Brooks Kushman attorneys are ?elected state bar IP section officers

Brooks Kushman attorneys David C. Berry and Hope Shovein have been elected to serve one-year terms as Chair and Chair-Elect, respectively, of the State Bar of Michigan Intellectual Property Law Section. The election took place on Saturday at the section’s annual meeting at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island.

As Chair, Berry will be responsible for oversight of the group of over 1200 members, report on the section’s efforts and contributions at each annual State Bar of Michigan meeting and oversee the section’s various events throughout the year. He also chairs the steering committee of the Michigan Patent Pro Bono Project, which is a service project of the section. Berry is a registered patent attorney and has more than 15 years of law practice experience focusing on patent litigation and IP licensing. He has represented clients in all phases of litigation, including pre-trial proceedings, bench and jury trials and appeals, including arguing before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

As Chair-Elect, Shovein will succeed Berry as Chair in July 2017. She will also preside over the section’s meetings and oversee the Intellectual Property committees as needed. Shovein previously served as the section’s Secretary-Treasurer. Shovein focuses her practice on the procurement and enforcement of trademark rights, including proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Shovein specializes in helping clients enforce their rights in any medium, such as the unauthorized use of trademarks in website content, and representing clients in domain name disputes.

The Intellectual Property Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan provides education, information and analysis about laws and procedures pertaining to federal and state patent, trademark and copyright laws through a variety of activities including meetings, seminars and publication of a newsletter. The section reports proposed legislation, supports the legal education of members and the general public and promotes the fair and just administration of such laws.