On Thursday, October 8th, Rabbi Joseph Beyda's 12th grade Business Law and Ethics students took an excursion to NYC to meet with Ralph Sutton (ES '76, HS '80) , an expert in the field of intellectual property. Led by Rabbi Beyda, the students travelled to the law offices of Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP in midtown Manhattan in order to discuss the basics and emerging trends in this fascinating area of the law. Mr. Sutton reviewed the concepts of patents, copyrights, trademarks, and trade secrets with the students, citing numerous real world examples from his vast experience. Students analyzed cases involving Microsoft, Nike, Agatha Christie, Apple, and Barney the Dinosaur. In this interactive session, the students debated the benefits and consequences of intellectual property law as well as dissecting current cases such as James Cameron's lawsuit involving Avatar and the battle over visual voicemail features on smartphones.
