Seattle Intellectual Property American Inn of Court

The Inn’s February meeting dove into the world of the United States International Trade Commission with a panel discussion. The panel focused on considerations, strategy, and other issues related to intellectual property litigation before the ITC, as well as in federal district court. Jim Coughlan, a partner at Perkins Coie presented a primary on litigation before the ITC, and joined the panel along with Chief Administrative Law Judge Clark S. Cheney and the Honorable James L. Robart of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. Jonathan McFarland, Director of Litigation, Enforcement, and Product Clearance at Nintendo of America Inc. moderated the panel. The Inn greatly appreciates the valuable insight offered by Judge Robart and Chief ALJ Cheney on the similarities and differences of litigating before the ITC and in district court.

The Seattle IP Inn kicked off the new year with an important presentation on diversity, inclusion, and equity issues in the legal profession. Mark Walters, a partner at Lowe Graham Jones gave a presentation on efforts to eradicate racism and prejudice in our legal system, including Batson challenges, General Rule 37 in Washington, and Henderson v. Thompson (WA Supreme Court Case No. 97672-4, Oct. 20, 2022). Kate Geyer, an associate at Kilpatrick Townsend, also gave a presentation on gender, equality, diversity, and intellectual property (shown below). The night wrapped up with a panel discussion with U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Michelle Peterson of the Western District of Washington and Ms. Teri Nguyen, Visiting Professor at Seattle University School of Law. The panel was moderated by Suellen Siqueira-Fisher, Legal Counsel at RealNetworks, who facilitated a captivating discussion on diversity, inclusion, and equity in the practice of intellectual property law, including past and proposed efforts to reduce prejudice in our profession.