APA Plays Important Role at Intellectual Property Small Claims Roundtable

WASHINGTON, D.C. – American Photographic Artists has been a defender of intellectual property rights for the professional photographer since our photography association's inception. With our country's complex system of litigation and the high costs of intellectual property lawyers, APA strives to lead and attend frequent discussions and talks for pro photographers on copyrights and how to implement and enforce them in an efficient manner. Thursday, APA's VP and Advocacy Chairman, Michael Grecco, presented the 'Proposal For Small Copyright Infringement Claims' at The US Copyright Office's roundtable discussion on how (and if) to propose implementing a form of a Small Claims Court for copyright infringement claims.

"I was very proud that APA's proposal, written by attorney David Nimmer, with Special Counsel Edward C. Greenberg, played a major role in todays discussions," stated Grecco. "It was the one proposal that could be enacted relatively quickly and easily in the existing Federal Court system and had a good chance of sustaining a Constitutional challenge."

David Kappos, the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the US Patent and Trademark Office, opened the discussion stating that the issue of an Intellectual Property 'Small Claims' system is a 'burning platform,' that must be addressed."

'The roundtable discussion was filled with rights-holders from around the country who came to share their views on the benefits and challenges that a Small Claims Court venue would have on rights-holders,' according to blogger John Harrington of Photo Business News & Forum:
http://photobusinessforum.blogspot.de/2012/05/copyright-small-claims-court-discourse.html

'Small Claims Procedures for Copyright and Patent Owners' was held at the George Washington University Law School and co-hosted by George Washington Law, the US Patent and Trademark Office, and the US Copyright Office.

"The session was a think tank with some of the greatest minds in copyright sussing out the possibilities of a fast track small claims system for copyright issue," stated Grecco. "Myself and the American Photographic Artists board have been working diligently to deal with this issue specifically through proposals like todays."

After the initial plenary session, everyone split into two breakout sessions to discuss concerns that may be more specific to copyright and patent contexts.

All sessions were recorded, and the recordings will be made available on the George Washington Law website, according to Bob Brauneis, Professor of Law and Co-Director of the Intellectual Property Law Program at The George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C.

American Photographic Artists' 'Proposal For Small Copyright Infringement Claims' can be read in full here:
www.apanational.com/files/APA%20Proposal%20for%20Small%20Copyright%20Infringement%20Claims.pdf

Participants included the following:

David Kappos, the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the US Patent and Trademark Office

Maria Pallante, the US Register of Copyrights

Paul Storer, a member of the Legal Framework Team of the Copyright and IP Enforcement Directorate of the United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office, whom brought the roundtable a comparative view of how small claims procedures have been established for both patent and copyright in the UK

Excluding those already listed above, the guests and participants from the US Copyright Office's two government agency co-sponsors who attended the Copyright Breakout Session (moderated by Robert Brauneis):

Sandra Aistars
Copyright Alliance

June Besek
Columbia University

Robert Brauneis
George Washington University Law School

Lorin Brennan
Independent Film and Television Alliance

Rick Carnes
Songwriters Guild

Joseph DiMona
Broadcast Music, Inc.

Michael Grecco
American Photographic Artists

Sam Mosenkis
American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers

David Nimmer
Irell & Manella

Victor Perlman
American Society of Media Photographers

Eugene Mopsik
American Society of Media Photographers

Jay Rosenthal
National Music Publishers Association

Pamela Samuelson
University of California, Berkeley

David Carson
US Copyright Office

Christopher Reed
US Copyright Office

Catherine Rowland
US Copyright Office

Michele Woods
US Copyright Office

Shira Perlmutter
US Patent and Trademark Office

Ann Chaitovitz
US Patent and Trademark Office

Michael Shapiro
US Patent and Trademark Office

Excluding the list above, below are the guests and participants affiliated with US Copyright Office co-sponsors who attended the Patent Breakout Session (moderated by David Gerk):

Erika Arner
Finnegan Henderson

The Hon. Susan Braden
US Court of Federal Claims

Steven Caltrider
Eli Lilly

Christopher Carani
McAndrews, Held & Malloy

Robert Greenspoon
Flachsbart & Greenspoon

Eileen Herlihy
New England School of Law

Roderick McKelvie
Covington & Burling

Arti Rai
Duke University

Stephanie Roberts
Banner & Witcoff

Warren Tuttle
United Inventors Association

Robert Clarke
US Patent and Trademark Office

David Gerk
US Patent and Trademark Office

Debra Lee
US Patent and Trademark Office

About the American Photographic Artists
APA's mission is Successful Professional Photographers. We are a non-profit photo association with the main goal to establish, endorse, and promote professional practices, standards, and ethics in the photographic and advertising community. We seek to mentor, motivate, educate, and inspire in the pursuit of excellence. Our aim is to champion and speak as one common voice for advertising photographers and image makers to the advertising industry in the United States and the World. For more information, please visit www.apanational.com.
 
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