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Petras Addresses Northeast Ohio International Business Network

Cleveland partner and International Team Leader Steve Petras served as a panelist addressing "The Real World of Intellectual Property Protection" in a program of the Northeast Ohio International Business Network, held November 13, 2008, at the College of Business Administration of The University of Akron.

The other panelists were: Jackquelyn Strickland, Senior Counsel, Intellectual Property, The Diebold Company; Jack Bedell, Vice President and General Manager, International Business Development, STERIS Corporation; and Don Esarove, President, Cypress Corporation. The moderator of the panel was Dr. Raj Aggarwal, Dean of the College of Business Administration and Professor of International Business and Finance.

The panel addressed how companies can protect their intellectual property in international markets. Although the presentation recognized the need to obtain legal protections from proper registrations of patents, copyrights, and trademarks, the main focus was looking at making operating policies and practices a first step for identifying valuable intellectual property assets and a first defense against harmful infringement.