Inductees into the IP Hall of Fame 2007 Announced

    
London, 1st October 2007: Nine prominent members of the global intellectual property community have been selected for induction into the IP Hall of Fame for 2007. This follows a five-month-long nomination process involving IP professionals from around the world and culminating in a final vote conducted among members of the IP Hall of Fame Academy.
The individuals to be inducted are:

? Talal Abu-Ghazaleh: A major IP figure in the Arab world and beyond.
? Hisamitsu Arai: Twice Commissioner of the Japanese Patent Office and a key figure in the development of Japans groundbreaking IP Strategic Programme.
? Jerome Gilson: Author of Gilson on Trademarks. Participated in drafting the US Trademark Law Revision Act of 1988 and the Federal Trademark Dilution Act of 1995.
? Karl Jorda: Professor of Intellectual Property Law as well as Director of the Germeshausen Center for the Law of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Franklin Pierce Law Center.
? Hugh Laddie: Influential figure in the UK and Europe as a barrister, judge, solicitor/consultant, mediator and teacher.
? Gerald Mossinghoff: Former Commissioner of the USPTO. Advised President Reagan on the establishment of the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
? Pauline Newman: Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
? Kevin Rivette: Co-author of Rembrandts in the Attic and, until very recently, VP of IP Strategy at IBM.
? Joseph Straus: Director of the Max Planck Institute for Intellectual Property in Munich.

The IP Hall of Fame was designed by Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) magazine as a not-for-profit exercise that focuses on individuals - from areas such as business, politics, finance, the law, academia, the arts, and science and technology - who have played a major role in the creation of todays IP system. The first inductees were announced in 2006 and included former US presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, celebrated French author Victor Hugo and inventor Thomas Edison, as well as more current names such as Marshall Phelps of Microsoft, former US senator Birch Bayh and British judge Lord Justice Robin Jacob.
Inductees into the IP Hall of Fame are selected for the outstanding contribution they have made to the development of IP law and practice, so helping to establish IP as one of the key business assets of the 21st century. The final decision as to who should be inducted lies with the IP Hall of Fame Academy, comprising a mixture of previous IP Hall of Fame inductees and invited thought-leaders from the global intellectual property community. They vote on nominations received from IP professionals based in countries across the world.
This year?s inductees into the IP Hall of Fame will be honoured at a gala dinner, hosted by Ocean Tomo Auctions, to be held at the Field Museum in Chicago on 24th October.
For more information on the IP Hall of Fame and the IP Hall of Fame Academy, visit www.iphalloffame.com.

Background

For further information, please contact:
Joff Wild
Editor, IAM magazine
Email: jwild@iam-magazine.com
Tel: +44 20 7234 0606

Reaction from inductees

?Im more than pleased at the honour and at the extraordinarily distinguished company.? ? Pauline Newman

?Fighting off speechlessness, I can only say that I am deeply grateful to the Academy for including me in the company of such distinguished inductees.  It is a transcendent honour and a nonpareil career milestone. I know it will be a source of great personal pride for years to come.? ? Jerome Gilson

"To say that Im on Cloud 9 would be an understatement.  Im on Cloud 12 ? ecstatic beyond words.  What an unexpected honour!  To join a group of such eminent co-inductees is very gratifying but also very humbling to me.  A million thanks to the Academy.? ? Karl Jorda

"It is a great honour for me to be inducted to the IP Hall of Fame. What wonderful news it is! This shows that Japanese efforts to build a new IP structure for the world, including IP harmonisation, are appreciated by the global community. My team will be very delighted.? - Hisamitsu Arai

?I owe my induction into the IP Hall of Fame to my distinguished peers who voted me in. I owe my name to my colleagues in Abu-Ghazaleh Intellectual Property who, through excellence, built AGIP into a global leader. I owe my recognition to my valued clients and associates all over the world who honoured me with their confidence. I salute the Arab world community who supported my leadership of Arab Society for Intellectual Property, the regional IP association. I am proud to be in such great company. I thank IAM magazine for launching this initiative to honour the IP profession worldwide.? ? Talal Abu-Ghazaleh

About IAM
IAM magazine is published by Globe White Page Ltd, London. It is widely recognised as the leading global publication on intellectual property as a business asset. The focus of IAM is on how IP can be used to generate revenue, improve profits, create shareholder value and increase flexibility in the financial markets. It is read by board-level executives at IP-owning companies throughout the world. www.iam-magazine.com

About Ocean Tomo LLC
Established in 2003, Ocean Tomo LLC (www.OceanTomo.com) is the leading Intellectual Capital Merchant Banc® firm that specialises in understanding and leveraging IP assets. The company provides advice in IP-related mergers and acquisitions, investments, valuations, expert services, analytics and IP auctions. Headquartered in Chicago, Ocean Tomo has offices in San Francisco, Palm Beach, Orange County and Washington DC. Subsidiaries of Ocean Tomo include: Ocean Tomo Auctions LLC; Ocean Tomo Asset Management LLC; and Ocean Tomo Capita, LLC -- publisher of the Ocean Tomo 300® Patent Index (Amex: OTPAT), the Ocean Tomo 300® Patent Growth Index (Amex: OTPATG) and the Ocean Tomo 300® Patent Value Index (Amex: OTPATV).