Jie Lian ‘20 Receives National Intellectual Property Award

The American Intellectual Property Law Education Foundation (AIPLEF) Jan Jancin Selection Committee named Jie Lian ’20 to receive the prestigious Jan Jancin Award for his passion for learning, leadership in intellectual property (IP) related activities, professionalism, and commitment to IP law. 

The award – presented to one outstanding intellectual property law student in the nation – is a collaboration between three entities: the AIPLEF, the Intellectual Property Law Section of the American Bar Association (ABA-IPL), and the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA). Each year, law schools with at least one IP course are allowed to nominate one currently enrolled student for consideration by the selection committee. The student is nominated by the faculty or the dean.

“The first word that came to my mind was ‘unbelievable,’” Jie Lian said when asked his thoughts upon hearing he had been selected to receive the award.  “I know it is a very prestigious award. There are many well-qualified applicants from around the country competing for this award. So it is a tremendous honor to be recognized.”

Professor Tomás Gómez-Arostegui and Professor Lydia Pallas Loren nominated Lian for the award stating, “We have been aware of this award for many years and have been on the lookout for an outstanding candidate, believing we should only submit a nomination when we have a truly outstanding candidate. Jie Lian is that candidate.”

Lian received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Biomedical Engineering from Zhejiang University in China and obtained his PhD in Bioengineering from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He also has an MBA degree jointly offered by Portland State University and Oregon Health & Science University. Lian is currently a fourth-year student at Lewis & Clark Law School in the part-time program. 

“My experience at the law school has been nothing short of amazing,” Lian stated. “No matter how tired I was (after studying late in the night and/or working hours in my day job), once I was in the classroom, I felt my adrenaline pumping.  As a learner, that is a great feeling.”

In addition to his studies, Lian works full time as a patent agent for Klarquist Sparkman, LLP in Portland. “I feel my classroom learning is complementary to my everyday practice of IP law.” Lian also mentors fellow students, volunteers at new student orientation, participates in the outreach program, coordinates events for the Intellectual Property Student Organization (IPSO), and served on the editorial board of the Lewis & Clark Law Review. He has published three book chapters and over 70 peer-reviewed scientific papers. His article Twitters Beware: The Display and Performance Rights will be published in an upcoming issue of the Yale Journal of Law and Technology. 

“Jie Lian has not only received the top grade in several IP courses, his passion and commitment to the field of intellectual property law propels him to outstanding achievement in his classes and excellent written work related to intellectual property law,” stated Professors Loren and Gómez-Arostegui. 

Lian also participated in the law school’s Copyright Simulation Lab where students completed a series of simulations drawn from the experience of intellectual property practitioners. The Lab is designed to provide students with a simulation-based window into the day-to-day practice of a lawyer specializing in copyright law, familiarizing them with the typical resources employed by practitioners to complete common copyright-related projects, and helping them gain confidence in demonstrating the skills needed to be a successful IP lawyer. As one of the course assignments, Lian prepared a case summary of Oracle v. Google (Fed. Cir., 2014), which concerns the fair use doctrine. He was so passionate about that case, that he expanded his case report into a legal analysis, which was subsequently published on the influential IPWatchdog.

Lian is very grateful to the faculty and family who have supported him throughout his career. “I can’t say enough to express my gratitude to Professors Loren, Gómez-Arostegui and Nika Aldrich whose teaching of IP classes has greatly enriched my learning experience in the field of IP law.  Of course, I owe a debt of gratitude to my wife and my two sons who have sacrificed so much for the past three years in supporting my legal education,” stated Lian.

Lian will accept the award at AIPLA’s Annual Meeting on October 24-26, 2019, in Washington,  D.C.