[Photo L – R: Professor Paul Gugliuzza, Anna Johnson, Pyry Koivula, Jessey Blau, and Joe Campbell]
Two Temple Law teams competed in the American Intellectual Property Law Association’s Patent Law Moot Court competition this year. Demonstrating their oral presentation skills and mastery of the law and facts, the teams were challenged with issues related to patent validity and litigation estoppel.
The Temple Law 2L team of Jessey Blau and Joe Campbell finished second out of eight teams in the Southeast regional competition and advanced to the national competition. The 3L team of Anna Johnson and Pyry Koivula advanced to the semifinals in their ten team Northeast regional competition, coming within one round of qualifying for the national competition.
The national competition, which normally takes place at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, in Washington, D.C., entered its second year of virtual competition. Ten teams nationwide advanced to the national competition. Joe Campbell and Jessey Blau were one of only four teams that advanced to the national semifinals, where they lost to the Columbia Law team in a split decision. Their team earned the best brief score for this year’s national competition.
“Having the opportunity to participate in the Giles S. Rich IP Moot Court competition was the most incredible learning experience that Temple Law could have given me,” said Blau. “The competition was a “real-world” boot camp in which I developed a rich understanding of patent law issues and honed skills in brief writing, oral advocacy, and teamwork. I am so grateful I was given both the chance to successfully represent Temple Law on a national stage, as well as the skills to do so from Professors Gugliuzza, Douglas, Munoz, Maslowski, and Green and Dean Harris, and from my team members Anna Johnson, Pyry Koivula, and Joe Campbell.”
“I am amazed by the success we achieved and grateful to everyone that made that happen,” said Joe Campbell. “IP Moot Court is among the most challenging and rewarding experiences I have had at Temple Law. Through this experience, I have strengthened my oral advocacy skills and my legal research and writing abilities. Everyone on the team was willing to help and support each other, and I learned so much from working with my colleagues and Professors Gugliuzza and Douglas, and Dean Harris.”
3Ls Pyry and Anna, who advanced to the national competition last year as 2Ls, generously shared their knowledge and expertise in helping their 2L teammates prepare for this year’s national competition.
“I am very grateful for the opportunity to participate in the IP moot court competition this year. Participating in the competition again this year has been one of the highlights of my Temple Law experience,” said Koivula. “I am thankful to have had Anna as my excellent teammate in tackling the difficult patent law issues presented in this year’s IP moot court problem and also working with Jessey and Joe, who advanced far into the national rounds of the competition, ultimately winning the best brief score. I am extremely proud of the 2L team’s success in the competition. I also want to thank Professor Gugliuzza for his outstanding mentorship of the IP moot court teams.”
“The Giles S. Rich IP Moot Court Competition has not only strengthened my legal skills (researching, brief writing, and oral argument drafting and delivery) but it has also allowed me to work closely with an extraordinary team,” said Johnson. “As 3Ls, my partner Pyry and I have learned so much over the last two years, thanks to Professors Gugliuzza and Douglas and Dean Harris. Working closely with the 2L team and witnessing their growth and success has been the cherry on top of this experience. I highly recommend this opportunity to all students interested in IP, patents, and appellate advocacy.”
Both teams were coached by Professor Paul Gugliuzza and assisted by Associate Dean Donald Harris, Professor Erika Douglas, and Professor Craig Green, who reviewed draft briefs and participated in multiple practice oral arguments.
“All of the students represented Temple very well in what is a highly competitive and prestigious competition,” said Professor Gugliuzza.