2011 Michigan Innovation and Intellectual Property Legal Writing Competition Winners announced

The winners have been announced for the 2011 Michigan Innovation and Intellectual Property Legal Writing Competition, jointly sponsored by the Michigan State Bar Intellectual Property Law Section (IPLS) and the Thomas M. Cooley Law School Graduate Program in Intellectual Property Law. All entries were evaluated anonymously by a panel of judges, including representatives from IPLS and Cooley. In first place is Cooley Law School student Stacie Farina, of Rochester Hills, Mich., with her entry, "Martin v. Alliance Machine: A Broken Application of the Bundle of Secondary Considerations." Earning second place is Cooley Law School student Philip Davis, of Lansing, Mich., with his entry, "Redundant Law: A Case for Eliminating the Dilution By Tarnishment Cause of Action." In third place was Abigail Valovage, of Okemos, a law student at Michigan State University, with her entry, "A Call for Consistency: Maneuvering Trademarks through the International Marketplace." All three winners receive a cash prize, publication of their work in the IPLS Proceedings journal, and complimentary registration to the annual IPLS Spring Intellectual Property Seminar. Cooley Law School Professor David C. Berry, Director, Graduate Program in Intellectual Property Law, was impressed with the caliber of work seen in the competition. ''The high quality of the legal scholarship submitted by this year's entrants proves that intellectual property law continues to be an important focus of research and instruction at each of Michigan's law schools.'' Jennifer Anderson, chair of IPLS, said, "The Intellectual Property Law Section congratulates this year's winners for their thoughtful entries, which address important current issues in the field." Published: Mon, Apr 25, 2011