Formation 1897 Headquarters Arlington, Virginia President Sharon A. Israel | Type Legal Society Location United States | |
Key people Lisa Jorgenson, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer | ||
The American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA), headquartered in Arlington County, Virginia, is a national, voluntary bar association constituted primarily of lawyers in private and corporate practice, in government service, and in the academic community, with approximately 14,000 members. AIPLA represents a wide and diverse spectrum of individuals, companies and institutions involved directly or indirectly in the practice of patent, trademark, copyright, and unfair competition law, as well as other fields of law affecting intellectual property. Members represent both owners and users of intellectual property.
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History
AIPLA was formed in 1897 as the American Patent Law Association. The name was formally changed in 1983 to AIPLA. The purpose of the organization, as set forth in the Articles of Incorporation, is “to maintain a high standard of professional ethics, to aid in the improvement in laws relating to intellectual property and in their proper interpretation by the courts, and to provide legal education to the public and to its members on intellectual property issues.”
Mission
The AIPLA mission, as stated in its vision and mission statement, is “AIPLA will expand its role as an innovator, powerful advocate, and visible global leader in intellectual property through our commitment to education, outreach, member service, and advocacy.” The mission goals are:
Governance
AIPLA is governed by a Board of Directors and has a staff of 25, headed by an Executive Director. AIPLA has over 50 committees which provide education to members and formulate proposed positions for the Board of Directors to consider adopting as association policy.
Q. Todd Dickinson, formerly the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, was named Executive Director in 2008. Dickinson announced his decision to step down in a July 14, 2014 press release.
Lisa K. Jorgenson was named as the new Executive Director during the AIPLA 2014 Annual Meeting.
Continuing legal education
AIPLA provides national continuing legal education (CLE) programs, both in-person and online.
Publications
The association circulates the following publications to all members:
Recent presidents
Meetings
AIPLA annually holds a Mid-Winter Institute, Spring Meeting and Annual Meeting in different cities in the U.S. that consist of speeches, CLE classes, networking gatherings and an exposition.