In November 2019, Texas A&M University School of Law and its Center for Law and Intellectual Property (CLIP) proudly hosted, or participated in, a number of events showcasing the fast-growing entrepreneur communities in Fort Worth and Dallas.

Global Entrepreneurship Week in Fort Worth

Held during November 14-22, the Global Entrepreneurship Week in Fort Worth was part of a global movement occurring in hundreds of cities that reaches millions of people through events and activities. The Fort Worth activities featured over 50 events, including three at Texas A&M University School of Law.

"This is the first year our Center for Law and Intellectual Property joined the Global Entrepreneurship Week after it returned to Fort Worth last year," said Professor Peter Yu, who directs CLIP and holds a joint appointment at the School of Law and the Department of Communication at Texas A&M University. "The entrepreneur community in Fort Worth has been growing at an amazing pace. We are eager to work with partner institutions to offer educational programming that will help boost creativity and innovation in this beloved community."

On November 19, Attorney-Advisor Whitney Levandusky of the U.S. Copyright Office spoke at Texas A&M University School of Law. She introduced the nuts-and-bolts of copyright protection in the United States and discussed the copyright registration process. The presentation was arranged in coordination with the Texas Regional Office of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office by Professor Saurabh Vishnubhakat, who holds a joint appointment at the School of Law and the College of Engineering at Texas A&M University.

On November 20, Texas A&M University School of Law, in conjunction with the Yale Club of Fort Worth, hosted Sara Minkara, an internationally recognized advocate in the areas of disability inclusion, female leadership and social entrepreneurship. Minkara is the founder and CEO of Empowerment Through Integration, a nonprofit organization committed to developing a more inclusive society through empowering youth with disabilities and transforming social and cultural stigmas against disability globally. A Lebanese-American Muslim woman who lost her sight at age seven, she has transformed her unwavering passion for empowering persons with disabilities into innovative, empowering programs.

On November 22, CLIP and the Texas A&M Legal Clinics organized a panel titled "Protecting Creativity and Innovation." In addition to Professor Jeff Slattery, who directs the Intellectual Property Clinics at Texas A&M University School of Law, the panelists included Joseph Cleveland, Jr., Esq., Partner, Brackett & Ellis, P.C.; Jeffrey Nickerson, Supervisory Patent Examiner, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office; and Enrique “Rick” Sanchez, Jr., Esq. '12, Partner, Whitaker Chalk Swindle & Schwartz PLLC. Professor Yu moderated the panel.

Law x Style Summit in Dallas

On November 15, Professor Yu joined leaders in the fashion industry and fashion law experts in the Law x Style Summit in Dallas. The event was organized by the Entertainment, Art and Sports Law Section of the Dallas Bar Association, chaired by Cole Davis, the founder of Switchchord.

Among the featured presenters were Brittany DeGan, general counsel of RewardStyle; Mary Engle, associate director of the Advertising Division of the Federal Trade Commission; Heather Foster, assistant general counsel of Fossil; Amber LaFrance, founder of CultureHype; Hope Shimabuku, director of the Texas Regional Office of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office; Jeremy Stewart, co-founder of Hari Mari; Mike Sullivan, assistant general counsel of Neiman Marcus Group; and Isabel Varela, founder and designer of Isabel Varela.

Professor Yu spoke on the panel entitled "Social Movements, Communicating Values, and Crisis Management." He discussed how intellectual property law can improve communication and how communication can also strengthen intellectual property protection. Having been born and raised in Hong Kong, he offered additional advice on how fashion houses could respond to public relations challenges concerning China-related issues.

About Texas A&M University School of Law's Intellectual Property Program

Texas A&M University School of Law currently has seven full-time intellectual property law professors. Boasting one of the lowest student-faculty ratios in this specialized area among U.S. law schools, the Texas A&M intellectual property law program is a leading international hub for research and education in the field. 

In addition to an intellectual property concentration for J.D. students, the program offers a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Intellectual Property degree for lawyers and a Master of Jurisprudence (M.Jur.) in Intellectual Property degree for non-lawyers. In the past three years, peer surveys conducted by U.S. News and World Report have ranked Texas A&M consistently among the top 10 intellectual property law programs in the United States.