Wednesday, December 8, 2021

By Virtual Platform (Remo)

1. CALL TO ORDER & PRESIDENT’S REPORT

   President Dan Young called the meeting to order at 12:00 PM and welcomed all those in attendance.

   President Young provided a President’s Report, in which he thanked everyone for coming and discussed the BPLA’s efforts this year.  He mentioned BPLA’s IP Symposium, the attorney wellness initiative and partnering with Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers throughout the year, as well as recasting the pro bono committee mission and carrying out the pro bono award.

   President Young also thanked the Boards of the past and present for their support, as well as Constance Brennan, Kevin Macdonald, and Jacqueline Chappo for support on signature events.

2. SECRETARY’S REPORT

   President Young introduced Secretary Emily Whelan. Secretary Whelan moved to waive the reading of the minutes from the 2020 BPLA Annual Meeting, which were published in the BPLA Newsletter. The motions to waive the reading and approve the meeting minutes were made and carried. The minutes from the 2020 BPLA Annual Meeting were accepted.

   Secretary Whelan also oversaw a vote on a bylaw amendment to amend Article III of the BPLA bylaws to add a sixth class of membership to the organization.  In particular, the proposed new class of membership is an Academic Member having the powers, privileges, and obligations of Attorney Members of the Association except those of voting and holding office.  This vote passed without dissent from any member and the bylaws were amended.

3. TREASURER’S REPORT

   Secretary Whelan introduced Treasurer Josh Dalton. Treasurer Dalton reported that in 2021 the BPLA had net income of $11,646.21 with $157,782.13 in remaining assets. Treasurer Dalton offered to share copies of the financial documents with the members. Hearing no requests, Treasurer Dalton requested motions to waive the reading of the balance of the Treasurer’s Report and accept the Report, which were made and carried. The Treasurer’s Report was accepted.

4. WRITING COMPETITION

   Treasurer Dalton introduced Board Member Valarie Rosen to announce the winners of the BPLA’s Annual Writing Competition. Board Member Rosen announced that the BPLA selected as the first place paper “Copyright and Typography: Separating Typography from its Past” by Raji Ayinla, a 3L at the New England School of Law and the Online Editor of the New England Law Review, and as the second place paper “Deepfakes Are Taking Over Social Media: Can the Law Keep Up?” by Kavya Nagumotu, a 3L in the Daniel Webster Scholar Honors Program at the University of New Hampshire School of Law.  The winners were introduced and recognized on the virtual stage.

5. PRO BONO AWARDS

   Board Member Rosen introduced Wyley Proctor and Nishat Shaikh to present the Pro Bono Awards.  There were technical difficulties, which required a brief networking break to resolve.  Wyley was unable to present remotely due to the technical issues, so Keith Toms stepped in to present the awards.

   The inaugural BPLA Pro Bono Award was presented to Christopher S. Schultz for his efforts over a decade in serving as lead counsel with the New England Innocence Project on behalf of a man wrongfully convicted of murder in 1986.  Mr. Schultz took the virtual stage to accept the award and made brief remarks thanking the team that worked with him over the years and encourage others to get involved.

   In addition, The BPLA Pro Bono Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Jerry Cohen for his large volume of pro bono work over a 50+ year career.  Mr. Cohen also took the virtual stage to accept the award and made brief remarks encouraging others to get involved in pro bono work.

6. KEYNOTE SPEECH

   President Young introduced Charles Kim, Director of the Office of Petitions at the USPTO and co-chair of the USPTO Artificial Intelligence Working Group.  In his remarks, Mr. Kim gave an update on USPTO activity with regard to Artificial Intelligence, including efforts to leverage AI to enhance internal activities at the USPTO (e.g., searching, etc.) and studying the impact of AI on various policy initiatives.  Following Mr. Kim’s presentation, President Young facilitated a question-and-answer session and thanked Mr. Kim.

7. NOMINATING COMMITTEE REPORT AND ELECTION

   President Young introduced Immediate Past President Michael Bergman. Immediate Past President Bergman thanked the 2021 Officers and Board Members for their service.  He noted Mr. Toms’ automatic elevation, according to the rules of the Association, to the office of President. He also noted President Young’s automatic placement on the Board of Governors as Immediate Past President. He presented the slate of Officers that had been approved by a unanimous vote by the nominating committee consisting of himself and Past Presidents Deirdre Sanders and Rory Pheiffer:

   • President-Elect: Rebecca McNeill;
   • Vice President: Josh Dalton;
   • Treasurer: Emily Whelan;
   • Secretary: Derek Roller;
   • Board Member: Kristin Salvaggio;
   • Board Member: Valarie Rosen; and
   • Board Member: David Mello

   Immediate Past President Bergman moved for acceptance of the nominations of the Officers and Board Members, as well as the election of the nominees, which was made and carried. Thus, in accordance with the Bylaws of the Association, the 2022 Board of Governors of the BPLA was duly elected.

   New President Toms thanked Mr. Bergman for his work on the Nominating Committee and Immediate Past President Young for his dedication and leadership.  President Toms virtually presented Immediate Past President Young with a BPLA Patriot Plate and chair in gratitude for his service.

8. REMARKS OF THE INCOMING PRESIDENT

   President Toms discussed his goals for the BPLA in 2022, including a hopeful return to in-person events while still dealing with challenges related to the pandemic.  President Toms laid out his plan to look internally and have a discussion about a disconnect between the mission of the organization—supporting all IP—and its name, which may be especially appropriate to do as we approach the organizations centennial anniversary.  President Toms listed many ways in which this disconnect can be limiting and exclusionary, and proposed the organization take the coming year to have a conversation about the issues and consider a change.  President Toms laid out a plan to have several in person and virtual events to facilitate such a conversation and hear all perspectives.

9. ADJOURNMENT

President Toms moved to adjourn at approximately 2:00 PM and the motion carried.  Networking time was provided following the meeting for a further 30 minutes or so.