Independent Inventor Dr. Triantafyllos Tafas Wins NJIPLA Jefferson Medal

On June 4, 2010, the New Jersey Intellectual Property Law Association presented the 2010 Jefferson Medal in honor of exceptional contributions to the field of intellectual property law to Dr. Triantafyllos Tafas and GlaxoSmithKline. This honor resulted from Dr. Tafas’s successful legal challenge of the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO) proposed rulemaking procedures. Dr. Tafas filed his complaint against the USPTO, alleging the cumbersome proposed rules would hurt innovation and restrict the ability of pharmaceutical and biological companies to develop innovative life saving technologies for the future. Later GlaxoSmithKline filed a lawsuit similar to Dr. Tafas’s action and the judge consolidated the complaints. The case was heard in the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia and at the Federal Circuit. It concluded with the new director of the USPTO joining in the dismissal of its appeal due to the USTPO’s recission of the proposed rules. Kelley Drye represented Dr. Tafas in winning this substantial victory in intellectual property law for researchers, inventors and entrepreneurs. Past recipients of this award include The Honorable Richard J. Linn, Justice Tom Clark, The Honorable Learned Hand, The Honorable Giles Sutherland Rich, The Honorable Howard Markey, Senator John MClellan of Arkansas, Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah and Congressman Robert Kastenmeier of Wisconsin, who served as chairman of the Subcommittee on Courts. To read Dr. Tafas’s speech at the NJIPLA Jefferson Medal Award Dinner, click below.