HIPLA Announces Election Results

The Houston Intellectual Property Law Association (HIPLA) recently announced the election of its new officers and directors, which includes Section Secretary Gordon T. Arnold as HIPLA President. The full list of nominations is:

Officers:
President: Gordon T. Arnold, Arnold & Ferrera, L.L.P.
President-Elect: Albert B. Kimball, Jr., Bracewell & Giuliani LLP
Secretary: Stephen Koch, ExxonMobil Chemical Company
Treasurer: Charles Walker, Fulbright & Jaworski

New Directors (Terms Expiring 2007):
Norma Bennett, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP
Collin Rose, Conley Rose, P.C.
Steve Spears, Howrey

Directors with Terms Expiring 2006:
Jennifer Adamson, Shell Oil Company
Anthony Matheny, Andrews Kurth, LLP
Richard Phillips, ExxonMobil Chemical

HIPLA has a number of projects to increase the understanding of intellectual property and related areas of the law. It promotes and assists in the growth and promotion of programs designed for discussion, exchange of ideas, and possible solutions to various common problems. This is accomplished in part through monthly lunch meetings, an annual institute in conjunction with the University of Houston, the Giles Rich Moot Court Competition, an active amicus committee, and others. HIPLA also promotes friendly relations through regular events designed to allow the members to become better acquainted in informal settings.

For more information on HIPLA's projects, go to www.hipla.org.


Committee News

Pro Bono (Committee 509)
Stephen C. Swift, Chair

The Pro Bono Committee has launched an informational page on the Section website at www.abanet.org/intelprop/probono.html. It includes a directory of organizations that provide pro bono intellectual property services. Participating entities are grouped by state. The information displayed for each entity includes entity name, contact person, services offered, eligibility criteria, etc.

Last year when the former committee chair wrote to the executive directors of the state bars to determine what IP pro bono programs are offered in each state, many responses were received. The committee divided the country into four regions, and assigned a subcommittee chair to each region to determine which IP pro bono programs were available in each region. The subcommittee chairs then gathered the information for each participating pro bono entity.

The committee is currently working on perfecting the pro bono website. The committee thanks the ABA staff, in particular Alice Bare, for their help.

The committee has discussed the possibility of undertaking other projects in the future, but the consensus was that it should first work on perfecting its website. In the future, besides listing non-profit entities, the committee's web pages may list individual attorneys and/or law firms that are willing to provide pro bono help in the area of intellectual property law. However, questions of liability, resources, staffing and overlap with other committees and local bar associations need to be addressed before that can be done.