Larry Locker Co-Founds Washington Intellectual Property Alliance

October 2022 is officially declared Washington State Intellectual Property Month. The Washington State Intellectual Property Alliance (WA IPA) made the request to Governor Jay Inslee, who issued the proclamation. Summit Law Group partner Larry Locker co-founded the newly established WA IPA. Summit Law Group is a founding sponsor of the organization. 

"The WA IPA serves the important goal of educating those within the IP community and the public about IP development and its role in our society," says Larry Locker.

This Washington-based organization is a chapter of the U.S. Intellectual Property Alliance (USIPA). The WA IPA was co-founded by Larry Locker, Mauricio Uribe, Partner at Knobbe Martens, and Andy Salvador Director, Intellectual Property, at AT&T. Larry Locker serves as a Director and first Secretary of this Washington branch and works alongside its first President, Mauricio Uribe, its first Vice-President, Andy Salvador, and Director Dana Brown Northcott, Vice President & Associate General Counsel of the Trademark, Domain Name and Content Protection team at Amazon.

Governor Inslee’s announcement of October as Intellectual Property Month is a recognition of the state’s leadership in intellectual property law. In particular, the intellectual property knowledge, innovation and inventions, and contributions from the technology and creative media industries of Washington’s intellectual property (IP) community.

To celebrate, WA IPA hosted a Corporate Roundtable featuring Bill Harmon, Head of IP at Uber. The next event is a Careers in Intellectual Property panel presentation hosted in partnership with the University of Washington School of Law on Thursday, October 27th.

WA IP plans to start the new year with gusto: in January of 2023, they are hosting a panel discussion regarding diversity in the IP workplace. Panelists include private practitioners and members of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Register to attend on WA IPA’s website.

The organization works locally to foster IP development, economic prosperity, and social well-being. It also works with the USIPA to support national events. All of these activities illustrate WA IPA’s three foundational pillars:

• Awareness and Education
• Ecosystem Collaboration
• Diversity and Inclusion

The WA IPA believes all Americans should be aware of their intellectual property rights. It aims to educate the next generation of IP professionals, which includes educating all ages, from K-12 to university students, and professionals working in alternative but overlapping sectors.

Such disciplines include inventors, lawyers, educators, corporate counselors, venture capitalists, and more. Members of the WA IPA community will have the opportunity to participate in several educational and social events. “Our future depends upon IP, and ultimately upon the knowledge, integrity, and diversity of all who contribute to the development and understanding of IP,” says Larry Locker.

Ultimately, the WA IPA bolsters the IP community, rather than compete with other IP nonprofit organizations. WA IPA carefully chooses its programs and events to avoid redundancy. By seeking partners whose goals align with the WA IPA’s three pillars, it creates a larger mission and agenda that the entire community (even the nation) willingly works toward. “We are all seeking to inspire and educate the next generation of inventors, entrepreneurs, and contributors,” says Mauricio Uribe.

To get involved with the WA IPA, please connect with Larry at Summit Law Group.

About Larry Locker

Larry has been a partner of Summit Law Group for more than 20 years.  He is an accomplished trial lawyer and counselor who assists a wide range of clients in business disputes, including intellectual property, corporate governance and control, and insurance coverage cases. With decades of trial experience, Larry has represented clients in all aspects of the litigation process in numerous courts in Washington and other jurisdictions. He has also successfully represented clients in arbitrations and other alternative dispute resolution proceedings. Larry has the highest peer-review rating from Martindale Hubbell (AV Preeminent), is rated as a Super Lawyer, and is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. Larry’s litigation experience in intellectual property cases includes disputes over ownership of intellectual property rights in various technologies, fraudulent transfer of technology, software development contracts, cell tower construction, software licensing royalties, misappropriation of trade secrets, patent infringement, diversion of investment in technology start-up companies, and antitrust claims related to patents and software licensing. More information on Larry Locker can be found here.