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Stankovic Awarded Prestigious Fulbright Scholarship
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Chicago, IL -- Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione, one of the largest intellectual property law firms in the U.S., is pleased to announce that its attorney, Dr. Bratislav Stankovic, is the recipient of a J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship award to help modernize the status of intellectual property in his native country of Macedonia. From September 2007 to mid-January 2008, Dr. Stankovic will lecture and conduct research activities at the University of Sts. Cyril and Methodius in Skopje, Republic of Macedonia, to assist in establishing a foundation for the country to begin valuing, protecting and managing its intellectual property assets, in particular, its patentable inventions. Dr. Stankovic is one of approximately 800 U.S. faculty and professionals who will travel abroad this year through the Fulbright Program.
"Recently, a Center for Intellectual Property was established at the Law School Iustinianus Primus at the University of Sts. Cyril and Methodius, which has made great progress in creating a reputable intellectual property educational institution and clearinghouse, primarily focused on trademark and copyright law," said Dr. Stankovic. "However, patent law and global patent protection of Macedonian inventions are virtually nonexistent. In the last 15 years, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted only one patent that originated in Macedonia. There is a critical and pressing need to expand activities in the education and practice of patent law."
Born in Skopje, Dr. Stankovic received his B.S. in agricultural engineering from the University of Sts. Cyril and Methodius and his M.S. in plant physiology from the University of Novi Sad, Yugoslavia. After coming to the United States in 1991, he received his Ph.D. in biological sciences with honors from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he received his J.D. with honors. Prior to his legal career, Dr. Stankovic spent 17 years as a scientist in academic settings, including four years as a Chief Scientist at the NASA-funded Wisconsin Center for Space Automation and Robotics at UW-Madison, where he was the principal or co-principal investigator for several experiments on the space shuttle and the International Space Station.
Joining Brinks in 2005, Dr. Stankovic focuses his practice on patent prosecution and litigation in the fields of biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and engineering, specifically molecular biology, developmental biology, biochemistry and nanobiology. He has written more than 30 book chapters and scientific articles that have appeared in peer-reviewed journals, is the author of more than 40 technical articles and abstracts and has provided many invited scientific talks on plant signaling and plant space biology. He is the recipient of numerous honors and is a member of many legal and professional associations. Dr. Stankovic is fluent in English, Macedonian, Serbian and Croatian and is proficient in French.
About the Fulbright Program
The flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State, widely known as the Fulbright Program, was established in 1946 under legislation introduced by former Sen. J. William Fulbright of Arkansas. The program is designed to "increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries" and over the past sixty years, has provided more than 273,000 participants, chosen for their exemplary leadership potential, the opportunity to observe each others' political, economic, educational and cultural institutions, to exchange ideas and to embark on joint ventures for the betterment and general welfare of the world. The program operates in more than 150 countries.
Founded in 1917, Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione is based in Chicago with four additional offices across the country serving the intellectual property needs of clients from around the world. The firm is one of the largest IP law firms in the country, with more than 150 attorneys, scientific advisors and patent agents specializing in intellectual property litigation and all aspects of patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret, unfair competition, intellectual asset management, and technology and licensing agreements. Brinks routinely handles assignments in fields as diverse as electrical, chemical, mechanical, biotechnology, pharmaceutical, nanotechnology, Internet and computer technology, as well as in trademarks and brand names for a wide variety of products and services. For more information, visit http://www.usebrinks.com.
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