Armenian Bar Midyear Meeting (New York City)

The Armenian Bar Association’s 2018 Mid-Year Meeting features a blockbuster lineup in an all-day conference entitled “The StartUp Revolution: What Are Your Rights and How to Protect Them.” In addition to our own judges, lawyers and law students, we will bring together legal experts and entrepreneurs in the field of intellectual property from the United States, Canada, Armenia, Russia and Australia to share their knowledge and expertise with the startup ecosystems of Armenia and beyond. The program will be streamed live to Armenia and the world. The conference will be held on Saturday, October 13, 2018, at Columbia Law School (tentatively).

It is also our distinct pleasure to announce some additional details about our Mid-Year Meeting, which will be held in New York City on October 12 and 13, 2018.

We scheduled this year’s meeting to coincide with a historic exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art entitled “Armenia!” — the first major exhibition to explore the remarkable artistic and cultural achievements of the Armenian people in a global context over fourteen centuries. The exhibition is comprised of 140 artifacts from around the world assembled under the auspices of the venerable curator Helen Evans, made possible by the Hagop Kevorkian Fund, and sponsored in part by the Karagheusian Foundation. Almost all of these works will be on view in the United States for the first time, and some have not travelled abroad for centuries. The Armenian Bar Association has arranged a private, curator-led lecture and (public) tour of the exhibition. The Museum entrance for our lecture is on Fifth Avenue and 81st Street (the Ruth and Harold D. Uris Center for Education). Do not use the main entrance. The lecture and tour will take place on Friday, October 12, 2108, at 4:15pm with a reception to follow at the nearby Liederkranz Foundation.

We welcome you to join us. This year’s Mid-Year Meeting promises to be a unique and special event, and we look forward to seeing you!

Yours truly,

Mid-Year Meeting Planning Committee

Direct inquiries to:

Souren A. Israelyan – si@israelyanlaw.com / (646) 459-7556, or
Denise G. Darmanian – NYfed@aol.com / (212) 692-0872, or
Emma Arakelyan — emma.arakelyan@orionwi.com / (917) 539-7124

*Application for NYS CLE accreditation will be submitted for the Saturday program.

In accordance with the requirements and guidance from the NYS CLE Board, a reduced fee is available based on financial hardship. For more information on financial hardship based reduced fees, please contact Gary T. Moomjian at gmoomjian@mwcllp.com or Denise Darmanian at NYFED@aol.com.

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ACCOMMODATIONS

We have secured a block of rooms at the NYLO Hotel, NYC located at 2178 Broadway at W 77th Street, New York, NY 10024. To secure your spot, please contact the hotel directly at (800) 509-7598 or book at our special rate at this link.

NYLO Hotel NYC

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Day 1 – Friday, October 12, 2018

4:15 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.  –  The Metropolitan Museum of Art: 1000 5th Avenue, New York, New York 10028

A Special Lecture and Tour of Armenia! at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.  –  The Liederkranz Foundation: 6 East 87th Street, New York, New York 10128

Welcome Reception: An opportunity to mix and mingle.

 

 

 

Day 2 – Saturday, October 13, 2018

8:30 A.M. – 9:00 A.M.  –  Registration and breakfast

9:00 A.M. – 10:00 A.M.  –  Plenary Session of ArmenBar’s Midyear Meeting

10:00 A.M. – 10:15 a.m.  –  Opening Remarks

10:15 A.M. – 11:25 A.M.

ESTABLISHING AND GROWING YOUR STARTUP  PRACTICE 

PROGRAM MATERIALS

Topics covered:

• Fundamentals considerations for entrepreneurs
• Choice of entity
  Financing
• Business considerations for brand identification/protection
• Key Contracts
• Mistakes Made

Panel Moderator:

Kathy L. Ossian – Ossian Law P.C. – Ferndale, Michigan

Panel Members:

Ara A. Babaian – Encore Law Group LLP – Los Angeles

Noric Dilanchian – Lexus Lawyers – Sydney, Australia

Tamar Donikyan – Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP – New York City

Ara Ohanian – Systech International, CEO – New York City

11:25 A.M. – 11:35 A.M. – Midmorning break

11:35 A.M. – 12:45 P.M.

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY 

PROGRAM MATERIALS

Topics covered:

• What is and is not intellectual property
• How to protect intellectual property
• Trademarks
• Copyrights
• Patents
• Licensing
• Outsourcing
• Open source options
• Protection of intellectual property in international investment agreements
• Customs and practices of engagement with startups

Panel Moderator:

Denise G. Darmanian – Gallo & Darmanian, Esqs. – New York City

Panel Members:

Mark G. Kachigian – Head, Johnson, Kachigian & Wilkinson, PC – Tulsa, Oklahoma

Lana Akopyan – Mauriel Kapouytian Woods LLP – New York City

Tiran Parsamian – Moscow, Russia

Raffi V. Zerounian – Hanson Bridgett LLP – Los Angeles

12:45 P.M. – 2:00 P.M. – Lunch break

Luncheon Keynote Speaker: Robert Avetisyan, Permanent Representative of Artsakh in the United States

2:00 P.M. – 3:10 P.M.

CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FACING STARTUPS IN ARMENIA 

PROGRAM MATERIALS

Topics covered:

• Commercialization of intellectual property
• Raising capital for startups
• Initial public offerings, initial coin offerings, crowdfunding, etc.
• Current ecosystem of IT startups in Armenia
• Marketing and entry into market
• Global reach of Armenian startups
• Mergers and acquisitions
• Success stories
• Emerging opportunities
• Challenges ahead
• New frontiers

Panel Moderator:

Emma Arakelyan – Orion Worldwide Innovations, LLC – New York City

Panel Members:

Grigor Hovhannissian – Ambassador of Armenia to the United States

Karén Gyulbudaghyan – Strategic Value Ventures – San Francisco

Armen Margarian – AppearMe – California/Texas/Nevada/Yerevan

Brian G. Barnier – ValueBridge Advisors – New York City

3:10 P.M. – 3:20 P.M. – Midafternoon break

3:20 P.M. – 4:30 P.M.

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR TRADE SECRETS AND THE BEST PRACTICES IN IP LITIGATION

WHY STARTUPS NEED TO KNOW

PROGRAM MATERIALS

Topics covered:

• Protection of trade secrets in a global cyber world
• Defense of Trade Secrets Act, what you need to know
• Trade secret misappropriation
• Current environment of threats and proactive cybersecurity management
• Cybersecurity regulation and enforcement
• Breach of cybersecurity and crisis management
• Legal obligations arising from attacks
• E-Discovery hosting and review tools
• Recent Supreme Court decisions affecting IP practice
• Evolving legal standards and practices

Panel Moderator:

Levon Golendukhin – Dentons – New York City

Panel Members:

Raymond O. Aghaian – Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP – Beverly Hills

Zaven A. Sargsian – Snell & Wilmer – Salt Lake City, Utah

Seepan V. Parseghian – Beck Redden – Houston, Texas

4:30 P.M. – Closing Remarks

 

Armenian Wine and Brandy Tasting Farewell Reception