies women can use to improve their confidence level, including tips excerpted from Amy Cuddy’s TED talk on how “Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ San Diego, CA The San Diego office of Knobbe Martens hosted and we were honored to have Andrew Mays, VP, Patent Counsel at Qualcomm Incorporated as our featured guest. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ San Francisco, CA Thanks to our sponsor: Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP Spokane, WA Thanks to our sponsor: Lee & Hayes ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ St. Louis, MO Thanks to our sponsors: Polsinelli, Evans Analytical Group and Chemir ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Washington, DC Thanks to our sponsor: Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ West Palm Beach, FL FoxRothschild LLP hosted the event in West Palm Beach, Florida. The event focused on networking amongst professional women who face Intellectual Property issues during the course of business. In this regard, the women played a fun game of “human bingo” for which there were five winners. The winners won beautiful floral arrangements (shown in the picture) and lottery tickets. Additionally, each guest received a gift bag filled with goodies from various generous business entities (e.g., Mary Kay, Patents Inc., Consultis Information Technology, and the Palm Beach Outlet Mall). Wilmington, DE Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell LLP was proud to host the AIPLA Women in IP event here in Wilmington, Delaware. We welcomed The Honorable Mary Pat Thynge and the Honorable Sherry R. Fallon to discuss developments in patent mediation. The evening was full of insightful conversation and delicious refreshments as IP practitioners and inhouse counsel alike enjoyed access to the judges. Morris Nichols invited guests to make a donation to support the Delaware Volunteer Legal Services for their work on behalf of women in need. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Calgary, Canada Thanks to our sponsor: Smart & Biggar/Fetherstonhaugh ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ottawa, Canada Ridout & Maybee LLP hosted a networking reception in Ottawa, Canada to provide an opportunity for local Women in IP to get “offline” and create some true social networks. This allowed many busy individuals to join us in the evening as schedules permitted. Most of our 17 attendees arrived by 6:30, and the evening flew by as groups of women chatted about their work and their lives over some delicious hors d’oeuvres and drinks. A couple of hours later, we all gathered in our boardroom to start the more formal part of the evening. We watched the AIPLA introductory video and shared some amusing moments in our careers as a woman in IP. Some of us also shared career and networking tips around the table. We’re proud to say the event was a huge success, which highlights the importance for having regular events of this kind to bring women in IP together. Toronto, Canada Hello and Bonjour from Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP’s Toronto office. We enjoyed celebrating women in IP in Toronto with an evening cocktail, a running slide show featuring famous women inventors, and fabulous door prizes donated by some of our clients. We were also honored to present a keynote video presentation by celebrated Canadian author, Margaret Atwood. In addition to her work as an author, Ms. Atwood is also an inventor of ground-breaking remote signing technologies. Ms. Atwood demonstrated her remote signing technology live by signing a patent assignment, along with a few of her books, which were raffled off to two lucky winners. We look forward to hosting this AIPLA event again next year!” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Seattle, WA Thanks to our sponsor: Intellectual Ventures Australia and New Zealand Networking Events Auckland, New Zealand Wellington, New Zealand Sydney, Australia AJ Park was proud to host this event in all three of our office locations –Wellington and Auckland, New Zealand and Sydney, Australia. As it took place during our day time on 23 May, we hosted informal lunches in our Wellington and Auckland offices, and a morning tea in our Sydney office. Around 20 AJ Park attorneys, clients and industry colleagues attended in each location. This was a fantastic opportunity to celebrate women in IP and to bring together like-minded people from our industry to mix, mingle and connect. This was the first time AJ Park has participated in this event, and the first time the event has reached as far as New Zealand and Australia. Despite the technical issues, it was a resounding success and we are looking forward to participating again next year. Europe Networking Events Cambridge, UK Marks & Clerk hosted a chocolate tasting event to celebrate women in intellectual property and innovation. The chocolate tasting session brought to us by Chocolat Chocolat was both fun and educational and we even got to take home a goody bag! The evening finished with drinks and canapés and an opportunity to network with other women in the field. Over 25 women attended the event and it was enjoyed by all! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Düsseldorf, Germany Thanks to our sponsor: Hogan Lovells LLP Due to an unusually heavy thunderstorm on the night preceding the event, we held the meeting on a different date, i.e. on 3 July. We had about 30 guests - attorneys, patent attorneys, judges, and members of legal departments. We had two presentations: (1) our colleague Dr. Sabine Boos spoke about the new UPC system (there will be a new European Patent Court with new rules of procedures etc. soon) and (2) Prof. Spörrle (external speaker) spoke about decision making processes ("unconscious bias"). After the presentations, we had a nice reception where we had the opportunity to get to know each other and to discuss the topics of the presentations. The event was a great success and we received very enthusiastic feedback from our guests. Munich, Germany Thanks to our sponsor: Dörries Frank-Molnia & Pohlman On behalf of df-mp we would like to thank the organizers for setting up the event and Carpmaels for setting up the video conference. The Munich event was a success with many participants requesting that this become an annual event. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ London, UK Carpmaels & Ransford LLP had a bright, sunny evening for the London event. The evening got off to a Pimm’s and champagne-fuelled start with networking in the airy reception of our offices. Turnout was high with around 110 women in attendance, the majority being patent attorneys (both private practice and in-house) and solicitors representing all stages of careers. Guests were then warmly welcomed by Sue Kirsch (Partner and chemistry practice group head) who gave a short talk enthusing about what a great time it is to be working as a woman in the IP field. As hosts for the live link-up, we were pleased to be joined by Yelena Morozova who did an excellent job introducing each country’s presentations and staying calm through the few technical glitches we experienced. We were all watching the presentations on big screens and it got quite interactive at times! Our guest speaker, Charlotte May, QC (8 New Square) then treated us to a fascinatingly candid talk about her experiences as a woman at the IP Bar. Charlotte’s talk set the stage for many interesting conversations later. We rounded off the evening with canapés in our café area, flowing outside onto the terrace and being entertained by a trio of talented musicians from Carpmaels playing light jazz and classical music. A thoroughly enjoyable evening with lots of new friends and contacts made. Madrid, Spain The Madrid 2014 AIPLA Women in IP Networking Event, organized jointly between AIPLA, DENAE (the Spanish Association of Lawyers specialized in Entertainment Law) and FIDE (the Foundation for Research in Law and Business), focused on the intervention of four influential female IP professionals, who shared with the participants their inspirational career path and personal experience as women in IP Law. After a short introduction by Magali Delhaye, member of DENAE and IP lawyer, on AIPLA and on the significance of the event itself, María González Ordóñez, Head of the Legal Department of Google Spain and Portugal, Doris Bandín, partner at Elzaburu law firm, María Baylos, partner at Baylos Abogados and Ángela Gutiérrez, from the Spanish Ministry of Culture, took the stand to share with the audience their personal experience as women working in the IP sector, the difficulties they have met while building their careers and how they have managed to overcome them to achieve their goals. The interventions and debate were introduced and moderated by Carolina Pina, IP lawyer and partner at Garrigues law firm. The audience, composed by over sixty professionals working in the IP sector, showed great enthusiasm and interest in the presentations and participated actively to the debate, asking lots of questions and giving their personal standpoint. They were all equally eager to connect with AIPLA and the different European locations participating to the Event and to have the opportunity to drink a toast “live” to this first edition of AIPLA Women in IP Networking Event in Europe with an excellent Californian wine. The interventions and debate were followed by a very animated cocktail during which many more experiences were shared and connections were made. The Madrid Event was a great success and DENAE and FIDE have received very positive feedback from an incredible number of participants. There is also very much appetite for similar events in Madrid in the future. Paris, France Thanks to our sponsors: We thank you all for allowing us to share these wonderful events. We also received many very favorable comments from our participants, and they are very interested in continuing to come to such events as well! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Rome, Italy The AIPLA event in Rome was a reception for attorneys from IP firms and IP counselors from university and industry. Representatives of the Italian Patent and Trademark Office were present as well. All the guests were women, for a total of about 40 participants. At the beginning of the video-conference with the other European firms hosting the event, a video introducing Rome and SIB premises was shared (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjGPQUWWNho&feature=youtu.be). After the video-conference, representatives of the association Susan G. Komen, organizer of “Race for the Cure” (a run for raising funds for curing breast cancer) gave a short speech. In preparation for the AIPLA event, a team of SIB women participated in such run. At the end of the reception, SIB offered to all the guests a “blind-picking” of gadgets of said association. Finally, the event also included a short live demonstration of tiramisu’ making from one of the most famous confectioneries in Rome. India Networking Event New Delhi The AIPLA – Women in IP meet was conducted in New Delhi for the first time in the eight years since its inception. Manisha Singh Nair, the partner-in-charge at LexOrbis and a member of AIPLA, who took the initiative to bring this chapter to India welcomed 35 women IP professionals (not including 14 professionals from LexOrbis) held at the India Habitat Centre. The meet was graced by senior panellists including Ms. Premlata, Asst. Registrar of Trade Marks, New Delhi, Dr. Usha Rao, Asst. Controller of Patents at the Patent Office, New Delhi & Ms. Pratibha Singh, Senior Advocate. The key speakers shared views with the audience on the importance of women in the field of IP. The event was linked with the AIPLA through a video and the President of AIPLA welcomed all attendees. This was followed by a short IP Bollywood Quiz which engaged the attendees and allowed for more interactive participation amongst the group once the floor was opened for High - Tea. The session was closed with a vote of thanks and present of a small token of appreciation for the key speakers.