Founded 1924 | Members c. 1,000 | |
Type Professional organization Focus Patent, Trademarks, Copyright, Intellectual Property and Licensing Location One Batterymarch Park, Suite 101 Quincy, MA 02169-7454 Area served Boston and surrounding areas | ||
Founded in Boston in 1924, the Boston Patent Law Association (BPLA) is an organization of intellectual property professionals that has a membership of over 1000 individuals. Primarily located in the jurisdiction of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, the BPLA’s members are a diverse population of attorneys and other professionals in the field of intellectual property law, encompassing trademark, patent, and copyright laws.
Contents
Mission
The BPLA, through its volunteer Board of Governors and various committees, provides the IP community educational and social opportunities to exchange information relevant to current patent, trademark and copyright laws. Additionally, the BPLA offers commentary and analysis on legislation that affects the profession.
Officers and Board of Governors
The Board of Governors is a volunteer group of men and women consisting of well educated attorney and non-attorney intellectual property professionals who provide leadership to the BPLA. For 2015, the Board of Governors consists of the following.
Past Presidents
In the history of the BPLA, there have been 60 acting Presidents. Since 1950, Presidents have been chosen for a single 1 one-year term. The President-Elect automatically assumes the position of President of the BPLA at the end of the current President’s Term.
Members
There are four different types of members in the BPLA.
- Attorney Members: To qualify for Attorney Member status an individual must be an attorney in good standing whose practice focuses on intellectual property law, especially in the areas of patent, trademark and copyright law.
- Non-Attorney Members: In order to obtain Non-Attorney Member status an individual must meet one of the following criteria: (1) the individual must be registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and able to act for an applicant before the Patent Office, (2) the individual must be a current law school student enrolled at an accredited law school, (3) paralegals who are employed by firms or companies who are members of the BPLA and who provide intellectual property based services or (4) individuals who are interested in intellectual property law and who work for organizations that participate in patent, trademark, copyright or other areas of intellectual property law.
- Student Members: (a) Persons who are not lawyers, but are regularly enrolled as candidates for a professional law degree in a law school approved by the Association of American Law Schools and would be otherwise qualified for membership, if a member of the Bar, (b) persons who are not lawyers, but are regularly enrolled as candidates for an associate, bachelor, or masters level degree at an accredited 2 or 4 year college or university, or (c) persons, who are not lawyers, but have graduated with a professional law degree from a law school approved by the Association of American Law Schools within two years of graduation and would be otherwise qualified for membership, if a member of the Bar, shall be eligible for Student membership. Student Members shall have all the privileges of the BPLA except those of voting and holding office.
- Life Members: Life Members can be either Attorney or Non-Attorney members but who have reached the age of 70 or above. Life Members enjoy the same membership privileges they had before becoming Life Members.
Annual events
Committees
The standing committees of the BPLA include the following:
Amicus briefs submitted by BPLA
Amicus briefs submitted by BPLA:
USPTO comments submitted by BPLA
United States Patent and Trademark Office comments submitted by BPLA:
April 24, 2014
Comments on Changes to Require Identification of Attributable Owner, in response to requests for comments at 79 Fed. Reg. 4105
January 30, 2012
Comments in support of Boston as a location for a USPTO satellite office, in response to request for comments at Federal Register Doc. 2011-30717 (November 28, 2011)
March 8, 2010
Comments on Enhancement in the Quality of Patents, in response to request for comment at 74 Federal Regulation 65093 (December 9, 2009), the period for comments having been extended to March 8, 2010 at 75 Fed. Reg. 5040 (February 1, 2010)
February 26, 2010
Comments on BPAI Rules of Practice in Ex Parte Appeals, in Response to Requests for Comment at 74 Fed. Reg. 67987 (Dec. 22, 2009)
November 25, 2009
Comments on Patent Ombudsman Pilot Program, in Response to Request for Comments at 74 Fed. Reg. 55212 (Oct. 27, 2009)