T he Hebrew University of Jerusalem has awarded an Honorary Fellowship to Martin J. Adelman, an internationally known intellectual property and technology professor from Detroit. University President Professor Asher Cohen presented the fellowship at the 87th Hebrew University Board of Governors meeting on June 3 in Jerusalem. This honor was awarded to Adelman “in recognition of his esteemed career and expertise as a patent lawyer, in both the private sector and in academia; honoring his and wife Susan’s boundless generosity to the Jewish community and Israel; and in tribute to his passion and dedication to education,” Cohen said. Martin J. Adelman began teaching intellectual property law in Israel at the University of Haifa about 20 years ago. A relative who was a development staff member for Hebrew University (HU) connected him there, and he taught his first law course at HU during the 2010- 2011 school year. Currently, he teaches Intellectual Property Professor Martin Adelman becomes an honorary fellow. Hebrew University Honors Local Professor SHARI S. COHEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER OUR COMMUNITY 20 | JULY 18 • 2024 J N an annual patent law seminar at HU and also serves on the faculty of Bar-Ilan University in Israel. “It is a great honor to be awarded an Honorary Fellowship by Hebrew University, an institution that my wife (Dr. Susan Adelman) and I first visited in 1968 on our first trip to Israel,” Adelman said. “I have loved my interaction with its students, and I am pleased to see that enrollments have increased from 11 at the beginning to more than 60 in the current class. This growth shows a recognition by Hebrew University law students of how much Israel has become an innovation powerhouse.” In 2003, he co-founded the Munich Intellectual Property Law Center, an educa- tional and research institution in Germany. Adelman taught there for many years and continues to serve on its Scientific Advisory Board. He has co-authored numerous law books and articles, lectured on patent law in more than 40 countries, and testified as a patent law expert in more than 190 patent infringement cases. Adelman describes intellectual property law as encompassing copyrights, trademarks and patent law. The term “intellectual property” differentiates it from physical property. He explains that Israel’s patent law was derived from British laws dating from the time of the British Mandate; Israel’s current patent regula- tions are based on a law passed in 1967. Such laws are important for Israeli startup companies, many of which are technolo- gy-based. “Patent law is territorial,” he says, so Israeli businesses that conduct business outside the country need to register their intellectual property (such as software and brand logos) in Israel as well as other loca- tions where they operate. In Israel, Adelman says “Jews are litigious but cases don’t fre- quently get to the Israeli Supreme Court.” Adelman is a native Detroiter who received a B.A., M.S. in physics and his J.D. from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Prior to his academic career, Adelman practiced patent law in the Detroit area. He served as a law professor at Wayne State University Law School from 1973 until 1999, when he became professor emeritus. Adelman later taught intellectual property law at the George Washington University Law School, where he is an emeritus professor. HU President Professor Asher Cohen (right) presented an Honorary Fellowship to renowned intellectual property and technology Professor Martin J. Adelman (left) on June 3 during the 87th board of governors meeting in Jerusalem. MAXIM DINSHTEIN