Traditional Knowledge Online Staff

Zakir Thomas, Director

Mr. Zakir Thomas is an FPLC alumnus, who did his MIP with the class of 2004. He was on a sabbatical with a fellowship from the Government of India. He works for the Indian government in a senior capacity. He has been the Registrar of Copyrights in India and has held many other responsible positions in the government, including Deputy Secretary to the Government in the ministry of Human Resources Development. He writes and lectures on Indian IP laws. His email is zthomas@piercelaw.edu.

William O. Hennessey, Director

Professor Hennessey has directed Pierce Law’s graduate programs in intellectual property and summer institutes since 1986. A noted intellectual property expert, author and lecturer, he recently directed the first annual Pierce Law intellectual property study abroad program at Tsinghua University School of Law in Beijing, China. He is also co-author of a recent legal casebook on international intellectual property law and policy. Professor Hennessey has served as a legal advisor to the governments of Indonesia and the People’s Republic of China, and has served as a consultant to the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, United Nations Development Programme, United States Agency for International Development, United States Department of State, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He has also served as consultant for the World Intellectual Property Organization in many countries on various issues concerning intellectual property protection and economic development. His email is bhennessey@piercelaw.edu.

Jon R. Cavicchi, Site Administrator

Professor Cavicchi is chief administrator of intellectual property information resources for Pierce Law’s Intellectual Property Library. He also created and maintains Pierce Law’s award-winning intellectual property web site entitled the Intellectual Property Mall (www.ipmall.info), an informational resource. He teaches courses dealing with intellectual property research. Before joining Franklin Pierce Law Center, Professor Cavicchi practiced civil, criminal and administrative law in California and Massachusetts. His email is jcavicchi@piercelaw.edu.

Bill Shaw, Technical Director

Bill Shaw is Managing Partner and the founder of Sitesurfer Publishing LLC, an electronic publishing, Web development, and e-commerce firm. Sitesurfer Publishing's clients range in size from small businesses to publicly traded corporations and can be found all over the globe. Bill has over 20 years computer, electronics and communications experience, including several programming languages and cipher encryption. Bill spent seven years in the United States Marine Corps as a Special Operations team leader and communications specialist. He holds a B.S. in Business from Rollins College, with minors in English and Organizational Behavior, as well as Master of Intellectual Property (M.IP) and Juris Doctor (J.D.) degrees from Franklin Pierce Law Center. His email is wshaw@sitesurfer.com.