Intellectual Property Law Section

Intellectual Property Law Section

The Intellectual Property Law Section of the New York State Bar Association introduces members of our Association to the interesting and growing areas of law which make up Intellectual Property Law, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, licensing and Internet intellectual property law issues. We provide educational programs, other activities and invite the participation of attorneys, law students and non-lawyer members of the business community. We invite our members to take advantage of substantive legal research through our Law Watch search results, to discuss issues and ideas in our discussion groups, and to participate fully in the site’s online community.

Contact the Intellectual Property Law Section Liaison

To learn more about this Section, please contact Sharmin Woodall
[email protected]
(518) 487-5686

Please do not contact the Section liaison with a request for legal advice or an attorney referral. You can instead visit our ‘Public Resources’ or ‘Lawyer Referral Service’ page for this type of request.

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Mike Oropallo

Mike Oropallo is chair of the New York State Bar Association Intellectual Property Law Section. He is a partner at Barclay Damon LLP serving as a Branding, Trademarks & Practice Area co-chair and co-leader of the Outdoor & Wildlife Team. He previously served as the firm’s Intellectual Property Practice Group leader.

A first-chair trial lawyer with 30 years of wide-ranging complex civil trial experience, Mike regularly represents clients in complex intellectual property disputes throughout the United States and in negotiating agreements, licensing, monetization, and IP due diligence in mergers and acquisitions. He also handles litigation, enforcement and permitting issues regarding environmental and wildlife laws, including the Endangered Species Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Mike additionally serves as an arbitrator, mediator, and NYSBA Dispute Resolution Section Executive Committee member.

Outside his legal practice, Mike enjoys hunting, fishing, the outdoors, and spending time with his family on one of New York’s beautiful Finger Lakes. He is active with non-profits, including those focused on conservation, wildlife and sustainability of our natural resources.

Online Community

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Section Publications

Bright Ideas- Vol. 31 No. 1

View Latest Issue

Bright Ideas Archive

Bright Ideas

The Intellectual Property Law Section Publication (Bright Ideas) features peer-written, substantive articles about current issues in intellectual property law, including patents, copyrights and trademarks. Also included are recent cases and updates on Section programs and events. Edited by Sarah Ryu, Bright Ideas is published three times per year by the Intellectual Property Law Section and distributed to Section Members free of charge.

Bright Ideas is published as a benefit for members of the Intellectual Property Law Section and is copyrighted by the New York State Bar Association.

The Intellectual Property Law Section Newsletter (Bright Ideas) encourages article submissions on topics of interest to members of the Section. Writing an article for a NYSBA Section publication is a great way to get your name out in the legal community and advertise your knowledge. Our authors are respected state-wide for their legal expertise and have written articles on such topics as IP mediation, the impact of transfer pricing on IP lawyers, patents, copyrights, and trademark liability.

Individuals interested in submitting an article, announcement, practice tip, etc., for consideration for publication in an upcoming issue are encouraged to do so.

Submit an article for future publication

Author Guidelines

NYSBA has created comprehensive author guidelines, with information regarding our reprint policy, style guidelines, and obtaining MCLE Author Credits.

View the author guidelines

View IP Section Diversity Plan (PDF)

Intellectual Property Law Section Committee

Fellowship

The Intellectual Property Law Section is committed to providing opportunities for participation of young lawyers and law students in the Section. See below for details on some of the opportunities available.

Young Lawyer Fellowship

2 two-year positions offering leadership opportunities within the Intellectual Property Law Section.

Scholarship

Miriam Maccoby Netter Scholarship
Scholarship established by The New York Bar Foundation through a gift from the Intellectual Property Law Section.

Resources for Intellectual Property Lawyers During COVID-19

View Document

Legal Links of Interest

General

US Patent and Trademark Office www.uspto.gov
The Legal Information Institute at Cornell Law School: Intellectual Property Topicals
Senate Judiciary Committee
House Judiciary Committee (includes information from Subcommittee on Courts and Intellectual Property)
KuesterLaw Technology and Intellectual Property Law
Franklin Pierce Law Center Intellectual Property Mall
American Intellectual Property Law Association
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO )
- Database of Intellectual Property Laws
ABA Section of Intellectual Property Law
freeadvice.com, Intellectual Property
Nolo Legal Encyclopedia
Second Circuit decisions
Inventnet: for the inventor’s community in cyberspace
Cyberlaw
IP Mall Franklin Pierce Law Center
Cyber Findlaw
IP magazine online
Nolo Press Patent, Trademark, and Copyright
IP Law News Network
Cyberspace Law Institute
Internic, the domain name registration office
IP Center, Law Journal Extra
Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
Federal Circuit cases via Emory University
US Senate
US House of Representatives
Whitehouse
Congressional Record via GPO access
Thomas server
Code of Federal Regulations via GPO
Code of Fedaral Regulations via Cornell LII
Federal Register
US Code
American Intellectual Property Law Association
Intellectual Property Owners Association

Copyright

The Legal Information Institute at Cornell Law School: Copyright

Federal Material

U.S. Copyright Act

Code of Federal Regulations: 37 C.F.R., Chapt. II – Copyright Office

U.S. Supreme Court:
- Recent Decisions on Copyright
- Selected Historic Copyright Decisions
U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals: Recent Decisions on Copyright

International Material

Other Copyright references (see also General Intellectual Property Links)

Federal Agencies:

U.S. Copyright Office
- Forms

Useful Offnet (or Subscription – $) Sources

Good Starting Point in Print: Paul Goldstein, Copyright: Principles, Law and Practice, Aspen Publishing Co. (1989)
LII Disk Materials

Patent

The Legal Information Institute at Cornell Law School: Patents

Federal Material

Article I, Section 8, US Constitution
U.S. Code: 35 U.S.C.
Title 17 C.F.R., Chapt. I – Patent and Trademark Office

Supreme Court:
- Selected Historic Patent Decisions
- Recent Patent Decisions
U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals:
- Recent Decisions on Patent Law
- Summaries of Recent Patent Decisions – liibulletin-patent

International Material

Other Patent references (see also General Intellectual Property Links)

Federal Agency:
- U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
www.ibm.com/patent or patent.womplex.ibm.com searchable IBM patent databases, covering more than 2 million U.S patents issued in the past 26 years.
R. Gruner – Patent Portal
Software Patent Institute
Patent and Trademark information
Oppedahl & Larson Patent Law Web Server
STO’s Internet Patent Search, including Internet Patent Newservice (Free Weekly E-Mail Notice of Patents Issued)
Wacky Patent of the Month
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
- Database of Intellectual Property Laws

Useful Offnet (or Subscription – $) Sources

Good Starting Point in Print: Peter D. Rosenberg, Patent Law Basics, West Group (1993)
LII Disk Materials

Trademark

The Legal Information Institute at Cornell Law School: Trademark

Federal Material

U.S. Code: 15 U.S.C. §§ 1051 – 1127
Title 17 C.F.R., Chapt. I – Patent and Trademark Office
Supreme Court:
- Recent Trademark Decisions
U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals: Recent Decisions on Trademark Law

State Material

Uniform or Model Acts

Uniform Deceptive Trade Practices ActState Statutes
State Statutes by Topic

State Judicial Decisions

N.Y. Court of Appeals:
- Recent Trademark Decisions
- Commentary from liibulletin-ny
Appellate Decisions from Other States

International Material

Other Trademark references (see also General Intellectual Property Links)

Key Internet Sources

Federal Agency:
- U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Trademark Forms and Related Information (Master-McNeil, Inc.)
Searchable Yellow Pages – Useful for Trademark Searches, Yellow Pages
International Trademark Association
Patent and Trademark information
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO )
- Database of Intellectual Property Laws

Useful Offnet (or Subscription – $) Sources

The trademark search report service on-line, enables quick domain name searching and you can order a full search via the internet.
Good Starting Point in Print: J. Thomas McCarthy, Trademarks and Unfair Competition, West Group (1984)
LII Disk Materials