2009 Commitment to pro bono service
Bill McGrath, Christine Mohr and Kelly Smith assist EOS International, NFP with corporate services

In 2008, Davis McGrath was approached by four friends from Iowa State University whose dream was to bring appropriate technology to communities in developing countries. The group called itself EOS International (Emerging Opportunities for Sustainability International).

On a pro bono basis, Bill McGrath, Christine Mohr and Kelly Smith guided EOS International through the process of incorporation and obtaining its status as a charitable organization under the United States Internal Revenue Code. In March 2009, EOS International, NFP partnered with a California-based technology company and initiated a project in Nicaragua installing a drip irrigation system for a local elementary school's garden.

Davis McGrath wishes EOS International the best of luck with its worthy endeavors! More information is at www.eosintl.org.

January 2009
Champ Davis and Bill McGrath were each selected as Illinois SuperLawyers for 2009: Champ in the areas of Business Litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution, and Bill in the area of Intellectual Property. Champ and Bill both were also selected by their peers as members of the Illinois Leading Lawyers Network: Champ in the areas of Computer & Technology Law and Commercial Litigation, and Bill in the areas of Arts Entertainment and Sports Law, Computer & Technology Law, and Intellectual Property.

February 2009
Kevin Thompson addressed the topic of fan-generated content on the Internet, at a meeting of the Chicago Bar Association's Cyberlaw and Data Privacy Committee on February 17, 2009.

On February 27, Maureen Gorman spoke on the topic "It Isn't Easy Being Green—"Green" Trademark Issues," at the John Marshall Law School's 53rd Annual Intellectual Property Law Conference: Developments in Patent, Trademark, Copyright & Trade Secrets Law.

April 2009
Champ Davis spoke on Commercial Arbitration in Chicago at the Circuit Court of Cook County Mandatory Arbitration Continuing Education Seminar, on April 23.

May 2009
Kevin Thompson presented on the topic of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act ("DMCA") and the impact of its last ten years since enactment at the Chicago Bar Association's seminar on website operator liability, on May 15, 2009. View presentation.

Bill McGrath's article on the Google Book Settlement was the lead feature in newsletter of the Small Publishers Association of North America.

June 2009
Bill McGrath gave a presentation for the Practicing Law Institute on "Recent Developments in Copyright Litigation." His paper for that presentation was also published in PLI's "Understanding Copyright Law 2009."

July 2009
On July 27, Maureen Gorman and Christopher Schneider received a National Arbitration Forum decision in favor of their client, resulting in transference of a Web domain name.

Davis McGrath was featured in the "Chicago Legal Profiles" section of the July 13, 2009 issue of Forbes magazine. Read article.

Bill McGrath spent two weeks in Beijing, in the People's Republic of China, teaching copyright and trademark law to American law students in a program sponsored by the John Marshall Law School in cooperation with Peking University. The trip provided an opportunity to visit with leaders of the Chinese intellectual property law community, and included a visit to the State Intellectual Property Office of China (SIPO), hosted by Guo Liang Lu, Director-General of SIPO's International Cooperation Division. Bill also was invited to meet with lawyers from one of China's largest intellectual property law firms.

September 2009
Davis McGrath recognized as one of the Midwest's Top 4 copyright law firms in 2009 by Managing Intellectual Property magazine.

Bill McGrath addressed the Google Book Settlement in a speech to the heads of several publishing companies, at an event sponsored by the Catholic Book Publishers Association on September 18.

October 2009
Marsha K. Hoover is chair of the board of SERRV International, a fair trade and development organization which markets handcrafts, coffee, chocolate and other goods, and provides development assistance to artisans and farmers in over 35 countries around the world. Hoover was on hand to celebrate the organization's success September 11th in New Windsor.

Greg Kot, Music Critic for the Chicago Tribune and co-host of the nationally syndicated radio show "Sound Opinions" appeared with Bill McGrath in a program at John Marshall Law School entitled "Ripped: The Future of Music and Copyright."

Bill McGrath was a panelist for a John Marshall Law School conference on "Diverging Standards in European and American Trademark and Copyright Laws."

November 2009
Champ Davis participated in a two-day program on IP Licensing sponsored by the Practising Law Institute in Chicago in November 2009, speaking on "Ethics in Licensing."

"Ethics in Licensing" was the topic of a speech by Champ Davis at a Practicing Law Institute program, "Understanding the Intellectual Property License" in Chicago on Nov. 5.

The National Arbitration Forum Panel recently ordered the ladyluckcasino.com domain name be awarded to Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc., the operator of several Lady Luck Casino properties. Isle of Capri Casinos was represented in this case by Davis McGrath attorney Christopher Schneider.

Gini Marziani was a featured speaker at a National Business Institute seminar, "Attorney's Guide to Commercial Evictions," November 9–10 in OakBrook and Chicago.



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