To all members of the International Law Section:

Download your copy of the Winter 2012 special issue of the International Law Quarterly "Focus on: International Intellectual Property Law" here.

Penelope Perez-Kelly—who wrote the lead article exploring the challenges and strategies involved in managing a client’s IP on a worldwide basis—did a great job coordinating an impressive lineup of authors on the hottest topics in IP. They include: Kimra Major-Morris and her timely article on online privacy in the wake of multiple high-profile international copyright cases involving the Internet; Danielle Amor, who tackles the problem of video pirating in Europe by those, including UK public houses (pubs), who use foreign decoder boxes to show live football matches; Pierre Gaunaurd and his examination of the challenges of protecting patents in India; Peter Quinter and Michael De Biase who map the intersection of trademark and customs law designed to keep counterfeit merchandise out of the United States; James Faier who analyzes the “bona fide intent to use” requirement for foreign registration applicants seeking U.S. federal trademark protection; and Brenda Recio with her primer on IP law in the Dominican Republic.

All are great articles that, taken together, provide a sophisticated understanding of the current state of intellectual property from a global perspective.We believe this issue is surely worth saving and will become the ultimate reference guide on International Intellectual Property Law for years to come. On behalf of the International Law Section, we hope you enjoy it.

Alvin F. Lindsay
Editor-in-Chief

This is the 10th year anniversary of the International Law Section’s Litigation and Arbitration Conference. The Audio CD includes all breakout sessions on litigation and arbitration: asset tracing and recovery tools: essentials for the international litigator; arbitration rules update; hot topics in international litigation; hot topics in international arbitration; what you may not know about litigation in Latin America; what you may not know about enforcing your arbitral award abroad; cross border enforcement: the role of prosecutors, regulators, and defense attorneys; the next generation of investor-state arbitration: a review of the logical steps. The plenary sessions include: recent alien tort claim act cases and ethics issues in international litigation: fee sharing and suit financing. This one-day program has been awarded 11 hours of CLE credit, 1 hour of ethics and 11 hours of international certification credit. Course Number: 1422C

Click here to order the Audio CD.

Dear ILS members:

The ILS Legislative Committee is very pleased to report two recent accomplishments during the 2012 Florida Legislative Session that concluded on March 9, 2012:

(1) First, the passage of the ILS Sponsored “Glitch-Fix Bill” (SB 486/HB 917) which clarified existing ambiguities, redundancies and clerical errors in Fla. Stat. 48.193, 55.502, 684.0019, 684.0026, 685.101 and 685.102, which, in summary, dealt with Long Arm Statute issues, Choice of Law, Florida’s Enforcement of Foreign Judgments Act and Florida’s International Commercial Arbitration Act. The changes to these laws positively benefit all international litigators and reinforce Florida’s image as a leading jurisdiction for the practice of international law. See attached White Paper on the matter. The bill’s passage culminates two years of efforts and we are grateful for the support of our Senate and House sponsors, Sen. Diaz de la Portilla and Rep. Bileca. We thank them very much for their support in sponsoring our bill and getting fellow legislators to vote in favor of passage. We also thank our supporters in the business community, which included the Florida Chamber of Commerce, Associated Industries of Florida, and the Florida International Bankers Association.

Call for Int’l Human Rights Award Nominees

The ABA Section of Litigation is soliciting nominations for the ABA Section of Litigation International Human Rights Award. The International Human Rights Award is intended to honor and give public recognition to an individual who has made a special contribution in the area of human rights in a foreign jurisdiction.

Nominees for the award must have made substantial and long-term contributions in the furtherance of civil rights, civil liberties, and/or human rights outside the United States. A “substantial” contribution shall be considered to be one demonstrating a level of dedication or achievement beyond that expected in the normal course of an individual’s work. Nominees must be lawyers or judges, but from any jurisdiction.

The Section of Litigation International Human Rights Award was created in response to the knowledge that, in many countries with repressive regimes, the regime is less likely to take retaliatory action—or is likely to take less harsh action—against a human-rights advocate if the advocate has international connections and relationships. The Section stands behind those who have fought for basic human rights even when it may not be in their personal self-interest.

Completed nomination forms which can be found at http://apps.americanbar.org/litigation/committees/international/ihr.html and accompanying materials, including a “Statement of Reasons,” should be emailed to Sharyne Tu at Sharyne.Tu@americanbar.org by March 19, 2012.