Managing Intellectual Property published its annual list of the fifty most powerful people in the international IP community (hat tip to Patent Docs for pointing it out). Click here for the list (subscription or two week free trial sign up required). There were two honorees with Chicago connections:
- Rhonda Steele (#8) — Steele is both the president of INTA and Asia-Pacific marketing properties manager for Mars. While Steele does not necessarily work in Chicago or on Chicago-specific IP, Mars makes Fun Size versions of its 3 Musketeers, Snickers and Milky Way candy bars in Chicago.
- Jim Malackowski (#34) — Malackowski is a founder of Chicago-based Ocean Tomo, as well as its president and CEO. Among other things, Ocean Tomo is well known for its patent auctions (at leas the last several of which have each totalled more than $10M in sales), IP valuation services and damages expert work.
These IP luminaries share the honor with Second Life avatars (#1), the PTO’s Director John Dudas (#4), the Federal Circuit’s Judge Michel (#9), Harry Potter (#14),and blogger and Google copyright counsel William Patry, of the Patry Copyright Blog.