Speaker Biographies

Amjad Al-Amad
Founder and Managing Director, Trimark, Intellectual Property Consulting

Mr. Amjad Al-Amad is the Founder and Managing director of TIRMARK, Intellectual Property Consulting. He served as Executive Director at Abu Ghazaleh Intellectual Property (AGIP) in Tunisia during 1996-2002, afterwards working as a Senior Intellectual Property consultant with International Business Legal Associates. Amjad Al-Amad’s main practice areas are in Industrial Property, Intellectual Property Licensing and anti-piracy and domain names. He is a member in the Arab Society for Intellectual Property (ASIP), International Trademark Association (ITA) as well as a board member in the Jordan Intellectual Property Association (JIPA). Amjad Al-Amad received his BA in Finance and Banking from the University of Yarmouk.

Lynne G. Bersford
Deputy Commissioner, Trademark Examination Policy, United States Patent and Trademark Office

Lynne G. Bersford is the Deputy Commissioner for Trademark Examination Policy, and is currently also Acting Deputy Commissioner for Trademark Operations.  Having joined the United States Patent and Trademark Office as a trademark examining attorney in 1979, Ms. Bersford has occupied a wide variety of positions as the USPTO.

In 1995, Ms. Bersford became an Attorney-Advisor in the Office of Legislative and International Affairs, and among her many other responsibilities was that of chairing every meeting of the World Intellectual Property Organization’s Standing Committee on Trademarks, Industrial Designs and Geographical Indications from its inception in 1997 until late 2001.  Ms. Bersford was active in the negotiations for the Trademark Law Treaty, as well as the Joint Recommendations on Trademark Licensing, Well-Known Marks and on the treatment of trademarks on the Internet.  Ms. Bersford has also participated as the US technical representative on the TRIPs Council of the WTO concerning the issue of geographic indications.  Ms. Bersford has a JD degree from the Rutgers University School of Law in Camden, New Jersey.

Charles Pearson
Director of the Offices of PCT, Legal Administration & Petitions United States Patent and Trademark Office

Charles Pearson is the Director of the Offices of PCT Legal Administration & Petitions in the United States Patent and Trademark. Mr. Pearson came to the USPTO in 1980 and has served as a Patent Examiner and Special Program Examiner in the Examining Corps. In 1989 he was appointed as a Legal Examiner in the International Division and in 1993 was named Administrator of the PCT Legal Office. Mr. Pearson has been awarded the Department of Commerce Silver and Gold Medals for his work on international patent matters.   Mr. Pearson has made many presentations on topics dealing with the Patent Cooperation Treaty. He has represented the United States at numerous meetings related to the PCT and the Substantive Patent Law Treaty at the World Intellectual Property Organization in Geneva, Switzerland.

Mr. Pearson holds a JD from the Syracuse University College of Law and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering (with distinction) from the University of Rochester. He grew up near Portland, Oregon and is a member of the Oregon State Bar Association.