Journal Articles

I am excited to follow in the footsteps of my predecessors. Brian Batzli has been one of those leaders who helped bring us out of the Covid pandemic and has done a fantastic job. Brian the Bold (in contrast to my husband, Brian the Bald) always laughs and manages to bring out the best in everyone, even when leading us in addressing very serious IP issues and getting us to recall the benefit of meeting in person to share and grow closer. I look forward to continuing to work with Brian the Bold as Immediate Past President by my side, as well as Kim Van Voorhis, Sal Anastasi, and Matt Wagner on the Executive Committee and the very talented members of the Board of Directors. 

While I’m reminded that I am not alone, I have to thank my firm and my family, who have been instrumental in helping me achieve this honorable position.  I want to also thank my husband, Brian Stanton, a former government policy expert, who reminds me to eat, is my greatest ally, stalwart advocate, and soul mate. 

I am excited to take up the mantle of AIPLA’s Strategic Plan entitled FAME, which focuses on:  

(1) Foundational or organizational structure of our many committees and staff, who together make it all happen;  

(2) Advocacy, which is and has been for many years a strength of AIPLA – just look at our new Quarterly Policy Memo that highlights recent Advocacy efforts (I was surprised to see how much has been done this past quarter);  

(3) Membership and Community – which I will come back to; and 

(4) Education, which, like Advocacy, is and has been for many years another strength of AIPLA – just take a look at the programming at the Annual Meeting, the online programs, the boot camps, and the committee education sessions. 

I intend to continue to advance what has been started in all the prongs of FAME, particularly the Membership and Community prong.…because it is about all of us who share our passion for innovation, our talents as IP practitioners, and our humanity as a community who can make a difference. 

I am eager to work with all the AIPLA members, to focus on activities that help us support each other, learn from each other, and create a strong sense of community.  I intend to listen to every one of our members about their concerns, their worries, and, perhaps most of all, to engage all of them in finding ways forward and ways to address the challenges we face.  I intend to listen to new perspectives and ideas as I do my small part to pave a path to the future – all with a sense of fun. 

Why fun?  Because if it’s fun, then it isn’t work!  What qualifies me to make sure fun is factored into what we do?  In my family, I am known as the Fun Aunt! 

 It starts with the people, our members. I want to promote opportunities to make a greater impact in the lives of all our members – whether a new member or a seasoned veteran. 

I want to make it a priority to reach out to and listen to all our members - our patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret practitioners, our corporate and academic representatives, and the community that represent grassroots innovators and small businesses. 

I want to develop mechanisms to hear from and engage, not just our committee leaders and members, but the next generation, to listen to their challenges, their concerns, and, perhaps most importantly, to inspire them to direct their creativity to help shape the future of AIPLA. 

I want to support our committees who are reaching out to members of our profession who have not previously formed large groups within our community – such as the Membership Committee, who is reaching out to students through the Law School LINK program, or the Women in IP Law Committee, who is kicking off a Paralegal Subcommittee at the Annual Meeting. 

I want to encourage our committees and staff to continue to reach out to other organizations with which we have common goals, such as IPO, ABA-IPL, the National Association of Patent Practitioners (NAPP), among others, and further develop collaborations. 

I want to encourage our committees and staff to continue to reach out to both government and non-government organizations such as the USPTO, the Copyright office, the WTO, and WIPO, to foster dialogue and to work towards AIPLA having a meaningful role early, before issues arise … so AIPLA can be part of finding a solution.  

I will seek to encourage our committees and staff to be proactive and help AIPLA shape approaches to issues and challenges as they are forming – whether that means greater participation in brainstorming, early-stage dialogue with US government agencies, or tackling issues raised by global organizations. 

And, perhaps, most importantly, I want to find new ways to make our Association fun . . . for when you are blessed by the chance to do what you love, and work with people who you respect, you never have to work a day in your life. 

So, as I take my turn at watch of our Association . . . 

Let’s have FUN! 

Let’s make a difference! 

 

Ann – Your caretaker of the President’s chair.