Tag: intellectual property committee

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AABANY Holds its 2023 Annual Meeting of Members at Paul, Weiss on February 15

On Wednesday, February 15, 2023, AABANY held its Annual Meeting of Members at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison.  President William Ng called the meeting to order and established quorum. The main order of business was conducting the election for the 2024 Board of Directors and Officers.

President William Ng presented the Annual Report of the Board and thanked the Board members for their service during the past year. Treasurer Evelyn Gong and Membership Director Christopher Bae presented the reports for their respective offices.

Executive Director Yang Chen presented highlights of Committee activities. Following the reports, awards were presented to honor AABANY leaders and committees for their dedication to AABANY over the past year. While these presentations were occurring, Immediate Past President Terrence Shen and President-Elect Karen Kim tallied the votes.

The following awards were presented:

Committee of the Year: Intellectual Property Committee

The Intellectual Property Committee received the Committee of the Year Award for its outstanding contributions in promoting AABANY’s membership engagement and creating a vibrant community for IP law practitioners. The Committee successfully hosted several committee dinners and social events including their first concert event to see the ARKAI Duo.  At the start of 2023, the IP Committee started a new program called “Dumplings & Discussion,” the inaugural event featuring Andy Yoo, SVP & General Counsel of Savvas Learning Company.  The discussion covered topics including Andy’s role as general counsel, diversity, equity and inclusion, and his career path and trajectory.

Program of the Year: Inter-Bar Association Summer Family Day 

The Program of the Year Award was given to Christopher Bae, AABANY’s Membership Director.  On June 4, 2022, AABANY’s Membership Committee hosted an Inter-Bar Association Summer Family Day with the Korean American Lawyers Association of Greater New York (KALAGNY) and the South Asian Bar Association of New York (SABANY). Over fifty members and their friends and families gathered at the Major R. Owens Health & Wellness Community Center in Brooklyn to participate in spirited sports games and enjoy snacks and refreshments.

Member of the Year: Jennifer H. Wu

The Member of the Year Award was presented to Jennifer H. Wu, for her outstanding leadership inside and outside of AABANY. Within AABANY, she co-chaired the Women’s Committee and helped to put on some excellent events. She was also active in AABANY’s Anti-Asian Violence Task Force, in addition to the pro bono work she had been doing to advise and assist survivors and victims of anti-Asian violence in New York over the past couple of years. On top of all that, she co-founded her own patent litigation law firm Groombridge Wu Baughman & Stone

Congratulations to all the honorees for the recognition of their achievements and hard work during the 2023 fiscal year.

After the presentation of awards, William announced the election results. The following officers were elected and will begin their term one-year terms on April 1, 2023:

Joseph Eng, Jr.

President-Elect

Beatrice Leong

Vice President, Programs and Operations

Jeffrey Mok

Vice President, Programs and Operations

Jasmine Ball

Treasurer

Shirley Bi

Secretary

Christopher Bae

Membership Director

Varuna Bhattacharyya

Development Director

The following candidates were elected as Directors to serve two-year terms starting on April 1, 2023:

Katherine Loanzon
P. Bartlett Wu

After the election results were announced, attendees stayed to network at Paul, Weiss.  We thank everyone who came and participated in the Annual Meeting and the election. Congratulations to all the Officers and Directors who were elected to the Board to serve in the 2024 fiscal year that begins on April 1, 2023. 

Special thank you to AABANY Director Larry Wee and the Paul, Weiss team for hosting AABANY’s 2023 Annual Meeting.

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IP Committee Hosts First “Dumplings & Discussion” Fireside Chat with Andy Yoo

On February 1, 2023, the IP Committee hosted its inaugural “Dumplings & Discussion” fireside chat series, with Andy Yoo, SVP & General Counsel at Savvas Learning Company as the guest. 

Over a sumptuous spread of dumplings and other Chinese dishes, Andy shared his insights on intellectual property in the education industry, reflected on his career path, discussed his responsibilities as General Counsel, and offered advice to young attorneys.   Andy also discussed how he leads his team, and his views on the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).  The attendees were made up of in-house counsel attorneys in private practice and law students, and represented a wide range of experience levels. 

Andy talked about his start at a prominent law firm and his move in-house to a media company. His next in-house move was to another media company that was also prominent in producing educational materials, and his current company focuses on those products. Andy enjoys the variety of challenging work he does as an in-house counsel and noted that nearly a third of his work involves IP, because the company manages a portfolio of hundreds of trademarks and thousands of copyrighted materials.

Andy has been deeply involved with DEI as an in-house counsel and reflected on changes in DEI over the past three decades. Compared to when he started as an associate to present day, he has observed a shift from the legal profession barely talking about DEI to robust efforts driven by the corporate sector to increase DEI across the board. The change, noted Andy, “is like night and day.” Yet, Andy recognizes that much still needs to be done and laments that during times of economic downturn, corporate DEI budgets tend to shrink, leading to cycles of advancement and retreat that make lasting progress hard to maintain.

After the in-depth discussion and lively Q&A that followed, attendees continued to enjoy drinks and food in a networking reception. 

Thanks to Jeff Mok, Co-Chair of the IP Committee for moderating an insightful conversation, and to Fish & Richardson for being such gracious hosts. Thanks to Andy Yoo for sharing his time, experiences and knowledge with us.

Look out for the next IP Committee “Dumplings & Discussion” fireside chat. To learn more about the IP Committee, go to https://www.aabany.org/page/145.

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AABANY IP Committee Hosts Dinner at Barn Joo Nomad

On July 19, 2022, the IP Committee gathered at Barn Joo Nomad near Koreatown in a cozy, private second-floor dining area. Dishes were ordered family-style, and a seemingly endless stream of food accompanied lively conversations throughout the night. Featured delicacies included Braised Pork Belly, Seafood Krispy Paella, Nomad Bite, and many more. New connections were formed among the diverse group of attendees, which included law firm attorneys, in-house counsel, and students. Over dishes of Silky Tofu and Chili Shrimp, the lively conversations ranged from Post-Grant Reviews (PGR) and International Trade Commission (ITC) Patent Litigation to important considerations when choosing a law school and firm. Thanks to everyone who attended.

Please sign up for the IP Committee mailing list, and look out for the committee’s next event! To learn more about the IP Committee, please visit https://www.aabany.org/page/145.

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AABANY’s IP Committee Hosts Dinner at Sabai Thai

On June 8, 2022, the IP Committee convened at Sabai Thai in Midtown under a beautiful canopy of flowers and fairy lights. Congee artisan, lifelong Toronto Blue Jays fan and Co-Chair of the IP Committee Jeffrey Mok graciously ordered family-style dishes for everyone to share, featuring delicacies such as Thai-Style Sea Bass, Crying Tiger Beef, and many more. New connections were formed among the diverse group of attendees, which included law firm attorneys, in-house counsel, and students. Over dishes of Pad Thai Gai Yang and Yum Mamaung, the lively conversations ranged from Broadway show recommendations (Co-Chair Benjamin Hsing – a Broadway and opera aficionado – recommends “Hamilton” and “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”) and new Return to Office (RTO) policies to stories about career paths and side hustles. For example, did you know that Co-Chair Greg Pan designs and sells toys?

Thanks to everyone who attended the first IP Committee dinner of the fiscal year. There will surely be many more to come. Please sign up for the IP Committee mailing list and look out for the committee’s next event! To learn more about the IP Committee, please visit https://www.aabany.org/page/145.

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AABANY IP Committee Hosts Dinner at Laut Singapura

On March 17, the IP Committee enjoyed a delicious Singaporean feast at Laut Singapura for its final meeting of the fiscal year.  New connections were made over dishes such as Hainanese Chicken, Laksa, Nasi Lemak, and many more.  Attendees, ranging from law firm attorneys, students, and in-house counsel chatted about their careers, classes at school, and upcoming plans, among many other topics.  Thanks to everyone who attended.

Please sign up for the IP Committee mailing list and look out for the committee’s next event! To learn more about the IP Committee, please visit https://www.aabany.org/page/145. 

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IP Committee Hosts Dinner at Dhaba Indian Cuisine

On December 15, AABANY’s Intellectual Property Committee hosted a Committee Dinner at Dhaba Indian Cuisine on East 28th Street.  A mix of law students (some who just completed their law school final exams!) and practitioners attended.  Conversation topics included career transitions, life as an IP litigator, life as in-house counsel, and upcoming holiday plans.  As always, new members are always welcome at the IP Committee dinners.  We hope to see you at the next one.  Please also reach out with event ideas!  To learn more about the IP Committee go to https://www.aabany.org/page/145

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AABANY IP Committee Hosts Dinner at Mama Fina’s

On October 27, the IP Committee held a group dinner at the Filipino restaurant Mama Fina’s in the East Village.  For a number of attendees, it was their first in-person group activity since the beginning of the pandemic.  Many delicious Filipino dishes, like Kare-Kare, Crispy Pata, Squid Sisig, were enjoyed while attendees connected with old and new IP Committee members.  Attendees included students, law firm practitioners, and in-house counsel.  Thanks to everyone who attended.  Look out for more group dinners and other events from the IP Committee throughout the year.  New members always welcome.

To learn more about the IP Committee and to get involved, please go to https://www.aabany.org/page/145

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Intellectual Property Committee Holds its First Zoom Mixer on May 27th

On Wednesday May 27th, the AABANY Intellectual Property Committee kicked off the season with our first ever Zoom mixer.  The session started off with some TV and movie-based Rebus puzzles, which were easily crushed by the codebreaking attendees.  There will be more challenging games to come.   We followed with learning a bit about each other and finding out what people have literally been cooking with more time at home.  Fun ideas and plans for future events and activities were discussed, so there will be more to come this year in the form of intro to IP sessions, career track discussions, case study discussions and ways to provide practical knowledge to artists, creators and inventors in New York City.

To learn more about the IP Committee and how to get more involved, go to https://www.aabany.org/page/145

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Intellectual Property Committee End of Year Dinner

On December 16, new and regular members of IP Committee gathered to celebrate the end of 2019 at Nom Wah – Nolita.  The group, comprised of a mix of members who are in-house, in private practice, and in law school, networked over juicy pork dumplings, shu mai, and scallion pancakes, among other dim sum delicacies.  Members discussed issues they face in their practice, updates on their careers, and plans for the holidays.   

Please look out for upcoming IP Committee events in 2020, including a panel on video streaming services, a Careers in IP event for those looking to enter the field, and additional social events.  For more information about the IP Committee or to get involved, please see https://www.aabany.org/page/145, and contact one of the co-chairs – Greg Pan, Ben Hsing, or Jeff Mok.

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AABANY Goes to the Opera: “La Bohème” at the Met

On Nov. 14, the Membership Committee together with the Asia Practice, Intellectual Property, and Real Estate Committees hosted a Night at the Opera, gathering about 30 AABANY members with friends and family to see a performance of “La Bohème” at the Met in Lincoln Center.

Before the performance a group of attendees mingled and enjoyed drinks and quick bites at the bar outside the Family Circle. Then, at 7:30, everyone went inside to take their seats. The AABANY contingent took up nearly three rows of seats.

For some it was a first-time experience that was greatly enhanced upon the discovery of subtitles that appeared on a thin bar that stretched across the row. Each person could see the subtitles displayed directly in front of them.

The sets were breathtaking and the score by Puccini was classic and timeless. The performances were excellent, and the main cast included two Asian Americans, with Hei-Kyung Hong playing the tragic character Mimi.

By all accounts, this event was a hit among those who attended. Talk is already brewing about another Night at the Opera. Stay tuned!

Thanks to everyone who came, and thanks especially to Membership Director Beatrice Leong for organizing the event.

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