Former register of copyrights, judge honored for work in IP law

Former Register of Copyrights Marybeth Peters and U.S. Circuit Judge Richard Linn of the Federal Circuit have been selected to receive the 2011 Mark T. Banner Award, presented by the American Bar Association Section of Intellectual Property Law, at the ABA Annual Meeting in Toronto Aug. 6. Peters served as the 11th register of copyrights for the United States and director of the U.S. Copyright Office beginning in August 1994 until her retirement at the end of 2010. Her tenure was surpassed only by that of the first register, who served 33 years in the post. A widely respected technical expert in copyright law, Peters serves on the IP advisory boards of the George Washington University Law School, the University of Maryland Law School, Franklin Pierce Law Center and the John Marshall School of Law. She received her undergraduate degree from Rhode Island College and her law degree from George Washington University Law School. Prior to his appointment to the Federal Circuit in 1999, Linn practiced intellectual property law after serving as patent examiner at the U.S. Patent Office from 1965-1968. He is a member of the Intellectual Property Advisory Board of George Washington University Law School, where he was an adjunct professor from 2001-2003. Linn received his bachelor's degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and law degree from Georgetown University Law Center. The ABA Section of Intellectual Property Law established the Mark T. Banner Award last year to recognize those who have advanced the practice or substance of IP law through areas such as scholarship, teaching, innovation, bar leadership and judicial activities. The award is named in honor of the section's late chair (2002-2003) and celebrated intellectual property trial lawyer, who is remembered throughout the profession as an extraordinary writer, speaker, teacher and innovator in the intellectual property field. Published: Mon, Jul 18, 2011