TTAB Comes to Boston: April 29th at Northeastern University School of Law

The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) will once again travel to Boston on Friday, April 29, 2011, to hear final arguments in a TTAB inter partes proceeding, as part of a Boston Patent Law Association (BPLA) program to be held at Northeastern University School of Law (NUSL). The hearing will be preceded by a presentation on trademark ownership issues by Pamela Chestek and a review of TTAB rules and ACR practice by TTAB Administrative Trademark Judge David Mermelstein. It will be followed by commentary and discussion from a panel of distinguished Boston/Cambridge lawyers. The program will run from about 1:00 PM to 4:30 PM, with a reception afterward. Further details and registration here.

SPEAKERS AND PANELISTS(in alphabetical order)
Pamela Chestek - Red Hat, Inc.
Pamela is Senior IP Attorney for Red Hat, Inc., the leader in enterprise Linux and the most recognized open source brand in the world. Her primary focus is providing advice on trademark and marketing issues as they relate to all aspects of the company's business globally.

Julia Huston, Foley Hoag LLP.
Julia is Chair of the Trademark, Copyright and Unfair Competition Practice Group at Foley Hoag LLP. Her practice is focused on intellectual property litigation, counseling and strategy, including trademark matters before the TTAB and the courts.

David Mermelstein: Administrative Trademark Judge
Appointed to TTAB in 2006: Prior professional experience: TTAB Interlocutory Attorney; TTAB Supervisory Attorney; Trademark Examining Attorney; Education: B.A. New College, Hofstra University; J.D. American University, Washington College of Law.

Susan Barbieri Montgomery, Northeastern University School of Law.
Susan Montgomery is a member of the faculties of the School of Law and College of Business Administration at Northeastern University. This Spring term she is teaching "International IP Law" in the JD program, "IP Business Law & Ethics" in the EMBA program and the interdisciplinary "Innovations Workshop." She continues to advise on IP and transactions matters in the Boston office of Foley Hoag LLP, where she has practiced for 25 years.

Larry Robins, Finnegan Henderson.
Larry is a partner focusing on strategic trademark and copyright counseling and trademark and copyright litigation, including TTAB proceedings. He is a frequent speaker on trademark and copyright matters and has published frequently on both topics.

Mark D. Robins - Nixon Peabody LLP.
Mark is a partner focusing on intellectual property litigation, including trademark matters before the TTAB and the courts. He has published extensively and spoken frequently on trademark and other intellectual property subjects and is co-chair of the BPLA Trademarks and Unfair Competition Committee.

John L. Welch - Lando & Anastasi, LLP.
John L. is Of Counsel to the firm, and practices intellectual property law in all its forms. A frequent author and lecturer on TTAB topics, he is the founder and publisher of The TTABlog, a contributing editor to Allen’s Trademark Digest, and a Member of the Editorial Board of The Trademark Reporter. He is co-chair of the BPLA Trademarks and Unfair Competition Committee.