NEW YORK, NY -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 09/18/06 -- Preparations for the 31st Annual Ladas Memorial Award Competition are officially underway. This Competition, sponsored by the International Trademark Association (INTA), a not-for- profit membership association of more than 5,000 trademark owners and professionals, is supported by the law firm of Ladas & Parry LLP in memory of the outstanding contributions to international intellectual property law made by the distinguished practitioner and author Stephen P. Ladas.

The Ladas Award is presented once a year in two author categories, Students and Professionals. In each category, the award is given to the paper judged best on the subject of trademark law or a matter that directly relates to or affects trademarks. "The Ladas Memorial Award Competition continues to attract articles of high quality from both the academic community and the trademark bar. It is always difficult to select a winning paper from the excellent submissions we receive," says Vincent Palladino, co-chair of the Ladas Memorial Award Competition and partner with Ropes & Gray, LLP, New York, NY.

Kevin J. McDevitt, co-chair of the Ladas Memorial Award Competition and co-founder and member of Neal & McDevitt, LLC further adds, "Many trademark lawyers today were introduced to our wonderful area of practice via their participation in the Ladas Memorial Award Competition as law students."

The Student winner of the Ladas Memorial Award Competition is recognized by a US $2,000 cash award, and financial support up to US $1,000 for the student's attendance at an educational program sponsored by INTA. The Professional winner of the Ladas Memorial Award Competition is recognized by a US $2,000 cash award. Award winners are invited to attend the 2007 INTA Gala, held as part of INTA's Annual Meeting in Chicago, Illinois, USA.

The Ladas Memorial Award Competition is open to all students, practitioners and academics interested in trademarks and trademark law. To be eligible to compete in the Student category, authors must be enrolled as either full- or part-time law or graduate students. For students outside the United States, university enrollment is acceptable.

To be eligible to compete in the Professional category, authors may be legal practitioners, business professionals and/or academics. No restrictions regarding level of experience or years in practice apply.

Eligible papers include both original unpublished manuscripts and published articles that are submitted to or otherwise come to the attention of INTA by Wednesday, January 10, 2007. To qualify, published articles must have been first published no more than one year prior to the January deadline. Notification of the Award winners will be in April 2007.

In 2006, the awards were given to:

For the Professional Author awards:

--  First Place - Pratheepan Gulasekarma: "Policing the Border Between
    Trademarks and Free Speech: Protecting Unauthorized Trademark Use in
    Express Works"
--  Second Place - Harold R. Weinberg: "Monopoly Theory of Trademarks"
--  Third Place - Anthony L. Fletcher: "The Curious Doctrine of Reverse
    Confusion - Getting It Right in Reverse"
    

For the Student Author awards:

--  First Place - William Ridgway: "Revitalizing the Doctrine of Trademark
    Misuse"
--  Second Place - Gabrielle Levin: "Desperate Times, Desperate Measures"
--  Third Place - Todd Anten: "Self Disparaging Trademarks and Social
    Change: Factoring the Reappropriation of Slurs into Section 2(a) of the
    Lanham Act"
    

In addition to the Ladas Memorial Award Competition, INTA sponsors programs such as the Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition, which introduces intellectual property law students to the challenging and varied issues involved in trademark and unfair competition law, and promotes education in the trademark field.

INTA also recognizes academic excellence through the Pattishall Medal for Teaching Excellence of Trademark and Trade Identity. The next Pattishall Award will be presented in 2008. Additionally, INTA, in conjunction with an accredited law school, offers a course for academic credit on International Trademark Law during its Annual Meeting.

For further details, please call INTA's Academic Programs Coordinator Carin Diep at +1-212-642-1777 or e-mail ladasaward@inta.org. Or please visit the Academic Programs' webpage at www.inta.org/go/academic.

About INTA

The International Trademark Association (INTA), founded in 1878, is an association of more than 5,000 member companies and firms from more than 190 countries, dedicated to the support and advancement of trademarks and related intellectual property as elements of fair and effective national and international commerce. For more information on the Association and its goals, please visit www.inta.org.

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