First in nation certification for South Florida firm

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News Analysis

By John Johnston
Managing Editor

Intellectual property – a new phrase, but one heard more and more often as the world and its creativity is more widely, and much more easily, stolen.

Witness the recent judgments entered against persons who not only stole music through the Internet – but also widely and loudly advertised that it was available – as if having access to it automatically meant that it was free.

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) says that intellectual property “refers to creations of the mind: inventions, literary and artistic works, and symbols, names, images, and designs used in commerce.”

Intellectual property is generally divided into two categories, according to WIPO

• Industrial property, which includes inventions (patents), trademarks, industrial designs, and geographic indications of source.

• Copyright, which includes literary and artistic works such as novels, poems and plays, films, musical works, artistic works such as drawings, paintings, photographs and sculptures, and architectural designs. Rights related to copyright include those of performing artists in their performances, producers of phonograms in their recordings, and those of broadcasters in their radio and television programs.

Miami based Kluger Peretz Kaplan and Berlin (KPKB) recently announced that Steven I. Peretz and Michael B. Chesal, were among a recently certified 80-member lawyer group – certified in the practice of intellectual property law.

The firm has a second office in Boca Raton – but what makes all of this more than just a continuing education item is that Florida’s program is the first of its kind in the US.

Florida Tops

Certified attorneys are the only Florida lawyers allowed to identify or advertise themselves as specialists or experts. Certification is the highest level of evaluation by The Florida Bar of the competency and experience of attorneys in areas of law approved for certification by the Supreme Court of Florida.

Peretz, a founding member of the firm, is co-chair of KPKB’s Intellectual Property Protection and Commercialization Group. Recognized as one of the “Top 250” lawyers in South Florida, Peretz focuses his practice on copyright, trademark, patent, and trade secret litigation, primarily in Federal courts. Peretz holds a J.D., from the University of Chicago Law School and a B.A., magna cum laude, from Wesleyan University.

Chesal, co-chair of KPKB’s Intellectual Property Protection and Commercialization Group, holds a J.D., cum laude, from the University Of Miami School of Law and a B.S.B.A., cum laude, from the University of Florida. A member of the Florida Bar since 1988, Chesal joined KPKB in May of 1991.

Florida currently offers 22 specialty areas of practice for which board certification is available – the greatest number of state-approved certification areas in the nation.

"Board certification is a valuable credential that is becoming a significant trend in the legal profession,” said Florida Bar President Frank Angones Jr. “Specialization recognizes lawyers’ expertise and professionalism, and is a natural progression for lawyers who can demonstrate high skill levels in particular areas of law.”

Intellectual property board certification standards are available on The Florida Bar web site at www.FloridaBar.org/certification .