September 20, 2005
#05-46

Press Release, 05-46

COMMERCE SECRETARY GUTIERREZ NAMES NEW MEMBERS TO PATENT AND TRADEMARK PUBLIC ADVISORY COMMITTEES

PRESS RELEASE

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez recently named three new members to the Patent Public Advisory Committee (PPAC) and three to the Trademark Public Advisory Committee (TPAC). They will serve three-year terms on the committees, which were created by the 1999 American Inventors Protection Act to advise the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on the agency's operations, including its goals, performance, budget and user fees. The committees have nine voting members who are appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the Secretary of Commerce.

The new PPAC members are:

Maximilian A. Grant, an associate in the litigation department of the Washington, D.C. office of Latham & Watkins. He is the local chair for the intellectual property and technology practice group. He joined Latham & Watkins in 2002 after serving as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense.

Gerald J. Mossinghoff, senior counsel to Oblon, Spivak, McClelland, Maier and Neustadt, an intellectual property law firm in Alexandria, Va. He is a former Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks and former president of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.

Lisa Norton, an attorney at DLA Piper, Rudnick, Gray, Cary US LLP. Prior to this position, she practiced in the Washington, D.C. office of King & Spalding. Her practice focuses on all aspects of patent law.

The new TPAC members are:

Ayala Deutsch, vice president and senior intellectual property counsel at NBA Properties, Inc., in New York. Her specialties include trademark law, copyright law and Internet law. Ms. Deutsch is a member of the board of directors of the International Trademark Association and co-chairs the New York State Bar Association Committee on Sports Law.

Van H. Leichliter, intellectual property leader and corporate counsel-trademarks at DuPont Corporate. He is a member of the government relations committee of the International Trademark Association.

Albert Tramposch, director of trademark registry services, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius in Washington, D.C. He has practiced exclusively in the area of intellectual property law for more than 19 years, and has worked in private practice in Alexandria, Va., Seattle, Wash., and Washington, D.C.

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