[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 11975]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            RECOGNIZING JOSEPH M. POTENZA ON HIS RETIREMENT

                                  _____
                                 

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 19, 2013

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the distinguished 
tenure of Mr. Joseph M. Potenza of the District of Columbia, on the 
occasion of his retirement as Chair of the American Bar Association 
(ABA) Section of Intellectual Property Law. At the helm of this 
esteemed organization, Mr. Potenza has brought a wealth of knowledge, 
experience and leadership--leaving a profound impression on our 
country's intellectual property laws.
  Mr. Potenza, partner with the firm of Banner & Witcoff, LLP, will end 
his one-year term as Chair of the ABA Section of Intellectual Property 
Law in early August. With thirty-eight years' of experience as an 
intellectual property law practitioner, Mr. Potenza's current practice 
focuses on litigation, counseling on patent and copyright matters, and 
preparation and prosecution of patent and copyright applications.
  Mr. Potenza graduated with honors from the Rochester Institute of 
Technology with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering degree 
followed by a Juris Doctorate degree from Georgetown University's law 
school in 1975. Among his many accomplishments, Mr. Potenza has served 
as a member of the ABA Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary, the 
ABA Standing Committing on Publication Oversight, the ABA House of 
Delegates, and as Chair of the ABA Section of Science & Technology Law, 
and the ABA Young Lawyers Division. He was also a past President of the 
Patent Lawyers Club of Washington, and Master of the Giles S. Rich 
American Inn of Court.
  Additionally, Mr. Potenza's remarkable achievements have led to his 
being listed in Euromoney's recent ``Guide to the World's Leading 
Patent Law Practitioners.'' He is also listed in The Best Lawyers in 
America for his work in intellectual property law, as well as recent 
editions of The International Who's Who of Patent Lawyers and Chambers 
USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business. In 2009, Mr. Potenza was 
selected by Washingtonian Magazine as a ``Top Lawyer,'' a designation 
that represents the top one percent of attorneys in the Washington D.C. 
area.
  During his year as Chair of the ABA Section of Intellectual Property 
Law, Mr. Potenza guided the Section's work on complex IP policy issues 
to be considered for adoption by the ABA House of Delegates as ABA 
policy and subsequently presented in the form of amicus briefs to both 
the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal 
Circuit. Mr. Potenza has led efforts within the ABA to develop IP 
policy submissions to several international government agencies in 
Europe and China. He has also championed the Section's participation on 
international delegations, global roundtables, and national and 
regional liaison efforts all aimed at fostering these relationships and 
expanding the Section's global reach. At the same time, he spearheaded 
efforts to provide commentary on IP policy on numerous occasions to 
U.S. government agencies, including the U.S. Patent and Trademark 
Office, U.S. Copyright Office, the U.S. International Trade Commission, 
U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Intellectual Property 
Enforcement Coordinator. Mr. Potenza's tenure as Section Chair comes to 
an end in early August, and I wish him continued success in all his 
future endeavors.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues please join me in recognizing 
the successful tenure of Mr. Joseph M. Potenza as Chair of the ABA 
Section of Intellectual Property Law and applaud his determined efforts 
to improve the legal process and promote intellectual property law 
across the nation and around the world.

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