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Home | Merchant & Gould P.C.

Merchant &amp; Gould congratulates Brian Batzli, partner, and chairman emeritus, for his&nbsp; President-Elect role with the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA), a national bar association that helps establish and maintain fair and effective laws and policies through advocacy, education, training, and community outreach.​&nbsp; As president-elect and then president, Brian will help further AIPLA’s mission as an innovator, powerful advocate, and visible global leader in intellectual property.&nbsp;

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Brian’s term as President-Elect begins in October 2021, and he will become president in October 2022 for one year.&nbsp; As an active member of AIPLA, he is currently completing his term as First Vice President (2020-2021); was treasurer for three consecutive years (2016-2019), and served on the organization’s Board of Director for five years (2016-present).&nbsp;

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Founded in 1897, AIPLA is a national bar association constituted primarily of lawyers and patent agents in private and corporate practice, in government service, and in the academic community.&nbsp;<strong>AIPLA represents a wide and diverse spectrum of individuals</strong>&nbsp;from law firms, companies, and institutions involved directly or indirectly in the practice of patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret, and unfair competition law, as well as other fields of law affecting&nbsp;intellectual&nbsp;property. Its&nbsp; 8,500 members represent both owners and users of intellectual property, as well as governmental and non-governmental organizations.

“We value AIPLA’s impact on the IP industry, and we are grateful for Brian’s leadership role and continued commitment,” said Christopher J. Leonard, Managing Director and CEO of Merchant &amp; Gould. &nbsp;“More than ever, with increased innovation and greater demand for intellectual property legal services, we are excited for Brian to steer AIPLA’s mission into this next chapter of outreach and advocacy.”

First hired as an associate in 1987, Brian is now in his 34th year at Merchant &amp; Gould. He was elected as the firm’s Managing Director, CEO, and Chairman of the Board in 2010.&nbsp; Brian completed his term in those roles in 2018, when he welcomed his successor, Chris Leonard.&nbsp; He now serves as Chairman Emeritus and continues his practice of strategic IP counseling, licensing, and patent prosecution in the electrical, mechanical, and software arts.

Merchant & Gould’s Chairman Emeritus Elected as President-Elect of AIPLA