Celebrating the Winners of the 33rd Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition

The International Trademark Association (INTA) is pleased to announce the winners of the Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition. Now in its 33rd year, the Competition introduces law students to important issues arising in U.S. trademark and unfair competition law and is open to teams of students from U.S.-accredited law schools. Students develop their brief-writing and oral advocacy skills in a mock courtroom experience. 222 law students on 77 teams from 61 law schools participated this year.

Moot court competitions offer law students the opportunity for practical experience. During the Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition, competitors write a brief that focuses on a different problem each year and then present oral arguments in a mock courtroom setting.

This year’s fictional problem revolves around an imagined dispute between two fictional candy brands, with the plaintiff claiming likelihood of confusion between its candy products and those of the defendant’s, based on an alleged similarity between five colors. The competing teams must answer the following questions about a ruling by the “U.S. Court for the Southern District of Utopia”:

• Did the district court err in finding that confusion was likely?
• Did the district court err in finding that Foley’s five color trademarks are not generic?
• Did the district court err in finding that the defense of laches applied to Foley’s claim?

The winners this year are:

• Best Team: Loyola University
• Second Place Team: University of St. Thomas School of Law
• Best Brief: Texas A&M University School of Law
• Second Place Brief: Loyola University
• Best Oralist Team: University of St. Thomas School of Law
• Second Place Oralist Team: University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law

Many students involved in the Competition go on to careers with INTA member organizations as well as leadership positions in the Association itself. Emphasizing what law students gain from participation in moot court competitions, Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition Project Team member Mark Feldman (DLA Piper LLP, USA) noted: “The Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition is an unparallelled opportunity for students to learn about sophisticated trademark issues with a real courtroom experience before panels of federal judges and trademark specialists and receive individualized feedback on their performance.”

Moot court competitions help law students hone a variety of real-world skills, explains Academic Committee member and Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court judge Ira Cohen Esq. B.A., J.D., LL.M (USA). “This law game of ‘mooting’ allows the competitors to tackle contentious and current legal issues, to hone their legal research and writing skill sets, to work cooperatively with and learn from their student-colleagues and team coaches, and to test their chops in competitive advocacy. Despite the anxieties, challenges, and frustrations involved, the vast majority of students find the Moot Court to be an enjoyable and intellectually exhilarating exercise.”

Mr. Cohen points out that the Competition is also enjoyable and fulfilling for those hosting and running the Competition: “Those judges, legal practitioners, and scholars who are dedicated and gracious enough to volunteer their time and effort to judge the INTA Moot Court are guaranteed to have a professionally rewarding experience. It provides one with the rare, bundled opportunity to help law students learn and improve, allows one to give back to the law schools and to the legal profession, while meeting and enjoying collegial times with legal professional friends and colleagues who travel from near and far to participate.”

“The Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition truly demonstrated the highest level of appellate advocacy,” said Chance Austion, on the winning team from Loyola University. “At both regional and national levels, competitors were exceptionally talented, while judges displayed their deep knowledge of both the underlying issues in the case at bar and the relevant law.”

“As a competitor, I know that this experience will be foundational to my future career, and I will never forget the lessons I learned in preparing and practicing for oral arguments,” added Mr. Austion.

INTA runs similar competitions in the Asia-Pacific region and in Latin America. Learn more about INTA’s moot court competitions.

Although every effort has been made to verify the accuracy of this article, readers are urged to check independently on matters of specific concern or interest.

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