Articles of Association

Article I - Name

The name of this Association shall be the "Pittsburgh Intellectual Property Law Association."

Article II - Objects

The objects of this Association shall be to promote social intercourse among its members, and the exchange of views upon subjects of professional interest; and to consider and take appropriate concerted action concerning matters which may arise affecting the Patent, Trademark and Copyright and other Intellectual Property Laws and the administration thereof.

Acticle III - Membership

All judges of the District Court of the United States for the Western District of Pennsylvania shall be Honorary Members of the Association, subject to their acceptance, and shall be entitled to all privileges, except that of voting and shall be exempt from payment of dues.  All active members who retire from active practice shall upon approval of the Board be eligible as Honorary Members of the Association and shall be entitled to all privileges, except that of voting, and shall be exempt from payment of dues.

Any member of the bar of the District Court of the United States for the Western District of Pennsylvania or the Supreme Court of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania making a specialty of practice of intellectual property law, and others not being members of said bar, who are registered as attorneys or agents in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, of good character, and who at the time of their selection shall be inhabitants of or have their principal office within the jurisdiction of the District Court of the United States for the Western District of Pennsylvania, and actively engaged in the soliciting of patents or trademarks as a profession, shall be eligible for election to active membership.

All other persons making a specialty of the practice of intellectual property law and dwelling in or having their only principal office beyond the jurisdiction of the District Court of the United States for the Western District of Pennsylvania shall be eligible for election to associate membership.  Such associate members shall have the powers and privileges of Active Members.

Law students currently attending a law school within, or having legal residence in, the jurisdiction of the District Court of the United States for the Western District of Pennsylvania shall be eligible for election to student membership, said membership entitling the law student to all powers and privileges of Active Members except that of voting and holding office.  Such student memberships shall terminate nine (9) months from the student's graduation from law school.

Applications for membershio shall be made in writing to the Board of Managers and delivered with the first year's dues to the Secretary, which dues in the event the application will be rejected will be returned to the applicant.  Every application shall be signed by the applicant, and shall be endorsed by at least two members, either on the application itself or by separate letter.  Upon receipt of a complete application in proper form, the Secretary shall send a notice thereof to each member of the Association, and for ten days after sending such notices, no action shall be taken on the application.  After the expiration of said period of ten days, the application shall be acted upon bu the Board of Managers, and two adverse votes shall operate as a rejection of the application.

Section 7. Any member of this Association who, after a full hearing by the Board of Managers, shall be found by the affirmative vote of five members to have conducted his/her profession in an unethical or unprofessional manner, shall be expelled from this Association.

All Corporations and Law Firms having an interest in the practice of Intellectual Property Law having an office within the jurisdiction of the District Court of the United States for the Western District of Pennsylvania shall be elgible for election to Sustaining Membership, said membership entitling the Sustaining Member to all powers and privileges of Active Members except that of voting and holding office.  A listing of Sustaining Members shall be printed and prominently displayed in the yearly editions of the PIPLA Roster. Sustaining Members shall have a term of three years.

Article IV - Officers and Board of Managers

Section 1. The officers of this Association shall be a President, a Vice President, and a Secretary who shall also perform the duties of Treasurer and Librarian.  These officers, together with four members of the Association shall constitute a Board of seven Managers.  The Managers and other officers of this Association shall hold their respective offices until their successors shall have been elected and shall have accepted such election.  The President, Vice President, and te Secretary shall be elected for one year, and the other members of the Board of Managers shall be elected for two years, as hereinafter provided.

The President shall preside over all meetings of the Association and of the Board of Managers; and in his/her absence, the Vice President shall preside over all such meetings.  The President shall further discharge the duties usually pertaining to the office of President.

The Secretary shall, until the further order of the Association, also act as Treasurer and Librarian and shall discharge all the duties usually pertaining to the said respective offices, including the issuing of notices of all meetings, hereinafter provided.

Section 4. The Board of Managers shall have general chanrge of the affairs, funds, and property of the Association.  It shall consist of seven member, of whom three shall be officers of the Association, as provided in Section 1 of this Article.  The remaining four managers shall be elected at the first election two for one year and two for two years.  Thereafter the successors of the members whose terms expire shall be elected to serve for two years.

The Board of Managers shall have power to fill by appointment any vacany which may occur in any office or in the membership of the Board, such appointment to be for a term not longer than until the next annual election and the acceptance of office by the person elected to fill such vacancy.

Five members of the Board of Managers shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business, except the election of members, in which case a vote of at least six members of the Board shall be required.

The President, the Vice President during the absence of the President, or any two members of the Board of Managers, may call a meeting of said Board.

Article V - Meetings and Elections

Section 1. Annual meetings of the Association shall be held at such time during the month of April of each year as may be selected by the Board of Managers, and notice thereof shall be mailed to each member at least seven days prior to such meeting.  Other meetings of the Association may be held at such times as may be determined by the Board of Managers, and special meetings may be called at any time by the President, or in his/her absence by the Vice President, or by three members of the Board of Managers, or by ten members of the Association, upon reasonable notice.

Section 2. At the annual meeting of the Association, officers and managers according to their classes, shall be elected by ballot.  Nominators for such offices and managers shall be made as follows:

The President shall appoint a Nominating Committee to consist of three members, not the President, Vice President or Secretary and Treasurer, at least thirty days before the annual meeting.  It shall be the duty of the Nominating Committee to select and prepare a list of candidates for the various offices to be filled at the annual election.

The Committee shall report its nominations to the Secretary, and notice of such nominations shall be mailed to the members of the Association at least one week before the annual meeting.  Candidates other than those presented by the Nominating Commitee may be nominated from the floor and full opportunity shall be given for this purpose.  In case more than one candidate shall be nominated for any office, the election shall be by ballot.

Section 3. The Active Members of the membership present at any regularly called meeting of the association of the Association shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.

Article VI - Indebtedness

Dues and Membership Fees

The Board of Managers shall not incur indebtedness in excess of the actual funds in the treasury at any time.

The member serving as Secretary of this Association shall be exempt from the payment of annual dues.

The annual dues shall be payable on or before the first day of July as follows:

a) Active Members, Fifty Dollars

b) Associate Members, Twenty-Five Dollars

c) Student Members, Ten Dollars

d) Sustaining Members, One Thousand Dollars, payable on or before the first day of April over two years in two installments of Five Hundred Dollars.

Any member whose dues are in arrears for a period in excess of one year and who fails to pay them within thirty days after being notified by mail of such deficiency by the Secretary shall be dropped from the roll of members, but such members shall have the right to appeal to the Board of Managers for reinstatement and the conditions of reinstatement shall be within their discretion.

The Secretary shall mail notices to the last address of each member of the Association as the same may appear upon the books of the Association, of all annual and special meetings of the Association, for the annual meeting seven days in advance thereof and for special meetings of the Association five days in advance thereof.

Article VIII - Amendment

Amendments to these Articles may be made any regularly called business meeting of the Association by a two-thirds vote of the members present.  PROVIDED that the proposed amendment shall have been approved by a majority vote of the Board of Managers or by ten members in writing, but not otherwise.  Notice of the proposed amendment and a copy of the same shall be mailed to each  member at least five days before such meeting.