Hon. William C. Conner Inn of Court 16th Annual Reception January 24, 2024 Union League Club
The Honorable William C. Conner
At the Inaugural Dinner in 2009, members of the Conner Inn presented Mrs. Janice Files Conner with a bouquet of her favorite flowers - yellow roses. Honorable William C. Conner passed away on July 9, 2009 and Mrs. Janice Files Conner passed away on September 12, 2011. The Conner Inn continues to commemorate Mrs. Conner every year with yellow roses on each table at the Annual Dinner.
Mission of the Hon. William C. Conner Inn of Court, to promote excellence in professionalism, ethics, civility, and legal skills for judges, lawyers, academicians, and students of law and to advance the education of the members of the Conner Inn, the members of the bench and bar, and the public in the fields of intellectual property.
Message from the Conner Inn Executive Committee Chair Welcome to the 16th Annual Reception and Dinner of the Hon. William C. Conner Inn of Court. This year, we are very proud to present the 2024 Conner Inn Excellence Awards to four outstanding jurists -- Hon. Kimberly A. Moore, Chief Circuit Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit; Hon. Raymond J. Lohier Jr., Circuit Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit; Hon. Joan M. Azrack, District Judge, United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York; and Hon. Katherine Polk Failla, District Judge, United States District Court for the Southern District of New York -- for their dedication to the promotion of excellence in our profession. Please enjoy this commemorative journal, including biographies of our award recipients and an article written by Melvin C. Garner that highlights the many excellent programs that were presented by judges, senior lawyers, junior lawyers, and law student members of the Conner Inn during its fifteenth year of substantive IP programs. As we continue to have in-person programs and events like this, we look forward to continuing to build on Judge Conner’s legacy of excellence and professionalism through the enthusiasm of our membership. As chair of the Executive Committee, I would like to thank our Conner Inn President, Hon. J. Paul Oetken for his continued leadership; the other members of the Executive Committee: Jeffrey M. Butler, Amy Gallup Klann, Melvin C. Garner, Patrice P. Jean, and Anne E. Li for their commitment; Jeffrey M. Butler and Melvin C. Garner for coordinating this event and putting together this commemorative journal; Hon. Richard Linn for his vision and initiative; and each of you for your enthusiastic support of the Conner Inn and its mission to promote professionalism, legal skills, ethics and civility in the practice of intellectual property law which Judge Conner exemplified. Anthony Giaccio Executive Committee Chair
Program 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM Cocktail Reception 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM Dinner Congratulations to The 2024 Conner Inn Excellence Award Honorees Hon. Kimberly A. Moore Chief Circuit Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit Presented by Hon. Richard Linn Hon. Raymond J. Lohier Jr. Circuit Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit Presented by Hon. Alison Nathan Hon. Joan M. Azrack District Judge, U.S. District Court, Easterm District of New York Presented by Hon. Gary R. Brown Hon. Katherine Polk Failla District Judge, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York Presented by Hon. J. Paul Oetken Dinner Committee Jeffrey M. Butler and Melvin C. Garner
Hon. William C. Conner Inn of Court Activities for the Year 2023 The Hon. William C. Conner Inn of Court held the 15th Annual Reception and Dinner on January 23, 2023, at the Union League Club. Thirty-four federal judges attended. At the dinner, a Conner Inn Excellence Award was presented to Judge Kara F. Stoll of United States Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit by Judge Richard Linn of the same Court. An Excellence Award was also presented to Judge Laura Taylor Swain, Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York by Judge Colleen McMahon of that Court. The final Excellence Award was presented to Judge Brian Cogan of the United States District Court for Eastern District of New York by Judge Ann Donnelly of that Court. The Conner Inn put on a substantive program entitled “Can’t Protect What You Can’t See - Especially in Cybersecurity” on February 28, 2023. During this program attendees learned about the dangerous gap in responsibility that exists between legal departments and cybersecurity/IT, how to manage that gap and how legal remedies for IP enforcement can be used to enhance an organization’s cybersecurity defenses. The panelists, which included FBI representatives and Alexander Urbelis, Senior Counsel at Crowell & Moring LLP, showcased active threats in the Domain Name System that Alexander has been tracking, ranging from counterfeit pharmaceutical marketplaces to advanced cyber adversaries targeting critical infrastructure and industries of the United States. The FBI representatives addressed how to reduce overall cyber risk in an organization and the importance of relationship-building with the FBI. The Conner Inn’s annual “Jury Deliberation with Inner-City Scholar Fund High School Student Jurors” was held on March 15, 2023 at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Courthouse. As in the past, the presentation featured mock closing arguments before a jury of high school students. The case was a variation of the litigation Adidas v. Thom Browne, which concerned alleged infringement of the Adidas three-stripe trademark. The case had been decided by an actual jury in the Southern District of New York in mid-January and the students reached the same verdict. March 31, 2023, prior to the New York Intellectual Property Law Association’s 101st Annual Dinner in Honor of the Federal Judiciary, the Inn hosted a Linn Inn Alliance Reception. At the reception, the Alliance presented the 2020 and 2023 Distinguished Service Medals to a total of eight members of the Linn Inn Alliance. The medalists included: 2023 Distinguished Service Medal Recipients Hon. Richard G. Taranto – Hon. Giles S. Rich AIC Gary Levin – Benjamin Franklin AIC Jason Rosenberg – Atlanta IP AIC 2020 Distinguished Service Medal Recipients Donald Dunner (posthumous) – Hon. Giles S. Rich AIC Gregory Bradley – Hon. Q. Todd Dickinson Intellectual Property AIC Jeffrey Butler – Hon. William C. Conner AIC Stephen Stanton – Benjamin Franklin AIC Debbie Wright – Hon. Richard Linn AIC Crowell & Moring LLP was the scene of the “AI and ChatGPT – Introduction and Patents” CLE program and the Kick-Off Cocktail Reception. It was held on September 27, 2023. Scott Timmerman and William Murray of Crowell & Moring, and Joseph Borstein of Lex Fusion, discussed the ways ChatGPT is impacting the intellectual property landscape as AI continues to advance. In addition, this was a great opportunity to meet members of the Inn as well as the members of the Executive Committee as the Conner Inn celebrated the beginning of the membership year. Martin Schwimmer and Melvin C. Garner of Leason Ellis LLP were speakers at the Conner Inn’s October 26, 2023 hybrid program entitled “Real IP Questions about Artificial Intelligence: Sorting the Real from the Fake.” It was held at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Courthouse provided an understanding of AI Technology and its application to Patent Law as well as the handling of AI Copyright and Trademark Issues. On December 7, 2023, the Conner Inn held a "Life (Sciences) after Amgen" CLE program and Holiday Cocktail Reception at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. The program was in the form of a panel that included Matthew Silfin, 3L student, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law; Saurabh Vishnubhakat, Professor of Law & Director, IP and Information Law Program, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law; Amy Gallup Klann, PhD/JD, Counsel, Fenwick & West LLP; and Roshni Ghosh, PhD/JD, Associate, Wilson Sonsini. Members of the Inn, the Executive Committee, and non-members were also invited to the Holiday Cocktail Reception to network and celebrate the upcoming holidays. Melvin C. Garner Executive Committee Member
Conner Inn Leadership Officers President: Hon. J. Paul Oetken, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York Secretary/ Treasurer: Anthony Giaccio Executive Committee Chair: Anthony Giaccio Members: Jeffrey M. Butler, Amy Gallup Klann, Melvin C. Garner, Patrice P. Jean, Anne E. Li Judicial Members of the Inn Hon. Laura Taylor Swain, Southern District of New York Hon. Margo K. Brodie, Eastern District of New York Hon. Kerry Begley, USPTO Patent Trial and Appeal Board Hon. Gary R. Brown, Eastern District of New York Hon. Sarah L. Cave, Southern District of New York Hon. John P. Cronan, Southern District of New York Hon. Thomas L. Giannetti, USPTO Patent Trial and Appeal Board Hon. Cynthia M. Hardman, USPTO Patent Trial and Appeal Board Hon. Lewis J. Liman, Southern District of New York Hon. Kimberly McGraw, USPTO Patent Trial and Appeal Board Hon. Shelia McShane, USPTO Patent Trial and Appeal Board Hon. J. Paul Oetken, Southern District of New York Hon. Donna Praiss, USPTO Patent Trial and Appeal Board Hon. Barbara S. Jones, Southern District of New York (Ret.) Visiting Judicial Members of the Inn Hon. Timothy B. Dyk, U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit Hon. Richard Linn, U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit Hon. Pauline Newman, U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit Hon. Jimmie V. Reyna, US. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit Hon. Paul R. Michel, U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit (Ret.)
Honored Guests in Attendance Special Guests of Honor Hon. Kimberly A. Moore Chief Circuit Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit Hon. Raymond J. Lohier Jr. Circuit Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit Hon. Joan M. Azrack District Judge, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York Hon. Katherine Polk Failla District Judge, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York United States Court of Appeals Federal Circuit Hon. Raymond T. Chen, Circuit Judge Hon. Tiffany P. Cunningham, Circuit Judge Hon. Sharon Prost, Circuit Judge Hon. Jimmie V. Reyna, Circuit Judge Hon. Leonard P. Stark, Circuit Judge Hon. Kara Farnandez Stoll, Circuit Judge Hon. Richard G. Taranto, Circuit Judge Hon. Richard Linn, Senior Circuit Judge Hon. Evan J. Wallach, Senior Circuit Judge Second Circuit Hon. Debra Livingston, Chief Circuit Judge Hon. Eunice C. Lee, Circuit Judge Hon. Alison J. Nathan, Circuit Judge Hon. Richard J. Sullivan, Circuit Judge Hon. Susan L. Carney, Senior Circuit Judge Hon. Reena Raggi, Senior Circuit Judge Hon. Robert D. Sack, Senior Circuit Judge
United States District Courts Eastern District of New York Hon. Gary R. Brown, District Judge Hon. Pamela K. Chen, District Judge Hon. Ann M. Donnelly, District Judge Hon. LaShann DeArcy Hall, District Judge Hon. Ramon E. Reyes Jr., District Judge Hon. Nicholas G. Garaufis, Senior District Judge Hon. Dora L. Irizarry, Senior District Judge Hon. Kiyo A. Matsumoto, Senior District Judge Hon. Joanna Seybert, Senior District Judge Hon. Sanket J. Bulsara, Magistrate District Judge Hon. Lee G. Dunst, Magistrate District Judge Hon. Peggy Kuo, Magistrate District Judge Hon. Joseph A. Marutollo, Magistrate District Judge Hon. James M. Wicks, Magistrate District Judge Southern District of New York Hon. Laura Taylor Swain, Chief Judge Hon. Valerie E. Caproni, District Judge Hon. John P. Cronan, District Judge Hon. Paul A. Engelmayer, District Judge Hon. Margaret Garnett, District Judge Hon. Philip M. Halpern, District Judge Hon. John G. Koeltl, District Judge Hon. Lewis Liman, District Judge Hon. J. Paul Oetken, District Judge Hon. Jennifer L. Rochon, District Judge Hon. Denise L. Cote, Senior District Judge Hon. Lewis A. Kaplan, Senior District Judge Hon. Colleen McMahon, Senior District Judge Hon. Sidney H. Stein, Senior District Judge Hon. Stewart D. Aaron, Magistrate Judge Hon. Sarah Netburn, Magistrate Judge Administrative Office of the United States Courts Hon. Roslynn R. Mauskopf, Director
United States Patent & Trademark Office Patent Trial and Appeal Board Hon. Thomas Giannetti, Administrative Patent Judge Hon. Cynthia Hardman, Administrative Patent Judge United States Court Executives and Clerks Court of Appeals, Second Circuit Catherine O’Hagan Wolfe, Clerk of Court United States District Court, Eastern District of New York Eugene Corcoran, District Executive Brenna Mahoney, Clerk of Court United States District Court, Southern District of New York Ruby Krajick, Clerk of Court
Honoree Hon. Kimberly A. Moore U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit
Judge Lohier has been a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit since his appointment in Decemner 2010. Judge Lohier earned his undergraduate degree from Harvard University in 1988, and his J.D. from New York University School of Law in 1991. Thereafter, Judge Lohier served as a law clerk for the Honorable Robert P. Patterson, Jr. of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and worked as an associate at the law firm of Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton in New York. Following his work at Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton, Judge Lohier served as a Senior Trial Attorney with the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, and then as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York, where he served as Senior Counsel to the United States Attorney, Chief of the Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force, and Chief of the Narcotics Unit, among other positions. Judge Lohier is a member of the Council and of the Executive Committee of the American Law Institute, Vice Chair of the New York University School of Law Board of Trustees, member of the Harvard University Board of Overseers, and an adjunct professor of law. Judge Lohier also is a past Chair of the Defender Services Committee and current member of the Budget Committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States.
Honoree Hon. Raymond J. Lohier Jr. U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
Kimberly A. Moore was appointed by President George W. Bush in 2006 and assumed the duties of Chief Circuit Judge on May 22, 2021. Prior to her appointment, Chief Judge Moore was a Professor of Law from 2004 to 2006 and Associate Professor of Law from 2000 to 2004 at the George Mason University School of Law. She was an Assistant Professor of Law at the University of Maryland School of Law from 1999 to 2000. She served both as an Assistant Professor of Law from 1997 to 1999 and the Associate Director of the Intellectual Property Law Program from 1998 to 1999 at the Chicago-Kent College of Law. Chief Judge Moore clerked from 1995 to 1997 for the Honorable Glenn L. Archer, Jr., Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. She was an Associate at Kirkland & Ellis from 1994 to 1995. From 1988 to 1992, Chief Judge Moore was employed in electrical engineering with the Naval Surface Warfare Center. Chief Judge Moore received her B.S.E.E. in 1990, M.S. in 1991, both from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and her J.D., cum laude, from the Georgetown University Law Center in 1994. Chief Judge Moore has written and presented widely on patent litigation. She co-authored a legal casebook entitled Patent Litigation and Strategy and served as the Editor of The Federal Circuit Bar Journal from 1998 to 2006.
Honoree Hon. Katherine Polk Failla U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
Judge Azrack was appointed as a District Judge on December 19, 2014. She previously served as a United States Magistrate Judge from 1990 until her appointment to the District Court. From October 1, 2000 to March 31, 2004, she served as Chief Magistrate Judge. Judge Azrack is a Supervising Judge for the Special Options Services (“SOS”) Program, an alternative to pretrial detention designed for young on-violent defendants. She received a B.S. degree from Rutgers University is 1974 and a J.D. from New York Law School in 1979. Following graduation from Law School, Judge Azrack was accepted in the U.S. Department of Justice Honors Program and served two years in the Criminal Division. She was appointed an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of New York in 1981. During her tenure in the U.S. Attorney’s Office from 1981-1990, she served as Deputy Chief of the Narcotics Section, Chief of the Business & Securities Fraud Section and Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division.
For the last ten years, Katherine Polk Failla has served as a United States District Judge for the Southern District of New York. Judge Failla attended the College of William & Mary, from which she graduated summa cum laude in 1990. She then graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1993, where she served as Articles Editor, and later Co-Editor-in-Chief, of the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy. From 1993 to 1994, Judge Failla clerked for the Honorable Joseph E. Irenas, United States District Judge for the District of New Jersey. Following her clerkship, Judge Failla worked as an associate in the Securities Litigation and Enforcement practice group of Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP. While there, Judge Failla devoted substantial time to pro bono matters, including representations of clients in immigration and family court proceedings. In 2000, Judge Failla joined the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. For the next 13 years, she oversaw investigations into and prosecutions of a wide variety of criminal offenses, including narcotics, organized crime, securities fraud, and terrorism. In 2004, Judge Failla was appointed a Deputy Chief of the Criminal Appeals Unit, and in 2008, she was appointed Chief of that Unit. In June 2012, Judge Failla was nominated by then-President Barack Obama to serve as a federal district judge. Her nomination was confirmed by the Senate on March 4, 2013, and she entered on duty on March 28, 2013.
Honoree Hon. Joan M. Azrack U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York
Previous Recipients of the Conner Inn Excellence Award 2023 Hon. Kara F. Stoll, U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit Hon. Laura Taylor Swain, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York Hon. Brian Cogan, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York 2022 Hon. Debra Ann Livingston, U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit Hon. Evan J. Wallach, U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit Hon. Jed S. Rakoff, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York 2021 Hon. Alan D. Lourie, U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit Hon. Richard C. Wesley, U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit Hon. Margo K. Brodie, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York Hon. Paul A. Engelmayer, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York 2020 Hon. Richard G. Taranto, U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit Hon. Denise L. Cote, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York Hon. Pamela K. Chen, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York 2019 Hon. Raymond T. Chen, U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit Hon. Richard J. Sullivan, U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit Hon. Kiyo A. Matsumoto, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York 2018 Hon. Pierre N. Leval, U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit Hon. Jimmie V. Reyna, U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit 2017 Hon. P. Kevin Castel, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York Hon. Dora L. Irizarry, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York Hon. Kathleen M. O'Malley, U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit
Previous Recipients of the Conner Inn Excellence Award 2016 Hon. Timothy B. Dyk, U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit 2015 Hon. Denny Chin, U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit Hon. Sharon Prost, U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit 2014 Hon. Robert A. Katzmann, U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit Hon. Richard Linn, U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit 2013 Hon. Barbara Jones, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York Hon. Colleen McMahon, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York 2012 Hon. Carol Bagley Amon, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York Hon. Pauline Newman, U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit Hon. Kimba M. Woods, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York 2011 Hon. Dennis Jacobs, U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit 2010 Hon. Raymond J. Dearie, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York Hon. Loretta A. Preska, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York Hon. Paul R. Michel, U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit 2009 Hon. William C. Conner, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
Hon. William C. Conner Inn of Court 2023 Annual Reception and Dinner
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