Former Chief Judge Paul R. Michel is IPO Education Foundation Distinguished Scholar in Residence

WASHINGTON, July 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Intellectual Property Owners Education Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public on the importance of intellectual property rights to innovation and the economy, announced that Paul R. Michel, former Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, will serve as its first Distinguished Scholar in Residence.  Judge Michel also was elected recently to serve on the Foundation's Board of Directors for a two-year term.

Judge Michel retired from the court on May 31, 2010 after 22 years of service.  He was appointed Circuit Judge in 1988.  In 2004, after 16 years on the court, he assumed the duties of Chief Judge.  He served as one of 27 judges on the Judicial Conference of the United States and in 2005 was appointed by the Chief Justice to serve on the Judicial Conference's seven-judge Executive Committee.  He judged several thousand appeals and wrote over 800 opinions in the diverse legal areas covered by his circuit, including patents and trademarks.  Prior to his appointment to the court, he served in the executive and legislative branches of the government, also for 22 years. He has taught at The George Washington University School of Law and several other law schools, made many presentations to bar associations, and participated in the training of foreign judges. His publications include a casebook for law students, Patent Litigation and Strategy, which he wrote with two co-authors.  Judge Michel is undertaking to share the knowledge he gained during his years on the court by speaking out on issues related to the courts and the patent system.  Separately from his public speaking and his affiliation with the Foundation, he is providing mediation, arbitration, and case evaluation services to private clients.

As the IPO Education Foundation Distinguished Scholar in Residence, Judge Michel will help promote the goals of the Foundation. "Judge Michel is an outstanding addition to the Foundation Board of Directors," said Herb Wamsley, Foundation Executive Director. "Everyone is impressed by his very strong commitment to the intellectual property system. He will make significant contributions to the Foundation's educational programs as a Distinguished Scholar in Residence. We are delighted to establish this affiliation."  

About IPO Education Foundation

Intellectual Property Owners Education Foundation, a non-profit subsidiary of Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO), was established in 2005 to educate the public on the importance of intellectual property rights to the economy.  

Donations to the foundation are tax deductible to the extent allowed by the law.  To find out more about IPO Education Foundation programs or to make a donation, visit www.ipoef.org or call 202/507-4500.

SOURCE Intellectual Property Owners Education Foundation