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Question of the Month
I was surprised to find out my company has not, to anyone’s knowledge,
conducted an intellectual property audit. I know the difference
between a patent and a trademark but I don’t want to reinvent an audit
process. What do you have to save me time (and that means money)?
ACC’s InfoPAK on
Intellectual Property
In addition to providing many resources, this InfoPAK offers guidance
on creating a timeline for auditing your IP assets as well as sample
forms.
The November/December 2004 ACC Docket has an excellent article on this
topic “Eternal
Sunshine of the Spotless IP Portfolio,” by Melissa Sellers and
Tracy-Gene Durkin.
ACC’s Intellectual
Property Committee is another great resource and provides a
listserv to ask questions of your peers who work in IP.
The Intellectual
Property Committee practice resource page should not be overlooked.
You’ll also want to view program materials from past ACC Annual
Meetings:
IP Issues for
the Generalist
How to Build
an In-house IP Shop
All of these resources are available at no cost to ACC members.
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ACC Endorses CLO Call To Action
ACC reaffirmed its commitment to increasing diversity within the legal
profession by approving the “Call to Action.” Developed by
Roderick A. Palmore, executive vice president, general counsel and
corporate secretary of Sara Lee Corporation, and unanimously endorsed
by ACC’s Board of Directors during the Association’s Annual Meeting in
Chicago, the Call to Action calls on Chief Legal Officers (CLOs) to
actively promote diversity in their own departments as well as in the
law firms they choose to retain. As signatories to this
commitment, CLOs look to hold their law firms accountable in hiring,
retaining, and promoting diverse lawyers; they also commit to award
firms that distinguish themselves and limit or remove business from
firms that do not.
ACC, in supporting the Call to Action, will encourage its members to
sign the pledge in support of the means to provide increased
diversity. For more information, go to http://www.acca.com/about/press.php.
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New Leading Practices Profile on Knowledge Management
How do leading law departments and law firms place the knowledge,
experience, and wisdom of their collective enterprise at their
fingertips? As companies and firms grow larger and more complex
with offices distributed around the globe, establishing systematic ways
to identify, capture, and access sources of knowledge becomes more
important. Companies are turning to knowledge management as a
path forward towards more efficient and effective use of their
organization’s intellectual capital. Read ACC’s newest Leading Practices Profile(SM) to find out more about how the law departments of BP, Factiva®, Johnson & Johnson, Kraft Foods, Schlumberger Limited, an international chemical manufacturing and distribution company and a multinational company based in Germany, as well as the law firms Davis Polk & Wardwell, Eversheds LLP, and Linklaters are all working to make knowledge management a core part of their client service regime with astounding results.
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Upcoming Webcasts
Your
Global Real Estate Portfolio: Managing Risk—Unlocking Potential
Thursday, November 18, 12:00 PM (EST)
Real estate may not be core business, but without it most businesses
cannot function. With it comes not only enormous costs and significant
potential liabilities, but also many opportunities to make the real
estate "work " in contributing more effectively to the overall success
of a business. Many corporate law departments merely react to risk and
opportunity situations. You’ll learn how implementing a proactive
inquiry program, may invariably bear fruit.
Forging
Relationships: Keys to Success for the New In-house Litigation Counsel
Wednesday, December 1, 1:00 PM (EST)
Budgets, reports, cost/benefit analysis—all of these matters can
present significant challenges for the new in-house litigation counsel.
Resolving these challenges may have as much to do with relationships as
with legal skill. This audio webcast will advise new in-house
counsel of the relationships that can be beneficial to their practice
and their company.
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Save Time and Money with ACC Alliance Products and Services
Whether you’re looking for professional liability insurance, electronic
discovery, or background screenin, look no further than ACC Alliance
for some of the best products and services for in-house counsel.
ACC Alliance Partners represent leading legal and business service
providers who offer a broad range of goods and services at substantial
savings exclusive to ACC members. For a complete list of ACC Alliance
partners and a brief description of their programs, visit http://www.acca.com/practice/alliance.php.
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CPBO Seeks Nominations for the 2005 Pro Bono Partner Award
CorporateProBono.Org (CPBO) is now accepting nominations for the 2005
CPBO Pro Bono Partner Award, which will recognize innovative team
approaches to pro bono work involving corporate legal departments that
partner with law firms or public interest organizations. Recipients of
the award may comprise a two-way (i.e., a legal department and a law
firm, or a legal department and a public interest group) or a three-way
(i.e., a law firm, a legal department, and a public interest group)
partnership. The award will be presented in March at the 2005
CorporateProBono.Org Forum on In-house Pro Bono in Washington, DC. To
nominate a pro bono partnership, send four copies of the partnership’s
description and your reasons for nominating it to CorporateProBono.Org
c/o Pro Bono Institute at GULC, 600 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Washington,
DC, 20001, or email cpbo@acca.com no later than December 10, 2004. For
award criteria, visit http://www.cpbo.org
or contact Nima Rowhani, project director of CPBO, at cpbo@acca.com or
at 202.662.9669.
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Labor and Employment Committee Alert on Reservist Compensation
Employers providing reservist/employees with compensation during
military service may be required to reimburse monies withheld for FICA
and FUTA. ACC’s Labor & Employment Law Committee has prepared an Alert to provide up-to-date information on related laws and rulings, as well as information on pending legislation that addresses these
issues. Be sure to refer to http://www.acca.com/networks/lelaw.php
for updated information on this matter.
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Renew Your Membership and Save
ACC is offering an early renewal special rate of $195 until December
10. Renew today at https://secure.acca.com/membership/renew.php and choose the $195 option. If you need an additional invoice sent to you, please contact membership@acca.com.
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