Suffern, NY - July 7, 2009 - Hon. Bruce A. Lehman, U.S. Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks under the Clinton administration, has joined the Advisory Board of Directors of General Patent Corporation (GPC), a leading intellectual property (IP) firm focusing on patent licensing and enforcement, IP strategy and valuation.
Mr. Lehman is well known and well respected within the international patent community. He served as the Assistant Secretary of Commerce, the Director of USPTO and the U.S. Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks from 1993 through 1998. Mr. Lehman is Chairman of the International Intellectual Property Institute (IIPI), a non-profit IP think tank and development organization that he founded in Washington, DC more than ten years ago, and is a senior counsel for the Baltimore, MD based law firm Whiteford Taylor Preston LLP.
"We are honored to have Mr. Lehman join our Advisory Board of Directors," says Alexander Poltorak, Chairman and CEO of General Patent Corporation. "Bruce is one of the most prominent and respected figures in the world of IP. His perspective and advice will be invaluable to General Patent in the coming years."
The Advisory Board of Directors at General Patent Corporation guides the company's senior management on important issues, offering strategic counsel and direction as well as providing input on tactical issues such as current changes in patent laws, patent-related legislation, and industry trends and developments.
"General Patent Corporation is one of the oldest and most respected IP management and patent licensing firms," said Mr. Lehman. "Its work on behalf of small companies and independent inventors is well known and commendable. I am pleased to be associated with the company."
Bruce Lehman holds Bachelor's and JD Degrees from the University of Wisconsin. Mr. Lehman worked for the House of Representative for nine years as counsel to the Committee on the Judiciary and chief counsel to the Subcommittee on Courts, Civil Liberties, and the Administration of Justice. For ten years he was a partner in the Swidler & Berlin law firm in Washington, DC. Mr. Lehman was named "Lawyer of the Year" by the National Law Journal in 1994, and he was inducted to the International Intellectual Property Hall of Fame in 2006. He has provided expert testimony in a number of patent disputes and advises a number of leading corporations on public policy matters as they relate to intellectual property.