Eckert Seamans Mourns Arnold B. Silverman
November 20, 2020
Arnold B. Silverman, a member of Eckert Seamans’ intellectual property group, passed away on Thursday, November 19, 2020, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, after a long and hard-fought battle with cancer.
“It is an especially sad day for us at Eckert Seamans as we grieve the loss of Arnie Silverman,” said firm CEO Timothy Q. Hudak. “His contributions to Eckert Seamans, the profession, and our community are almost too numerous to catalog, and we will greatly miss his warm and gracious spirit.”
During his distinguished 58-year legal career, Mr. Silverman specialized in intellectual property law, advising clients from a broad range of industries on such matters as patent, trademark, copyright, trade secrets, technology licensing, infringement disputes, and intellectual property litigation. He served as chair of the firm’s Intellectual Property Group for nearly 15 years and derived great satisfaction from mentoring young attorneys and having a role in their professional development.
Mr. Silverman thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of his diverse and challenging legal practice. He had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and felt equally as comfortable working on a patent for a mass spectrometer as protecting and enforcing trademarks for professional sports teams, including a 35-year period in which he worked closely with the late longtime Pittsburgh Steelers broadcaster, Myron Cope, to protect and enforce the trademarks for “The Terrible Towel” and many related products. He authored nearly 100 articles on various intellectual property matters and was an active member of many technical and legal associations, including the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, American Society of Electrical Engineers, American Chemical Society, and the American Intellectual Property Law Association, among many others. He also served as president of the Pittsburgh Intellectual Property Law Association. Mr. Silverman was one of approximately 50 United States attorneys elected into membership of The British Chartered Institute of Patent Agents.
Mr. Silverman received a Bachelor of Engineering Science degree from Johns Hopkins University in mechanical engineering in 1959. He was very active in Johns Hopkins alumni activities, including serving on the University’s National Alumni Council, as an alumni member of the University Board of Trustees, and a founding member of the Society of Engineering Alumni. He was equally dedicated to the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, where he graduated cum laude in 1962. Mr. Silverman served as President of the University of Pittsburgh Law Alumni Association, on the Board of Governors, and received the Law School’s Distinguished Alumni Award. In addition to many years of giving time and financial support, he and his wife created the Arnold B. and Susan L. Silverman Law School Endowment Scholarship. He also served on the Board of Governors of the University of Pittsburgh’s General Alumni Association, serving as secretary.
In 1963, Mr. Silverman served in the United States Army at Fort Knox, Kentucky, in the Judge Advocate General’s Office. A panel of senior officers selected him to receive the American Spirit Honor Medal, which is given to the individual who best represents the “American Spirit, Honor and High Example to Comrades in Arms.”
Mr. Silverman is survived by his beloved wife of 60 years, Susan; sons Michael and Lee; and grandchildren Rachael and Henry. He also leaves behind his much-loved therapy Shih Tzus, Polo and Pippa, who have extended comfort and love to hundreds of hospital patients and students who have difficulty reading.
Due to the pandemic, a celebration of life service will be announced at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, 5515 Center Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15232.
Please click here to read Mr. Silverman’s obituary.