Gene Patenting: Topic at February AIPLA Meeting

Types : Press Releases

Montgomery McCracken Partner, Evelyn McConathy, Featured Panelist

Montgomery, McCracken, Walker & Rhoads, LLP partner and Intellectual Property practice group chair, Evelyn McConathy, is a featured guest speaker at the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) Mid-Winter Meeting to be held in Orlando, FL on February 2-5.

McConathy, who was recently recognized for outstanding service to AIPLA, along with other experts in the IP world, will be panelists for a moderated roundtable discussion on the biotechnology topic “Talking about Gene Patenting with the Public.”  The discussion will include how to effectively communicate with laypersons about gene patents; legal and technical basis for patentability of isolated genes and related diagnostic methods; policy behind patents as a means of promoting technological advancement; and acknowledgement of concerns of those who oppose gene patents.

The AIPLA is a national bar association comprised of approximately 16,000 members, including individuals, companies, and institutions involved in various law practices related to intellectual property.

McConathy was the planner of the Congressional event for WIPO’s World Intellectual Property Day and chair of AIPLA Public Education Committee, which hosts the site creativityinbloom.org.  She has extensive experience in patent litigation, prosecution, and counseling for patent, trademark and copyright matters. McConathy’s representative clients include the University of Pennsylvania, CorCell, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, Aqua America (formerly Suburban Water) and the National Constitution Center. She is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, District of Columbia, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the U.S. District Courts, including the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, as well as the Patent Bar.