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Celebrating Professor Hugh C. Hansen's Retirement After 45 Years at Fordham Law School — Transcript

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0:03I think I think I'll get us going um so
0:06first it's great to see you all and uh
0:09we have all joined for uh an important
0:13and joyous uh occasion which is to
0:16celebrate our friend and colleague Hugh
0:18Hansen um and uh and to pay tribute to
0:23Hugh's remarkable 45y year run on the
0:27faculty of forom Law School
0:30um he will be continuing as director of
0:33the Hansen IP Institute so we can leave
0:36that um for another day um but uh but
0:40it's a great moment to spend some time
0:45Gathering to just uh Praise You Hugh and
0:50to let us express express our
0:52appreciation and thanks so I'm going to
0:55provide a few of the basics and then
0:57we're going to turn it over to uh a
0:59number people who have some short uh
1:01thoughts to share and let me just say so
1:05so first of all here's some background
1:07material on our own Hugh Hansen um Hugh
1:11went to ruter uh for his undergraduate
1:13degree graduated from Georgetown law and
1:16has an LL from uh from Yale he uh
1:21clerked for two federal judges both
1:23incredibly distinguished iner Wyatt in
1:25the southern district and Murray gerine
1:27on the second circuit he worked for Huey
1:30for Dewey Balentine um and was an
1:33assistant a USA and Hugh I've known you
1:36for 30 years and I'm not sure I knew all
1:38of those specifics about you so I
1:41thought it worth uh
1:43recounting uh and then uh Hugh joined
1:45the for and faculty as I said 45 years
1:47ago and uh when Hugh joined the faculty
1:51um it was a different era in many ways
1:54uh I won't go through them all but one
1:56important way uh was when I think of the
1:59field of Ip in those days I picture it
2:03as a little niche field inhabited mostly
2:07by a bunch of uh men sifting conac uh
2:11sipping conac and snifters in Wood
2:15paneled
2:16rooms um and uh in a very small kind of
2:20closed uh group and Hugh uh really is
2:24one of those leaders who helped bring
2:27the field of Ip into the mainstream ofer
2:29American law and the mainstream of the
2:31American legal Academy and legal
2:33education and uh and and help guide it
2:36on its way into a mainstream of practice
2:40so to give you a more uh a feel of it
2:43when Hugh came to for IP was like a
2:46course and that was that was it it was
2:49it was the IP curriculum was just you
2:52know one or two courses uh and Hugh
2:56built out a suite and curriculum in in
3:00IP that has made us a leader in the
3:03field uh and uh both by supporting and
3:07mentoring new full-time faculty members
3:10and recruiting uh and supporting an
3:13incredible field of adjunct faculty
3:15who've worked with us over the course of
3:16decades to make our IP program and our
3:19IP curriculum one of the very strongest
3:22uh in the nation um just uh as all of us
3:26who've worked with Hugh and know him and
3:28spend time with him know you has a
3:30distinctive take on the American legal
3:33system um and does not hold back from uh
3:37sharing his uh real politic um uh
3:42analysis of our judicial system of our
3:46laws um and has really imparted a kind
3:49of practical sense of how things work in
3:53reality to several generations of
3:55students that has I think really stood
3:57them uh in good Stead and of course uh
4:01Hugh has built um our nation's leading
4:05IP conference drawing IP practitioners
4:08from all over the world to our law
4:10school just as recently as last Thursday
4:12and Friday when it was the 31st Annual
4:15IP uh conference the school was packed
4:19with IP lawyers from all over the world
4:22uh and they were all here because of
4:25Hugh's Vision in creating this
4:28incredible program and the conferences
4:30that Hugh runs have a feel to them like
4:34no other uh and Hugh you know the motto
4:37is um uh learn you you have to correct
4:41me if I get it wrong H I think it's a
4:42learn a discuss or debate and have fun
4:46and they you know the have fun is an
4:48important element and there's a kind of
4:50spontaneity about them and an unscripted
4:53quality which makes them very very
4:56special um and uh and and I think that
5:00people appreciate them you know for that
5:02quality uh you know at this point we've
5:06got a number of other people who want to
5:08say a few words and I want to you know
5:10call on First and recognize uh Jane
5:13Ginsburg our uh colleague from up at
5:16Colombia one of our nation's leading IP
5:19practitioners to share uh a few thoughts
5:22about Hugh's contribution to the field
5:24of Ip and J and I'm calling on you first
5:26because I know you are in the middle of
5:28a class and have stepped out in order to
5:31join us uh today so we all greatly
5:34appreciate that indeed first the eclipse
5:38and now distribute so uh thank you very
5:41much Dean Diller uh it is an honor to
5:44have been asked to participate in this
5:47tribute to Professor Hugh Hansen on the
5:51occasion of his retirement from many
5:54years of teaching at boredom law school
5:58a celebrity in the world world of
6:00international intellectual property and
6:03I mean the world Hugh created and has
6:07longrun the most important best attended
6:11International IP conference anywhere
6:14every year for over 30 years new's
6:18conference has drawn leading
6:20jurists government servants academics
6:24and practitioners from around the globe
6:27and across IP
6:30disciplines almost everyone who is
6:33anyone and many who will become rising
6:36stars in the field gather it forom to
6:41learn debate have fun as the
6:45conference's motto
6:47urges H consistently identifies
6:51cuttingedge topics and expert speakers
6:54to edify and sometimes to provoke the
6:58attendees
7:00if the Denis of the realm of
7:03international IP come to feel like a
7:06community H can take much of the credit
7:11we Mark our calendars for every Thursday
7:13and Friday after Easter knowing that
7:17when we assemble at forom under Hugh's
7:20guidance and prodding we will meet old
7:24friends make new ones and collectively
7:28explore the law lore and occasional
7:33mysteries of international
7:36IP Hugh has been called The Ring Master
7:40of the three ring circus of
7:42international patent trademarks and
7:45copyright and satellite domains his
7:49mighty efforts have sparked fruitful
7:53reflection and no small amount of
7:57rry congratulations you on your
8:02retirement thank you
8:06J thank you Jane and thank you so much
8:10uh for joining us uh I apologize for
8:13having to get back to my class now fair
8:16enough so thank you for squeezing Us in
8:19I appreciate it we all do thank you
8:22J um and now um I I call upon Dean John
8:28furk thank you
8:30thank you you and I uh joined the uh law
8:36school Community more than 40 years
8:39ago uh as already noted he came with an
8:42understanding of the practice of law
8:44from his
8:45clerkships and U in both the district
8:49court and the court of appeals and with
8:52their leading law firm and also as a
8:54government attorney we used to talk
8:56about uh uh law practice both of of us
8:59having arrived at the school roughly at
9:01the same time with some similarity in
9:04our background I remember those years
9:07vividly because he brought a distinctive
9:10real life approach to the teaching of
9:12constitutional law he saw legal realism
9:16in courtrooms and brought to the
9:18subjects he taught an understanding of
9:20how courts governments and agencies
9:23work he grew and grew in importance as a
9:26faculty member and most especially a
9:29member who was open to serving on
9:31faculty committees and rendering support
9:33to the many initiatives underway at the
9:36time including the conference on the
9:38European Union established by Professor
9:40Barry hore you was always helpful to
9:44students seeking employment and that has
9:47never ended just last week I asked him
9:50to help a student from Turkey um he had
9:55a
9:55reputation for
9:57kindness and support of both students
10:01and
10:02colleagues uh uh the school's former
10:06associate Dean Georgine Vero shared with
10:09me by email this story of
10:12you you and I quote you adopted uh one
10:17of my unexpected puppies back in I think
10:20s
10:221987 I had found a dog Golden Retriever
10:26we named her Cory because she was found
10:28on a course swag I couldn't find her
10:31owner so I kept her that Christmas it
10:34turned out Coursey was in heat and our
10:36male dog thought he had just received
10:38the best Christmas present possible two
10:41months later eight puppies popped out in
10:44my apartment you was the first to step
10:47up I was so glad he took one because you
10:50was always so sweet and kind to me I
10:53knew he would be a great dad for one of
10:56Coursey pups Geor added in our email you
11:01was a key to whatever success I had as
11:04associate Dee as you know one of the my
11:08missions was to help Elevate forum's
11:10prominence and reputation in the law
11:12school world I learned so much from him
11:16about approaches I should take to
11:18effectuate that as you know our US News
11:22stats climbed while I was there
11:26um cening us as not only a great
11:30Regional School but a great National
11:33player Bob Riley a former assistant dean
11:36of students spoke of you from his
11:39perspective said Bob I had regular and
11:42and pleasant interactions with Professor
11:44Hansen he was gaining an international
11:47reputation and intellectual property law
11:50but remained severely sincerely
11:52interested with the academic and
11:54personal challenges faced by
11:57students he was always open to to
11:59finding the best result for them uh on
12:03the other hand Bob said when we played
12:05golf on one occasion he only believed in
12:08a strict interpretation of the
12:12rules in the in in the early
12:15199s when you approached me about
12:18creating an intellectual property
12:20conference that would bring speakers to
12:22the school from all over the world the
12:24idea uh impressed me he told me that
12:28there was a lot of interest activity in
12:30IP overseas especially in the EU he also
12:34uh said that there would be little
12:37interest on this side of the Atlantic in
12:39an IP conference after hearing this
12:43presentation I worried that we had no
12:46budget to cover the cost uh especially
12:48of a conference that would lose money
12:50because of the transportation of
12:52speakers from all over the world he
12:54persevered and promised that while it
12:56would lose money over its early history
12:59it would at some point turn the corner
13:02his mission his passion for the idea
13:05overwhelmed me and I encouraged him to
13:06give it a try and we would find the
13:09funds to cover the cost as you retires
13:13he leaves behind an incredible Legacy it
13:16includes the creation of the most
13:18significant legal conference in the
13:19world on inter
13:22International intellectual property it's
13:24already noted at which the director of
13:27the wio has called called the D of the
13:30IP World his legacy is far more uh
13:35ranging than the conference as used
13:38lectures on IP law uh issues has both
13:41strengthened and called attention to
13:43this area of the rule of law at
13:45universities all over the world as well
13:48as at government and think tank
13:52institutions in Asia Europe Australia
13:56and Japan just as a few examples his
13:59views have been quoted in the media and
14:01he has appeared on news shows he has
14:03been honored with invitations to deliver
14:06a number of distinguished uh um of
14:10distinguished lectures in our country
14:11and abroad his articles and books on IP
14:15and an trust law have been U numerous
14:18including among these is his New York
14:21intellectual property handbook annually
14:25uh updated for 11 years imagine
14:29intellectual property Magazine name you
14:31is one of the 50 most influential people
14:34in the IP World multiple times it
14:38characterized him as an IP pro pro pro
14:43provoker as the ring Master as already
14:45noted who pulls together one of the IP's
14:48world's most attended events the former
14:52Chief judge of the court of appeals for
14:53the federal circuit presented him with
14:56an award for his contributions to the
14:58legal communities on understanding of Ip
15:00law Lord colen Bliss recently said that
15:05Professor Hansen has been personally
15:07responsible for bringing together judges
15:10and practitioners from all over the
15:12world to speak to one another for
15:14decades by doing so he has done more
15:17single-handedly for the Improvement of
15:19Justice in many countries than anyone I
15:22know said the
15:23Lord Bliss he has had an a profound
15:28effect
15:31you has also left a a legacy to the
15:34students of borom Law School in
15:37establishing with Professor Andrew Sims
15:39a student Law Journal and IP law for
15:42students to contribute articles as well
15:45and others uh who want to write and
15:48share their views through our
15:49publication and of course the Institute
15:52he established the Emily C and John E
15:54Hansen IP Institute will perpetuate his
15:58hard work work and vision for years to
16:01come and might have had a note from a
16:03colleague of yours who handled many of
16:05the administrative details associated
16:08with his annual conference Helen herbman
16:10and this is what she said wishing you
16:13you a retirement full of good health
16:15happiness and
16:17friendship uh in my time working with
16:19you on the annual conference I always
16:21knew I could depend on your help and
16:24insight grateful to all grateful to have
16:28worked with you May the next chapter of
16:30your story be all you want it to be my
16:33best
16:36wishes there is much more I could say of
16:39you but time in this virtue does not
16:41allow for that permit me to close by
16:44saying how much I have
16:47appreciated uh you your personal
16:49friendship the the your interest in my
16:53family Roots uh uh uh leading you to do
16:57a podcast about my roots in which you
17:00shared some of your own
17:02story and uh and I I I will never forget
17:07that a half dozen years ago you received
17:10forom University's Benny morente medal
17:13for 40 years of
17:14service the citation began and ended
17:18with quotes from Ralph Walo Emison as
17:22the citation began do not go where the
17:25path may lead go where there is no path
17:29and leave a
17:30trail as the citation ends to be
17:34yourself in a world that is constantly
17:36trying to make yourself something else
17:39is the greatest
17:40accomplishment such was the you Hansen I
17:43knew these past 40 years as a colleague
17:47and friend and member of the for M
17:49School faculty thank
17:51you thank you very much joh thank you
17:56John um and next we have have um a video
18:01because he could not be here himself a
18:03short message uh from Dean Michael
18:06Martin who uh both preceded me in the
18:09Dean's office and was a longtime faculty
18:11colleague of Hughes hi Hugh I'm pleased
18:15to add my congratulations on your
18:18retirement from full-time teaching it's
18:20richly deserved and I hope you enjoy
18:23your retirement as much as I've have
18:25enjoyed mine I'm sorry not to be joining
18:28you live as we celebrate your remarkable
18:31career thankfully easy video recording
18:35and zoom are just two of the many
18:37changes at forom law since we first
18:40became colleagues it's 46 years ago at
18:44the time you joined the faculty the law
18:46school was known for good teaching that
18:49produced lawyers who were practical and
18:52committed to public service in the
18:54classroom where I believe you taught con
18:57law as well as IP cour es you certainly
19:00continued to produce forom lawyers who
19:03knew the law who had the skills and
19:05judgment in applying it that made them
19:08sought after in all professional roles
19:11and who never forgot their obligations
19:13to their
19:15Community but Hugh you will be most
19:17remembered for helping extend the law
19:20schools re
19:22reputation the time we started school it
19:26was pretty much in the New York
19:27metropolitan area area but your
19:30intellectual property law conference
19:32along with Barry Hawk's conference on
19:35International competition law made the
19:38name of forom law recognized around the
19:42world each year your conference brings
19:45together the leading jurists Advocates
19:48regulators and Scholars dealing with
19:51intellectual property they come to learn
19:54of the latest developments in IP law and
19:58practice
19:59and exchange ideas that will become the
20:02latest developments in succeeding years
20:06the renoun of the participants and the
20:08quality of the discussions has made the
20:11forom international IP conference the
20:14essential the don't miss meeting of the
20:16year for the leaders in the
20:19field quite appropriately I'm recording
20:22these remarks as this year's conference
20:25is meeting when I walked through the
20:28lobby and got on the elevator I could
20:30sense the energy and excitement among
20:32the
20:33participants once again Hugh you've made
20:36forom the center of international
20:39IP
20:41Universe I know how hard you work to put
20:44together a successful program the effort
20:47you make to get speakers and put
20:49together uh panels and all that and the
20:53longevity and the consistently high
20:56quality of the Hansen conference is a
20:59tribute to your efforts so I was pleased
21:02to hear that although you are retiring
21:05from full-time teaching you will
21:07continue to lead the international IP
21:10conference as I salute you for your many
21:14accomplishments and as I express my
21:17appreciation for your contributions to
21:19the law school I thank you for being my
21:23colleague these many years and I extend
21:26my very best wishes as you continue with
21:29the conference and as you begin this new
21:32chapter in your life all the
21:36best thank you
21:40Mike thank you um and now uh I'll call
21:44on who is this guy I want to meet
21:47him not quite done we're not quite done
21:50we've got a few more here um I want to
21:52call on one of the members of our IP uh
21:55faculty uh longtime ading professor
21:58professor John Richards um and thank you
22:02for being with us
22:04John thank you mat I think your
22:06characterization of the IP Community uh
22:09when we started perhaps a little bit off
22:11but not to worry um I first heard of
22:15Hugh Hanson having lunch with Barry Hawk
22:18and my then Senior partner because we
22:21were thinking that we should propose to
22:23forom that it should teach a course in
22:25international patent law I remember
22:28correctly that lunch was at Fel which
22:32maybe PR in that who of course for a
22:35long time had his own table at felos and
22:38his own stash of surprisingly good New
22:42Zealand Sor Blan anyway um in the course
22:46of that conversation Barry said that H
22:50was going to sorry foron was going to
22:52experiment by having an IP Professor now
22:57experimentation I think is good uh I had
23:00a teacher at school who said Aristotle
23:03delayed the advance of Science by 1500
23:05years by failing to experiment and you
23:08has
23:09certainly not only been an experiment
23:12but has been an
23:14experimentor as we have heard
23:17um from others already the conference
23:21really was an experiment continues to be
23:24an experiment there are Innovations in
23:26the conference uh which which I think
23:28were some of the reasons that have made
23:30it so successful in terms of um forcing
23:35speakers to focus on a few things and
23:39make sure they get their points over
23:41rather than rambling on for 40 minutes
23:44or so also Hughes cross-examination of
23:48The Luminaries even if they sometimes
23:52have reacted to that cross examination
23:55but they still come back every year to
23:57be challenged
23:59again and that again I think has been a
24:01a major part of the success of the
24:05conference however
24:08um I'm here not because of my
24:11involvement with the conference but
24:12because I'm I'm an adjunct uh in the um
24:17law school and um I think we need to get
24:19back to
24:20teaching um what Q I think has done uh
24:27in his teaching is just just as
24:28perogative as some things is done in com
24:32in forcing people not only
24:35to express their
24:37knowledge
24:39but think about how that knowledge is to
24:42be
24:43applied and and that is I think a a
24:47major uh thing that H has done um I have
24:53uh on occasion uh taught the patent part
24:55of Hugh's intellectual uh property
24:59survey call
25:01and Q has often been part of the
25:05audience when I have done that and I
25:08have experienced the same challenges as
25:11he gives to the students and I think
25:13that that is an highly important way of
25:17u a part of of what Hugh has done uh to
25:21uh educate uh the St student community
25:26at
25:27for um um I have um many students who
25:31speak
25:32enthusiastically about uh what they have
25:35learned from H uh in the classes that um
25:39he has taught
25:42um and um recently I've been having
25:46students saying when is Hugh going to be
25:48back teaching and I to begin with said
25:52well not really quite sure we were
25:54hoping be back um and more recently I've
25:58saidwell
26:00maybe um you missed your chance
26:04and without exception they've expressed
26:07regret that they will not be taught by
26:10Hugh um and that I think is one of the
26:13biggest compliments that a teacher uh
26:15can uh receive so I am still hopeful
26:19that maybe at some point um the
26:23condition that Hugh has will be resolved
26:25um there is more research going on in
26:27the area than the has been for about 20
26:29years could happen and if so uh I
26:33certainly would like to welcome you back
26:35into my patent law class even though he
26:38has strange views about patent law just
26:41to stir everybody up so thank you who I
26:44greatly appreciate what you have done
26:46for the school for me and the friendship
26:49that we have had over the uh I guess
26:52since sometime in the 1980s I'm not
26:55quite sure when exactly um and wish you
26:58well and and hope to see you
27:01around good luck thank you thank you
27:03very
27:04much thank you thank you John uh and
27:08next we have Nick
27:09bartelt uh forom law alumnist and uh
27:13former assistant director and Senior
27:16fellow at the IP Institute and currently
27:19an attorney with the US copyright office
27:22thanks Matthew thanks you I I appreciate
27:25the uh opportunity here to say uh uh a
27:28few words about Hugh to you know
27:30congratulate him on his 45 years of
27:32teaching I've had the privilege of
27:35knowing Hugh for about 15 of those years
27:38so um a good third of it I don't go back
27:40as far as some of our speakers but um I
27:43did have a lot of good experiences with
27:46Hugh that I just like to recap here um
27:49I'm grateful he I think he myself and a
27:52number of students over the years are
27:54grateful for the opportunities he's
27:55given to really generations of forom
27:57loss students uh he've served as a great
28:01mentor both inside the classroom and
28:03outside the
28:04classroom uh I I think um because you're
28:07going to continue on in your role as the
28:09Director of the IP Institute I'm going
28:11to focus on your teaching and work with
28:13students which I think some of us have
28:15seen more of and I I feel fortunate to
28:18have um have experienced that so uh
28:22although I started as a as a re research
28:25assistant working on your New York
28:26intellectual property handbook before I
28:29even took a copyright course with you um
28:31I think you were able to see potential
28:33in a lot of students myself included
28:36give them the opportunity to work as
28:37research assistants um then as fellows
28:40at your IP Institute um and one of the
28:44things I recognized you know even uh
28:47very early on is that you really tried
28:49to cultivate and get the opinions in
28:51respect of the opinions of your research
28:53assistants and students you know whether
28:55you were developing the conference
28:56program whether we working on amikas
28:58briefs um whatever the work of The
29:00Institute was um or that you know you
29:03was particularly interesting to you at a
29:05given moment you were very good at um uh
29:09drawing out and eliciting um the
29:12opinions and ideas and thoughts that you
29:13know your students could bring to the
29:16the issues um as I said you are you know
29:19I'm going to focus on your teaching here
29:21you're obviously a very dedicated
29:22Professor you um I think you youd said
29:26your first love maybe was litigating
29:28but it does seem like teaching was your
29:31true passion and calling um and
29:34certainly that what you spent the
29:35majority of your career doing ultimately
29:38um I got to see that firsthand as both a
29:40student and your copyright course and
29:42then later on as a teaching assistant
29:45when I was a fellow at your Institute um
29:48I I think you um you became even as you
29:52became internationally recognized as
29:55this um Premier figure in the IP world
29:58and have incredible influence
30:01internationally um you always put your
30:02class first and it was a priority over
30:05you know any of the conference or other
30:07activities of The Institute and I think
30:08forem law students really benefited from
30:10that sort of level of dedication that
30:12you showed um despite you know having
30:15your uh a lot going on in the world
30:18especially around this time of year when
30:19the conference was going on um you had a
30:23what I'd consider almost a legendary
30:25copyright law outline that um was
30:28essentially like your own unpublished
30:30case book to supplement the case law
30:32reading and offer your you know uni
30:35unique perspective on intellectual
30:37property and particularly in copyright
30:39issues um and like any great Professor
30:42say you brought tremendous energy to
30:44your teaching and passion for the
30:46subject matter and really thrived when
30:48you um could have a dialogue with the
30:50students about a case uh particularly
30:53when you're trying to read between the
30:54lines or go beyond the text to
30:56understand the Court's reasoning
30:58so I think as as uh Matthew had alluded
31:01to earlier and mentioned you know your
31:03your your legal realist approach to IP
31:07and uh this has been one of your I think
31:09your greatest contributions to um your
31:12students and being able to interpret
31:15these cases and see them you know the
31:18Practical realities behind them and try
31:19to dig into what the reasoning of them
31:22is because as you're encountering these
31:24issues on a day-to-day B basis you know
31:26everything varies a little bit different
31:28from what you um from what the case you
31:30might have read says um so I think the
31:34the Mantra or the uh the equation I
31:36guess maybe is the we learned was uh you
31:41know facts plus policy equals law and I
31:43think you'd written it on the board
31:45probably on the first day and it's stuck
31:46with me ever since so um I I I'll just
31:50note also that you know you had a good I
31:54appreciated your ability to bring in
31:55musicologists your your bring in guest
31:58speakers bring in all variety of people
32:01I think some of whom are here today that
32:03you know continue to work in
32:04intellectual property law and bring
32:06their experience to bear and um you know
32:10explain what it's like there out in the
32:11real world which I think you never
32:13wanted the your students to lose sight
32:15of um with that I'll just say you know
32:18students you know while I was there as a
32:20fellow continue to come back and express
32:22their appreciation for your philosophy
32:25and your teaching and um everything you
32:28that you gave them as part of their
32:29forom law experience and I grateful to
32:32be able to do so again today and you
32:34know be one of those people to say you
32:36know how much of an impact you've had on
32:37my life and my career and um I think I
32:40speak for a lot of people when I say you
32:41know
32:43congratulations um you know I hope like
32:45John said maybe you'll there'll be an
32:47opportunity for you to drop in on a
32:49patent law class here or there um but uh
32:52you know until then I I'm I'm glad that
32:55the IP world still has you as a figure
32:58um running your annual conference uh and
33:01you know you certainly 45 years of
33:03teaching is nothing to uh uh is is is
33:06quite an accomplishment so thanks you
33:10and congratulations much
33:12Nick thank you Nick um and next we have
33:16SAR shahani um one of our uh newest IP
33:21Scholars at
33:23for hi Hugh I just wanted to add my
33:26perspective as some someone who joined
33:28forom when when he was already a a
33:31senior Professor one might say an
33:33institution um at forom and I um and I
33:36really really appreciated Hugh kindness
33:39and support as a as a new faculty member
33:41I would be here often late late into the
33:44evening prepping for class my first
33:46semester and he would come in to teach
33:48his night class and he would always pop
33:51in to sort of share a joke or share an
33:53anecdote or or just to tease me and I I
33:55remember that that that always made my
33:58evenings more enjoyable and and made for
34:01a welcome Break um uh he he also took me
34:05out for a nice dinner and where we had
34:08good food and and even better stories so
34:10I really as a new professor it it made
34:13made for such a warm environment and and
34:16and it made my life so much better to
34:18have a a senior colleague who's who's so
34:20supportive so so thank you you for
34:23making us a leader uh in intellectual
34:25property law and for your kindness and
34:27support
34:28thank you
34:30sir thank you so you know at this point
34:33uh I want to just open it up to see if
34:35there's any more thoughts that any of
34:38our um Zoom participants want to share
34:42and if so please use the rais hand
34:45function uh and then I'll just say then
34:47I have a brief presentation and then I'm
34:49going to give you an opportunity for
34:51some
34:52rebuttal uh Susan
34:56scati thank you m Matthew well I'm sorry
34:58to have missed this mythical era of
35:00sipping cognac in dark paneled rooms but
35:04uh like many people on the zoom I to
35:07count my friendship with Hugh in
35:10conference years so my first conference
35:13was the 10th which means we've known one
35:15another for 21 years so we're finally
35:17coming of age um and my at at that 10th
35:20conference my again my first someone
35:23introduced me to Hugh and told Hugh
35:24about the the book I was writing at the
35:26time and he said well we have a panel on
35:28that I said yes I know he said well why
35:30aren't you on my panel and as I was
35:32stammering looking for an answer he said
35:34well get your ass on my panel so two
35:37years two two hours later my my butt was
35:39on Hugh's panel and I don't think I've
35:41missed a conference since um and then
35:44when we started the fashional Institute
35:45Hugh you became a big brother to The
35:48Institute you gave us great advice
35:50tremendous support yes some gentle
35:52teasing all the good things a brother
35:53does and I really can't thank you enough
35:56um and I I just don't know how we could
35:58have done it without you um so I'm
35:59thrilled that you're going to continue
36:01to run the conference um and I will have
36:03my button on any panel you ever tell me
36:05to at any
36:09time great thank you uh Robin
36:12ja well Hugh
36:16you wrote to me in 19 I think
36:2297 he said could you come and see me in
36:24the Law
36:25Courts you told me about your
36:28conference and I thought you were quite
36:30a nice guy
36:32really and um I said all right I'll do
36:35it and that's one of the best things I
36:37ever
36:39did you
36:41changed my world
36:43perspective as you did for so many
36:49others the the the the forom conference
36:53is unlike any other we've said that
36:54before but I've been to a lot of
36:56conferences and I can say that's
36:58absolutely so I've never been anything
37:00anywhere which is much
37:03fun and so focused and yet so
37:09fast I watched how you learned you had
37:12to control the audience had to control
37:16the
37:18speakers obviously the US military lost
37:21a lot in not having
37:24you you were running the US military the
37:27World be a safer
37:30place
37:32but I want to thank you so much
37:36Hugh and since you're running the
37:38conference next year I will be
37:43there thank you
37:45Robin you better be
37:48there yeah I D not be
37:51there but you know I you know it's a it
37:54is I missed I missed an earthquake I
37:57missed
38:00I miss I I miss solar
38:05eclipse and I miss some loton weather
38:07maybe I don't know we've had terrible
38:09weather here too but next year I'm
38:12coming thank thank you Robin uh Ron
38:17wasnick so Hugh uh you know you were one
38:20of the first people at forom to
38:22interview me for the job when I when I
38:24was applying to be a clinical Professor
38:26here at for
38:28and uh you were very
38:30welcoming uh the entire time I've been
38:32here uh and and the spirit of of the
38:35conference the learn debate have fun I
38:37feel like we had quite a bit of uh
38:40between us uh quite often uh I knew
38:43where I stood in the spectrum of Ip
38:45positions because you would tell me I'm
38:48too far left and Sonia would tell me I'm
38:50too far right and so I always thought oh
38:53I'm a happy middle uh between the two
38:56between the two of you um it's been
38:58great uh having you as a colleague and
39:00I've always appreciated uh you including
39:02me in in the conference and the various
39:06uh uh uh smaller sessions that you've
39:09had throughout the years and it's been
39:11great chatting with you and I'm very
39:14glad to hear that this is not the end uh
39:16and I was very sorry that I had to miss
39:18this year so I'm glad next year I can uh
39:22uh chat during one of your panels again
39:24so thank you very much H great thank you
39:29thank you Ron Dean
39:31Erikson hi there uh Hugh uh we met when
39:36I was a visiting student at forom I was
39:38in your classes and I would say that
39:40that was the best part of my law school
39:43experience I I wish my JD were from pom
39:47um but I did get to spend another couple
39:49of years there working with you uh at
39:52The Institute and so thank you for all
39:54of the stories and the mentoring the
39:56teaching
39:58uh it was great training for practice
40:00when I got my next job at the law firm
40:03where I still work I already knew how to
40:06react to senior Partners saying what's
40:08this who's this what judge wrote this
40:10you know uh that that was pretty much uh
40:14exactly the type of training that
40:15working for you uh gave me prepared me
40:18for practice and looking at things from
40:22a legal realist perspective so I Echo
40:24much of what Nick bartelt said uh both
40:26as a student student and a fellow so
40:28thank you very much thank
40:31you great um Joe
40:34land thanks Matthew um it's it's really
40:38wonderful to hear all of these tributes
40:41uh Hugh to you and to also see and hear
40:44from so many of the different people
40:46who've worked with you uh on your
40:48Institute um on the conference over the
40:51years it really is bringing back a lot
40:53of memories uh and I just really want to
40:56say one thing which is that the memories
40:58are really wonderful uh and I'm greatly
41:01appreciative you of a number of things
41:03that you've done for forom the impact
41:05that you have uh the the all of the
41:09tremendous that work that you do but I
41:11just want to speak very personally to
41:13just one additional detail um which is
41:18the the mentorship and the camarad that
41:20you show for all of your colleagues at
41:22the law school I remember very fondly
41:25meeting you the moment that I arrived at
41:27forom in 2010 and the many times that
41:30you took me out for lunch uh wanted to
41:33get to know me wanted to hear from me
41:35and and tell me things about forom but
41:37really listen to me and you have a very
41:40rare quality of making people in
41:43conversation feel uh that they're the
41:46only person uh in the world when you're
41:48listening to them and it's it's really
41:50really special and it was very important
41:52for me in feeling part of something at
41:55forom and and experien ing a familial
41:58atmosphere uh that makes us so
42:01unique um I wonder if you'll remember
42:03this H but there was one night where um
42:05my husband and I were getting ready to
42:07run I think across Central Park to go to
42:10the Stein dinner uh and we were in
42:12tuxedos and we were all ready to go and
42:15I realized that I didn't have any cuff
42:17links um for my tux and I was kind of
42:21walking around the building at 140 West
42:2362nd looking for uh yeah I know what I
42:27was going to do uh and you were there uh
42:30with cufflinks uh that you loaned me
42:32that I borrowed so that I could look
42:33dapper uh for the Stein dinner um and uh
42:37it's the kind of
42:38presence uh being there for us being
42:42there for colleagues uh that I think
42:44really really makes forom special and uh
42:47and I'm greatly appreciative uh that to
42:49hear all of the remarks tonight uh and
42:51that we can honor you Hugh for all that
42:54you do and have done thank you ch and
42:57you can give me back the couplings by
42:59the way I already
43:01did but I'll get you new ones if you
43:06like great thank you uh Nicholas
43:09groombridge thanks Matthew um Hugh I
43:13can't believe that um you're retiring
43:16after only 45 years on the faculty but
43:20uh um I just uh uh I wanted to say as
43:24Robin said you changed my view of the
43:26world and and I'm sure that's true of
43:28many many people in the IP
43:31community and uh I feel like you've done
43:34it by being indomitable and also by
43:37being able to form friendships with
43:41everyone uh despite the grph exterior
43:44which we all prize and value right and
43:47uh um I'm very glad the conference will
43:49be going on um sorry to know that you
43:53won't be teaching um but um I'm sure
43:56we'll find way to continue to influence
43:58this and I made a note of one of what um
44:02some of the things that Jan Ginsburg
44:04said because I think maybe the
44:05conference could um have an unofficial
44:08Mo motto uh Revel edify and provoke
44:12right the um I've never known anyone who
44:15was able to provoke as creatively and as
44:18constructively as you have and do and um
44:22it's been a a pleasure and will continue
44:24to be a pleasure working with you thanks
44:27thank you
44:29Nick thank you Nick um
44:34Abner uh hi can you hear me yes I'm I'm
44:38I'm the weakest person on Tech well I
44:40just want to say to you that I that I
44:43love you and I'll miss you having you
44:44around and and my my connection to Hugh
44:48is a little less High futin academic
44:50than the rest of your because for many
44:52years uh Hugh and I went to a lot of
44:56Nicks games in Mex games together um the
44:59orange and blue and and I am always
45:02grateful for that for you you know
45:04bringing me along to those games and
45:06lots of conversations during all those
45:08games about all sorts of things and I
45:11guess at this point in time H our
45:13basketball team is a little better than
45:14our than our baseball team but but thank
45:17you for all of that and hope to hope to
45:19see you for some sports
45:21soon thank
45:24you great Audrey
45:30hi Hugh congratulations on your
45:33retirement uh it's been 20 years since
45:37we first met and we used to have all of
45:41our discussions about rules and policies
45:44student issues when I was a
45:47registar and he'd bring us over to um
45:53felos and he commented he had his own
45:56booth and I said no you don't and lo and
45:59behold when we got there sure enough
46:02there was his name plate on the booth
46:05wall um I want to say thank you for
46:09being a great friend and making me feel
46:13like a colleague to you thank you and
46:16wish you all the luck in the world thank
46:19you
46:23Audrey okay great thank you thank you
46:26all uh let me just say uh earlier this
46:29year I was having lunch at
46:31fella and I my eye caught the uh side of
46:36the booth that we were on and indeed I
46:38saw the name plate that identified the
46:40booth as the Hugh Hansen Booth he shares
46:43it I should just say uh with a couple of
46:47other people um the name that really
46:49jumps out is New York Nick Bernard King
46:52so um you know you H like Bernard King
46:55are an Allstar so so I couldn't resist
46:58that sorry but um uh at this point if
47:01there there are are uh if I
47:06I yes could I say a word please it's
47:09Gerald Walkin yes please of course
47:12thanks uh Hugh um I'm I'm simply going
47:16to say a few things which have been
47:18repeated before but it's my privilege to
47:20say something I I do want to uh we first
47:23met Hugh I think in about 199
47:2792 we were introduced by Fel Kora who
47:31was um a character in herself um and you
47:36then uh introduced uh me to The Forum
47:41conference and at that particular time
47:43it was an answer to my prayers because
47:46in London we taught students from all
47:51over the world and at the time even
47:54though it was a new subject we taught
47:55English intellectual
47:57property and uh English intellectual
47:59property was rather narrow
48:01for the various people who came to the
48:04course and I had introduced three
48:07separate courses at the llm stage uh
48:11International comparative patents
48:14International comparative trademarks and
48:17international and comparative copyright
48:20and the only problem was uh how how do
48:23we teach all this and forom was the
48:27answer to my
48:29prayers uh It produced a gold mine of
48:33outstanding and up toate activity each
48:36year and I can remember each year I
48:39would stagger back on the plane with
48:41piles and piles of learned articles and
48:45contributions because at that time I
48:47think all the participants gave much
48:50longer papers and they did uh at the
48:53present time and so that in it in itself
48:58was a tremendous benefit to me but not
49:02only that the conferences as Robin Jacob
49:05said really opened my eyes to the entire
49:09world of Ip Activity one got
49:12perspectives from all areas of Ip not
49:17just the academic not just the ordinary
49:20practitioner but from business people
49:22everywhere we one got a a feeling of you
49:26know what what IP really was about in
49:28the Modern
49:30Age and the other aspect of it which uh
49:35amazed me was the unfettered discussion
49:40um English judges for example not Robin
49:43Jacob he was one an exception but
49:45English judges at the time were very
49:48very reserved and did not like to be
49:51asked questions which were outside the
49:53scope of their professional activities
49:56in in the very narrow sense but he asked
49:59them
50:00questions uh and the EC commission who
50:04also were very tight lipped and he
50:07treated them in quite a different way uh
50:10I think rather like the Spice Girls as
50:12it what do you want what do you really
50:14really want what do you think what do
50:17you really really think and to my
50:19surprise most of the judges and I think
50:22the IP judges in the UK uh are more
50:27prepared to speak their minds than
50:29perhaps most of the others in the
50:31profession uh they were all prepared to
50:33react to this and to give their genuine
50:37thoughts and I think that in itself was
50:40a a major
50:42contribution and above all however is
50:44your early introduction to the
50:46conference the idea of having fun let's
50:50discuss all this let's have a conference
50:53which is fun and I think that the
50:55conference was fun fun and in a way it
50:58made intellectual property fun I think
51:00my entire career has been fun in a way
51:03because of the subject V itself so H
51:07thank you first for your contribution uh
51:10to
51:11IP thank you for your friendship which I
51:14value very much
51:15indeed and as I think was said before uh
51:19I'm not certain what what the
51:22significance of it is but it is odd
51:24isn't it that there's a new New York
51:27earthquake in the last day so we've got
51:30the solar eclipse and we've got Hugh's
51:33retirement three things come together
51:36and rather remarkable so Hugh
51:40congratulations and thanks and we wish
51:43you good health and happiness in your
51:46retirement thank you very much Gerald
51:49and um yeah um I thought Matthew
51:53bringing in that solar eclipse was a
51:55little bit too much but I'm glad you did
51:58it uh okay
52:02uh some point do you want me to speak M
52:05yes you you'll get your turn you just
52:08you
52:09know for a few more minutes uh Larry
52:13Bridget hi Hugh um I just wanted to say
52:16uh can you hear
52:18me I wanted to just say congratulations
52:21on your retirement I mean I know you're
52:23not actually retiring you're just
52:26retiring ing from teaching um I just
52:28want to thank you for all of the
52:30experiences that we've had over the
52:32years and as a staff member um I just
52:36want to say thank you for how respectful
52:40you are to everyone you don't treat
52:43people differently you treat
52:46everyone the same in a good way and um I
52:49also want to thank you for involving me
52:51and my son um in your conference um in
52:56the last few years and I just want to
52:58thank you for everything and I I look
53:00forward to seeing you um at the next
53:03conference and even before then and also
53:06um sort of like Abner I really
53:08appreciated all of the the Knicks
53:11tickets and um going to the Mets games
53:16um I'm not a Mets fan but you got me to
53:20the stadium to see the
53:25Mets I had to say that and thank you so
53:28much you and
53:29congratulations thank you so much Larry
53:32uh and uh you know try to be a little
53:35look at the Mets you you have to give
53:38them a little help all
53:40right I think your mental state may be
53:42one of the reasons they're not doing as
53:44well be a little more positive about it
53:47I'll
53:49try um you know thank you and thank you
53:53all and at this point you I have a bit
53:55of a presentation which is hard to do on
53:58Zoom but this is a large Tiffany box as
54:02you can
54:03see that can be sent to you and let me
54:07just open
54:11it we have a Tiffany
54:14Trey which reads Professor Hugh Hansen
54:18with a pre I'm getting my fingerprints
54:20on it I should just acknowledge that uh
54:23with appreciation for 45 years on the
54:25forom law faculty
54:27educating and bringing together IP
54:30leaders from across the globe April
54:332024 so congratulations to you you and
54:37thank you so much for an incredible
54:41run I know we all wish you the best in
54:44the
54:46future now it's your
54:50turn okay
54:54well 45 years
54:57um I was only 15 when I started which
55:00was very unusual for a faculty member
55:03but
55:05um I learned quickly uh okay
55:13so I think what are the
55:18influences I now call myself IL legal
55:20realist I didn't even know that term at
55:22the time but I was clerking for a judge
55:25two judges
55:27and we had this big case and uh we
55:30worked on it together finally had the
55:35decision and he said we got to call them
55:37in to announce or do something else so
55:40I I got them to come in and and then
55:44um I had to go out and bring him into
55:48another room where the judge was so I'd
55:51go over to this
55:53group and I remember saying Kathy you
55:56killed
55:59congratulations went at the other side
56:02of the room and they said well the judge
56:06just didn't understand the
56:08law and I was shocked because neither
56:12one of them had had any
56:16effect on the law they didn't realize
56:19that I mean it was like that was the
56:22beginning of my legal realism is that
56:25they're very do
56:28tro
56:30um and I said wow um and so from then on
56:37I would act another thing I did we had a
56:39court clerk who was great a thousand
56:40years as a court clerk I would ask him
56:43what did you think of that this case or
56:46that person or this person it very good
56:49to get a lay person's view of
56:53things uh because they're not thinking
56:55about Doctrine at all they're just
56:56thinking about the merits and
57:01um it's a very good experience so then
57:05um I at Dey
57:07Balon and in those days first year
57:11associate shared the room and the other
57:12person with me said I'm going to go into
57:17teaching and I'm going to get a llm
57:20because all they take is people who want
57:22to teach and maybe you want to do that
57:24said oh I want to teach
57:28so I did
57:29it
57:32uh and I have to say it was a little
57:34disappointed with the year I didn't
57:36think it
57:38actually was that beneficial to me
57:43um um and then I went to forom and I
57:46loved forom from the beginning and there
57:48was something about forom and and then I
57:52wasn't aware of the statistics and all
57:55but when I got there forom had people in
57:58the top levels
58:00of
58:04uh
58:06practicing Way Beyond their percentage
58:09of the students who went to law
58:11school
58:13and I so felt at home and when I talked
58:16to people whether it's faculty
58:18students uh the staff was great the
58:21Deans were great um and it was
58:27and I wasn't thinking of it any
58:28particular way but
58:31then I had a couple people from Yale who
58:36had when I was in the class or something
58:38they came by New York and they said you
58:41gota you know you have to get to a
58:42school that has a higher ranking than
58:44this with your background and
58:47everything no actually I prefer this so
58:50I didn't tell him that but I prefer this
58:54over the school
58:57over the year I had with you because it
58:58was very grounded in
59:01reality
59:03um and that of course is very important
59:06and that also led to the
59:08success
59:10of forom graduates there in in in it
59:14practice um so to that extent it's kind
59:18of funny the way the world works but
59:22that's how I ended up basically
59:26the
59:28clerkships um had a lot to do with me
59:31leading to my legal
59:33realist
59:35uh
59:36approach um so
59:45the I don't know I'm trying to not spend
59:48a lot of time here um
1:00:04I think that
1:00:16that I just as soon as I came to for I
1:00:20really liked it I like the
1:00:22people everything about it and it was it
1:00:25was just
1:00:26it was never a question of me not
1:00:28wanting to be here uh and over the years
1:00:32largely thanks to
1:00:35me I think almost entirely thanks to me
1:00:38its reputation has
1:00:40increased
1:00:42um but uh and then like Larry Bridget
1:00:57Nick Bartel these you know the people
1:00:59that I ran into all great and really
1:01:03enjoyed doing things with them so almost
1:01:06every aspect and udy and uh although
1:01:10orrey could be a little bossy at times
1:01:12but
1:01:13still
1:01:14[Music]
1:01:15um so every aspect of forom actually to
1:01:19me has been wonderful and I'm just very
1:01:24thankful uh for the
1:01:27opportunity uh 45 years I I
1:01:32I I sort of remember that
1:01:36yeah I started when I was 18 or
1:01:38something like that but that can't be
1:01:40right
1:01:42um and it it's it's just been fantastic
1:01:45and
1:01:46Matthew has been a fantastic thing and
1:01:49where's
1:01:51John John fck are you still here
1:01:56he is
1:01:59here John Fett I'm here all right so he
1:02:05was very
1:02:09important with regard to The Forum
1:02:11conference he was called John the good
1:02:13he still is John the good he I think he
1:02:16hates that name but it's so true I mean
1:02:19how many people would be called John the
1:02:21good how good do you have to be you get
1:02:24a reputation of John the good that shows
1:02:27how good he was and so here I'm coming
1:02:30there early on and I've been a lot of
1:02:34traveling I got to know all these people
1:02:36overseas I said I'd like to have a
1:02:38conference with them and I I
1:02:40said it's you know the John can we have
1:02:44a conference and all these people would
1:02:47have to be paying their fair and hotel
1:02:50and everything
1:02:51else and it could I think literally John
1:02:55was the only only
1:02:56Dean who would have even let me start
1:03:00this he incredible and I think he he
1:03:03just wanted to do the right thing the
1:03:05good thing uh and he said okay I'll give
1:03:08you three years to break
1:03:10even
1:03:12um and I did in three years I broke even
1:03:16but I I really think any other Dean
1:03:21other than maybe Matthew at that point
1:03:24or everyone at that point would have
1:03:26said nobody did IP and the US people
1:03:31were not that interested in IP so the
1:03:34beginning of this conference was these
1:03:36people coming over from
1:03:38overseas and for him to say okay I'll
1:03:41take this risk with you was actually
1:03:45incredible and I was just a young
1:03:48relative associate
1:03:50so John thanks again very much um thank
1:03:56you for the memories yeah uh okay I
1:03:59think that's about all I have I just
1:04:01want to say this has been wonderful it's
1:04:03great seeing all of you um I'm not going
1:04:08to ask any of you to pay me or anything
1:04:10but I'll leave that up to you if you
1:04:13think that's
1:04:14appropriate
1:04:16uh uh but thank you thank you thank you
1:04:20thank you thank you forom thank you you
1:04:22guys thank you
1:04:23Matthew uh I'm just one of the most
1:04:27fortunate guys around and I just want
1:04:31you to know that I appreciate that thank
1:04:33you very
1:04:39much you
1:04:41congratulations thank you for an
1:04:43incredible run and for really being you
1:04:46know a
1:04:48transformative figure in the history of
1:04:50our school and putting us on the map in
1:04:53this you know key field in such a
1:04:55fantastic way and for all your
1:04:57friendship over over many years I also
1:05:00just want to thank uh all the friends uh
1:05:04admirers and fans of you who've joined
1:05:07us uh today it's great to see you all
1:05:10and just you know scanning through the
1:05:11zoom room uh you're a great and
1:05:14fantastic group um and uh amen forward
1:05:19to to good times together thank you all
1:05:22oh one more point I want to thank
1:05:25Kathleen
1:05:26for um assembling us all today as well
1:05:29as for and La Media Services thanks
1:05:32thanks a lot take care
1:05:34everyone thank you
1:05:38bye to you get yourself better bye bye
1:05:43all the best you congratulations on best
1:05:46wishes thank you thank you thank you
1:05:48thank you

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