MBA increases awareness of intellectual property law

Feature story for The Memphis Daily News

Aug. 16, 2010

A new section of the Memphis Bar Association will focus exclusively on intellectual property and entertainment law.

In an effort to boost membership in the legal community and promote its services within the business community, the bar association will host a seminar Thursday, Aug. 19, at the Hilton Hotel in East Memphis.

“Intellectual property is everywhere; it pervades every section of business imaginable,” said Bill Parks, an attorney with Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs LLP, and president of the newest Memphis Bar section. “You wouldn’t have the things you have today without intellectual property in place.”

Trademarks and copyrights are no longer the concern of only the largest corporations, said Doug Halijan, an attorney with Burch, Porter & Johnson PLLC and board member of the new MBA section, and those smaller companies should “be aware of what sort of patent or trademark or copyright rights they may have in work that they develop.” … (read more)