All posts by Lawrence Higgins

Patently-O Bits & Bytes by Lawrence Higgins

Patent

Jury Orders Newegg To Pay $2.3 Million To TQP Development

  • The online retailer Newegg has lost a patent case centering on Web encryption, after a Texas jury rejected its argument that a claim from the company TQP Development was invalid. The jury ordered Newegg to pay $2.3 million. Newegg's Chief Legal Officer Lee Cheng stated that "the company does not agree with the verdict and they fully intend to take the case up on appeal and vindicate our rights." [Link]

No Patent Trolls in Nebraska!

  • Nebraska's Attorney General Jon Bruning wants to start a task force to end, what he calls patent scams. Bruning, states that, he "plans to call for a coalition of states, like with the tobacco cases," referring to the partnership of state attorneys general that collected billions from cigarette makers in the 1990s as compensation for health-care costs related to treating smokers. [Link] [Link]

Teaching Fellow for Stanford Law School LLM Program in Law, Science and Technology

  • The Teaching Fellow for the Stanford Law School LLM Program in Law, Science and Technology will work with candidates in the LLM specialization in Law, Science and Technology. The fellow will assume significant academic, advising and administrative responsibilities. He or she will be responsible for organizing and teaching two quarters of a colloquium addressing current issues and scholarship in intellectual property, cyberlaw, bioethics, and related fields.  The fellow will also organize and facilitate informal workshops, outside speakers, and academic and social events; be responsible for day-to-day administrative management of the LLM program; advise and counsel LLM candidates on academic and personal issues; respond to inquiries from prospective LLM applicants; and interact with our faculty in support of the LLM program goals and needs. The fellow will work with the Executive Director of International Graduate Programs, and under the supervision of the Faculty Director of the Law, Science and Technology program. The fellow will also fully participate in the admissions process, working under the guidance of the Associate Dean for Admissions to admit the new class. Although this is a full time position, the fellow should have a reasonable amount of time to conduct his or her own research, and will have ready access to affiliated faculty for that purpose.

    Candidates for this position are expected to have strong academic records and references.  Professional experience in the area is also valuable. This position is intended primarily for people who expect to pursue an academic career in a field that is reasonably related to the specialization and who hold a JD, JSD or LLM from a U.S. law school.  Applicants are expected to commit to this position in one year increments, starting in August 2014, with a two-year commitment preferred.

    Those interested should apply by letter, summarizing their complete educational qualifications and experience, as well as any other information that might help us in making selections. Each applicant should also send us an official law school transcript, a resume, copies of any publications, and three letters of recommendation (at least two from law professors) commenting on the applicant's suitability for the position in terms of teaching ability, analytic capability, interpersonal skills, and writing ability.

    Apply by January 15, 2014! Your application package should be sent to: aarroyo@stanford.edu

Upcoming Events:

  • IQPC is hosting its Patent Infringement Litigation Summit on December 9th and 10th in San Francisco. The Summit will bring together in-house counsel from major companies, law firm attorneys and representatives from other vendors to facilitate strategy and information sharing among these key stakeholders. [Link]
  • American Conference Institute is holding its Advanced Forum on Modern Patent Litigation Practice on December 10-11, 2013 in New York, NY. The American Conference Institute's (ACI's) Advanced Forum on Patent Litigation is the only event that advises all litigators, be they in-house or outside counsel, of the changing landscape of patent litigation caused by recent legislation, government agency guidelines, and court determinations. This conference will not only serve as the standard for Patent Litigation Conferences going forward, but also as an annual meeting place for the "who's who" of the industry. [Link]
  • IBC Legal is hosting the 5th annual International Patent Litigation conference on 10th & 11th December 2013 in London. Register with 10% discount at: [Link]
  • Momentum Event Group is hosting its conference IP Counsel Exchange for Biosimilar Applicants & Sponsors on January 23-24 in New York. Register with discount code PJ10. [Link]
  • IBC Legal will hold its 22nd annual Biotech $ Pharmaceutical Patenting Conference February 25 & 26 in Munich, Germany. The keynote speaker will be Heli Pihlajamaa, Director of Patent Law at the European Patent Office. [Link]
  • Momentum Event Group is hosting its conference The IP Counsel Summit on Post-Grant Patent Challenges on February 27-28 in Paola Alto, CA. Register with discount code PJ10. [Link]
  • The Chisum Patent Academy is now accepting registrations for their 2014 Advanced Patent Law seminars, to be held
    • March 5-7, 2014: Cincinnati, Ohio
    • August 13-15, 2014: Seattle , Washington
    • August 18-20, 2014: Seattle, Washington

The Academy applies for 18 CLE credits in each state where seminars are held. [Link]

Patently-O Bits & Bytes by Lawrence Higgins

Patent

Patent Jobs:

  • Steven Rinehart is looking to hire a former US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) examiner/patent agent for patent prosecution work. Any patent agents hired can work from home anywhere in the US. (Salt Lake City, Utah) [Link]
  • O'Brien Jones, PLLC is seeking full-time registered patent attorneys and patent agents with 2-5 years relevant experience. (Tysons Corner, Va) [Link]
  • The Silicon Valley office of Alston & Bird has an immediate opening for a Patent Prosecution associate with at least 4 years' experience in the preparation and prosecution. (EE, computer engineering or computer science is required) [Link]
  • Nike seeks a Utility Patent Specialist who will research innovation developments for utility patent opportunities. [Link]

Upcoming Events:

  • American Conference Institute is hosting the FDA Boot Camp in Boston, MA on September 17-18, 2013. ACI's FDA Boot Camp has been designed to give products or patent litigators, as well as patent prosecutors, industry in-house counsel, and life sciences investment and securities experts, a strong working knowledge of core FDA competencies. Register with discount code "PTO200".  [Link]
  • The Licensing Executives Society (LES) will hold their annual meeting September 22-25, in Philadelphia. The annual meeting is themed "IP Matters in Every Deal" the meeting is a must-attend IP, licensing and business development event. Patently-O readers save $100 with code PO13.  [Link] 
  • American Conference Institute is hosting the Paragraph IV Disputes Master Symposium in Chicago, IL on October 3-4, 2013.  At this symposium, there will be in-depth discussions and practical take aways that will prepare you for this new era of extreme Hatch-Waxman litigation. Critical sessions will address all facets of Paragraph IV litigation from pre-litigation concerns to the commencement of suit through final adjudication. Register with discount code "PTO200".  [Link]
  • The USPTO's 18th Annual Independent Inventor Conference will be held October 11-12. For two days, independent inventors and small business owners will have an unparalleled opportunity to learn, network, and jumpstart their creative endeavors. Experts and senior officials from the USPTO will present valuable information on patents, trademarks, and other intellectual property (IP) matters while successful business owners and inventors will relate their inspiring personal experiences in bringing their dreams to market.  [Link]
  • The EPO will hold their Patent Information Conference on October 22-24, in Bologna, Italy.  The EPO Patent Information Conference 2013 will be organized in co-operation with the Directorate General for the Fight against Counterfeiting – Italian Patent and Trademark Office.  [Link]
  • AIPLA annual meeting will take place October 24-26, in Washington, DC. The Annual Meeting offers  opportunities to connect with others in the IP industry from around the world to learn during sessions such as: Navigating Through the PTAB and Federal Courts After the AIA; Trademark Fair Use; What You Need to Know About the Hague Agreement; Evolving IP Rights in China, and IP Issues Facing Government R&D Contractors.  [Link]
  • American Conference Institute is hosting the FDA Boot Camp Devices Edition in Chicago, IL on November 5-6, 2013.  Many products liability lawyers, patent counsel, business and investment experts, medical and regulatory affairs professionals, and those involved in pricing and reimbursement — despite their tenure in working with FDA-regulated devices — are not well-versed in the essentials of the approval process and the regulatory hurdles of the post-approval period. ACI's Third Annual FDA Boot Camp – Devices Edition has been designed to give you a strong working knowledge of core FDA competencies. Register with discount code "PTO200".  [Link]
  • IQPC is hosting its Patent Infringement Litigation Summit on December 9th and 10th in San Francisco. The Summit will bring together in-house counsel from major companies, law firm attorneys and representatives from other vendors to facilitate strategy and information sharing among these key stakeholders. [Link]
  • The Chisum Patent Academy is now accepting registrations for their 2014 Advanced Patent Law seminars, to be held
    • March 5-7, 2014: Cincinnati, Ohio
    • August 13-15, 2014: Seattle , Washington
    • August 18-20, 2014: Seattle, Washington

    The Academy applies for 18 CLE credits in each state where seminars are held. [Link]

Contact Lawrence.Higgins@patentlyo.com with leads for future Bits and Bytes.

Patently-O Bits & Bytes by Lawrence Higgins

Patent

Upcoming Events:

  • American Conference Institute is hosting the FDA Boot Camp in Boston, MA on September 17-18, 2013. ACI’s FDA Boot Camp has been designed to give products or patent litigators, as well as patent prosecutors, industry in-house counsel, and life sciences investment and securities experts, a strong working knowledge of core FDA competencies. Register with discount code “PTO200”.  [Link]
  • The Licensing Executives Society (LES) will hold their annual meeting September 22-25, in Philadelphia. The annual meeting is themed "IP Matters in Every Deal" the meeting is a must-attend IP, licensing and business development event.  [Link] 
  • American Conference Institute is hosting the Paragraph IV Disputes Master Symposium in Chicago, IL on October 3-4, 2013.  At this symposium, there will be in-depth discussions and practical take aways that will prepare you for this new era of extreme Hatch-Waxman litigation. Critical sessions will address all facets of Paragraph IV litigation from pre-litigation concerns to the commencement of suit through final adjudication. Register with discount code “PTO200”.  [Link]
  • The USPTO’s 18th Annual Independent Inventor Conference will be held October 11-12. For two days, independent inventors and small business owners will have an unparalleled opportunity to learn, network, and jumpstart their creative endeavors. Experts and senior officials from the USPTO will present valuable information on patents, trademarks, and other intellectual property (IP) matters while successful business owners and inventors will relate their inspiring personal experiences in bringing their dreams to market.  [Link]
  • The EPO will hold their Patent Information Conference on October 22-24, in Bologna, Italy.  The EPO Patent Information Conference 2013 will be organized in co-operation with the Directorate General for the Fight against Counterfeiting – Italian Patent and Trademark Office.  [Link]
  • AIPLA annual meeting will take place October 24-26, in Washington, DC. The Annual Meeting offers  opportunities to connect with others in the IP industry from around the world to learn during sessions such as: Navigating Through the PTAB and Federal Courts After the AIA; Trademark Fair Use; What You Need to Know About the Hague Agreement; Evolving IP Rights in China, and IP Issues Facing Government R&D Contractors.  [Link]
  • American Conference Institute is hosting the FDA Boot Camp Devices Edition in Chicago, IL on November 5-6, 2013.  Many products liability lawyers, patent counsel, business and investment experts, medical and regulatory affairs professionals, and those involved in pricing and reimbursement — despite their tenure in working with FDA-regulated devices — are not well-versed in the essentials of the approval process and the regulatory hurdles of the post-approval period. ACI’s Third Annual FDA Boot Camp – Devices Edition has been designed to give you a strong working knowledge of core FDA competencies. Register with discount code “PTO200”.  [Link]

 

Contact Lawrence.Higgins@patentlyo.com with leads for future Bits and Bytes.

Patently-O Bits & Bytes by Lawrence Higgins

Patent

Upcoming Events:

  • The New Jersey Intellectual Property Law Association presents: Electronics, Telecom, and Software Patent Practice Update on January 24, 2013. Agenda includes panels on Non-Practicing Entities, America Invents Act, and case law updates. "We are delighted to provide this second annual program to educate intellectual property attorneys about the latest developments in patent law under the America Invents Act and recent rulings in patent litigation that impact legal practice in the electronics, telecom and software sectors," said Robert E. Rudnick, Program Chair. "We are particularly pleased to offer a panel this year addressing issues our clients face in view of patent infringement claims raised by Non-Practicing Entities." To view the program agenda and register, please visit http://www.njipla.org/events.asp#event52.
  • C5's 5th Annual Forum on Biotech and Pharma Patent Litigation is scheduled for January 29-30 in Amsterdam. [Link] (PatentlyO readers use code PO10 for a 10% discount)
  • IBC Legal will hold its 21st Anniversary Biotech & Pharmaceutical Patenting Conference 2013: Protecting and maximizing medical innovation February 26-27 at the Westin Grand Munich. The conference will help you get up to date with this complex sector's key legal issues and gain commercial insights into how to surmount the practical challenges that Biotech & Pharmaceutical Patenting poses. Guest speakers include: Heli Pihlajamaa, Juergen Dressel, Tom Bombelles, and many others. [Link] (PatentlyO readers use code FKW82348PTLL for a 10% discount)
  • American Conference Institute is hosting its Life Sciences Collaborative Agreements and Acquisitions conference February 27-28th, 2013 in New York, NY. Learn more and register with code PO 200 to receive a discount: [Link].
  • Practical Law is hosting the 1st Annual Life Sciences Law Forum on March 5-6 at the Hilton Waldorf Hotel, in London. The forum will provide a unique cross-border analysis of market trends, discuss issues at the heart of your business and prepare you for what lies ahead. Guest speakers include: Ewan Nettleton, Bill Mordan, Elizabeth Choo, Reza Green, and many others. [Link] (PatentlyO readers register online with discount code LSPA01)
  • American Conference Institute is hosting its Medical Device Patents conference March 5-6th, 2013 in Chicago. In response to the daunting challenges facing the medical device industry, ACI's Advanced Summit on Medical Device Patents provides a forum for the key players – preeminent in-house IP counsel, patent prosecutors and litigators, the PTO, and judges – to unite and share their collective intellectual property knowledge to provide you with cutting-edge patent strategies you can immediately incorporate into your practice before the historic switch to first-to-file on March 16th, 2013. [Link] (PatentlyO readers use code PO 200 for a discount)
  • American Conference Institute is hosting its FDA Boot Camp conference March 19-20th, 2013 in New York, NY. Register with code PO 200 for a discount. [Link]
  • Marcus Evans is hosting its IP Law 2013 Summit in Colorado Springs, CO March 21-23. The IP Law Summit will highlight the current challenges and opportunities through visionary conference sessions and keynote presentations delivered by your most esteemed peers and thought leaders from Americas leading corporations and mid-market organizations. Register online at [Link].

Contact Lawrence.Higgins@patentlyo.com with leads for future Bits and Bytes.

Patently-O Bits & Bytes by Lawrence Higgins

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Chisum Patent Academy

  • The Chisum Patent Academy will hold its next Advanced Patent Law seminar February 20-22, 2013, in New York City (Midtown Manhattan). Because each three-day Chisum Patent Academy seminar is uniquely limited to ten (10) participants, they offer an unparalleled opportunity for interactive roundtable discussion and debate. Each seminar is led by patent law educators and treatise authors Donald Chisum and Janice Mueller. The New York seminar will focus in great depth on two timely and controversial patent law topics: patent claim interpretation and active inducement. They will also cover America Invents Act developments including the USPTO's final rules on first inventor to file (taking effect three weeks after the New York seminar); preliminary injunctions and design patents; and inequitable conduct decisions post-Therasense. A more detailed description of the topics to be covered and registration details are available on the Academy's website. [Link]

New start-up company (Evtron)

  • Evtron is a new start-up company that specializes in data storage. The company made a storage device (Evtron CELL) that can fit 120 hard disk drives into a storage platform. The design created by Evtron will supposedly make it 60% more efficient in data density, when compared to similar data storage products currently available on the market. NetApp and EMC are the two leading companies in this technology market, with annual revenue between $7 billion and $22 billion. Evtron may be able to compete with these companies but only if they are granted their pending patent and the patent cannot be worked around. The patent application to my knowledge is not currently public. There have been rumors that Facebook may be interested in the technology. This should be a very interesting company to watch, in terms of the patent application, lawsuits that may arise, and the change of the data storage space.

Patent Jobs:

  • Fenwick & West is seeking patent associates with 1-4 years of experience and an EE, CS, CE, or physics background, or equivalent experience to work at their Silicon Valley office. [Link]
  • Armstrong Teasdale is looking for an experienced trademark associate to work at their St. Louis office. [Link]
  • Harrington & Smith is seeking a patent associate with a degree in EE or physics and at least 2 years of experience to work at their Shelton, Connecticut office. [Link]
  • Krieg DeVault is looking for an IP associate with 3-7 years of experience to work at their Indianapolis office. [Link]
  • Harrity & Harrity is searching for patent attorneys/agents with a background in EE, computer science, or physics and a minimum of 2 years of experience to work at their Fairfax, VA office. [Link]
  • Honigman is seeking a patent attorney/agent with a degree in EE or computer science to work at their Oakland Count, Michigan office. [Link]
  • Byrne Poh is looking for a patent attorney/agent with a degree in EE or computer science to work at their New York office. [Link]
  • The Ollila Law Group is seeking a patent attorney with an EE and at least 2 years of experience to work at their Boulder office. [Link]
  • Abel Law Group is seeking a chemical practitioner with 2+ years of experience to work at their Austin office. [Link]
  • Klarquist Sparkman is seeking an IP Litigation Associate with 1-2 years of experience to work at their Portland office. [Link]

Upcoming Events:

  • Santa Clara Law will be hosting its conference Solutions to the Patent Problem this Friday, November 16, featuring industry and government folks such as Kent Walker (Google), Brad Burnham (USVentures), Ben Lee (Twitter), Edith Ramirez (FTC), and Paul Grewal (N.D. Cal) in addition to about 20 academics. The event will be streamed and Wired is running opeds from the conference as part of its Patent Fix series.
  • IBC Legal's 6th Annual Standards and Patents Conference 2012 will be held on November 27-28 in London. The dynamics of the relationship between standards and patents poses a plethora of challenges for patentees, licensees, standard setting organizations, innovators, commercial users and implementers. Guest speakers include Mr. Justice Ford (Jude, Patent Court) and Richard Vary. [Link] (PatentlyO readers save 10% by quoting VIP code: FKW82336PTOL)
  • ACI's 14th Advanced Forum on Biotech Patents will be held on November 28-29, in Boston. ACI's 14th Advanced Forum on Biotech Patents brings together another top-notch faculty of expert biotech patent practitioners who will share their experience and knowledge to help you avoid pitfalls and maximize the value of your intellectual property. [Link] (PatentlyO readers register for with PO 200 for a discount)
  • The ACI's Orphan Drugs and Rare Diseases conference will take place on November 28-29 in Boston. There are an estimated 6,000 rare diseases currently recognized in the U.S. alone; European authorities recognize as many as 8,000 rare diseases. With only approximately 150 treatments for these diseases approved so far according to the FDA's orphan designation database, there is a unique opportunity for companies of all sizes to invest in research and development to try to capture this lucrative market share. Indeed, according to a leading industry report, the orphan disease therapeutics market will continue to see a marked increase in value through the decade, increasing from 2010's $2.3 billion to an estimated $6 billion in 2018. [Link] (PatentlyO readers register for with PO 200 for a discount)
  • ACI's Paragraph IV Disputes conference will be held on December 4-5 in San Francisco. An experienced faculty of renowned litigators and judges will guide you through every stage of a Paragraph IV challenge. Additionally, in the wake of major developments in pay-for –delay, learn what the FTC deems foul and fair in the settlements of Paragraph IV disputes in order to draft and structure settlements that will receive FTC approval. [Link] (PatentlyO readers use code PO 200 a discount)
  • C5's 5th Annual Forum on Biotech and Pharma Patent Litigation is scheduled for January 29-30 in Amsterdam. [Link] (PatentlyO readers use code PO10 for a 10% discount)

Contact Lawrence.Higgins@patentlyo.com with leads for future Bits and Bytes.

Patently-O Bits & Bytes by Lawrence Higgins

Patent,

Patent Backlog to fall below 600K by end of the year!

  • The current patent backlog is around 623,000 patents and is decreasing by an average of about 5,000 patents per month. This time last year the USPTO had a backlog of an estimated 683,000 patents and in 2010 it was 728,000 patents backlogged. By the end of the year the backlog should be under 600,000. The decrease from 2011 to 2012 is by almost 60,000 patents and this can be contributed to the hiring initiative that the USPTO implemented. The USPTO currently has around 7,600 patent examiners with plans to hire more in the near future. However, the patent backlog will be expected to start to slightly increase around March of 2013 due to the first-to-file patent system. [Link]

Great new free educational website!

  • Coursera.org offers online classes in many different subject matters online for free. For example, they offer courses in electrical and materials engineering, computer science, biology & life sciences, and many more. The classes are taught by some of the leading institutions in the world. Some classes even offer a certificate of completion. I am currently enrolled in a computer science course taught by faculty from the University of Toronto.

Patent Jobs:

  • Harrington & Smith is seeking a patent associate with a degree in EE or physics and at least 2 years of experience to work at their Shelton, Connecticut office. [Link]
  • Krieg DeVault is looking for an IP associate with 3-7 years of experience to work at their Indianapolis office. [Link]
  • Harrity & Harrity is searching for patent attorneys/agents with a background in EE, computer science, or physics and a minimum of 2 years of experience to work at their Fairfax, VA office. [Link]
  • Honigman is seeking a patent attorney/agent with a degree in EE or computer science to work at their Oakland Count, Michigan office. [Link]
  • Byrne Poh is looking for a patent attorney/agent with a degree in EE or computer science to work at their New York office. [Link]
  • The Ollila Law Group is seeking a patent attorney with an EE and at least 2 years of experience to work at their Boulder office. [Link]
  • Abel Law Group is seeking a chemical practitioner with 2+ years of experience to work at their Austin office. [Link]
  • Klarquist Sparkman is seeking an IP Litigation Associate with 1-2 years of experience to work at their Portland office. [Link]

Upcoming Events:

  • The Synopsis under IP/Patents Telecom Sourcing (SUITS) Conference is presented in conjunction with the ITEXPO on October 2 and 3, 2012 in Austin, Texas. The SUITS Conference provides a unique forum for innovators of in the field of telecommunications, including developers, executives, implementers, licenses, licensors, end users, and carriers, to learn about and discuss intellectual property issues. Key topics will include the changing patent law landscape, litigating in the telecom space post Apple v. Samsung, monetizing telecom patents and more. The conference includes moderators Christopher Douglas of Alston and Bird, Jeb Dykstra of technology Sector Law, Raffi Gostanian of Open Invention Network and Todd Juneau of Juneau Partners with guest speakers that include John Horvath of Google, Ross Barton and Stacey White of Alston and Bird, Robert Johnson of AmelioWave, Noreen Rucinski of Schneider Rucinski Enterprises and more. http://itexpo.tmcnet.com/suits/
  • The 13th Annual Maximizing Pharmaceutical Patent Lifecycles is scheduled for October 10-11 in New York. The conference will feature, Presentations from key representatives from the USPTO who will provide you with direct insights and the logic of this agency on some of most pressing life cycle management strategies that the industry is facing today, Analyses of recent critical cases affecting patent life cycle planning including: Caraco (use codes); Prometheus (subject matter eligibility); Sun Pharma (double patenting); Ariad (patentability); and Therasense (inequitable conduct) – and strategies for using these cases to your advantage and many more topics. [Link] (PatentlyO readers register for with PO 200 for a discount)
  • The University of Akron School of Law's Center for IP & Technology will host the 6th Annual IP Scholars Forum on October 26, 2012, from 9:00AM – 2:00 PM. The Forum's purpose is to bring together a small group of prominent scholars for intensive, high-level discussions on cutting-edge issues of common interest. This year's Forum will discuss "The Impact of IP on Public Health." Guest include: Frank Pasquale, Andrew Torrance, Jim Chen Jay Dratler, Jr., Katherine Van Tassel, and many others. [Link]
  • The IP Section of the Nevada State Bar is hosting its annual CLE program in Las Vegas on November 2. The program will have sessions on trademarks, the top 10 patent cases of the year, IP strategy war stories, and many more. Guest speakers include: Mary LaFrance, Marketa Trimble, Mikio Ishimaru, Sean Carter, Jason Smalley, and many others. [Link]
  • ACI's 14th Advanced Forum on Biotech Patents will be held on November 28-29, in Boston. ACI's 14th Advanced Forum on Biotech Patents brings together another top-notch faculty of expert biotech patent practitioners who will share their experience and knowledge to help you avoid pitfalls and maximize the value of your intellectual property. [Link] (PatentlyO readers register for with PO 200 for a discount)
  • The ACI's Orphan Drugs and Rare Diseases conference will take place on November 28-29 in Boston. There are an estimated 6,000 rare diseases currently recognized in the U.S. alone; European authorities recognize as many as 8,000 rare diseases. With only approximately 150 treatments for these diseases approved so far according to the FDA's orphan designation database, there is a unique opportunity for companies of all sizes to invest in research and development to try to capture this lucrative market share. Indeed, according to a leading industry report, the orphan disease therapeutics market will continue to see a marked increase in value through the decade, increasing from 2010's $2.3 billion to an estimated $6 billion in 2018. [Link] (PatentlyO readers register for with PO 200 for a discount)

Contact Lawrence.Higgins@patentlyo.com with leads for future Bits and Bytes.

Patently-O Bits & Bytes by Lawrence Higgins

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USPTO Patent Review Processing System Preview

  • The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will preview the new electronic filing system for the trials established under the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act. The preview will take place from 10 am – noon on Thursday, September 6, 2012. Representatives from the Patent Trial and Appeal Board will demonstrate the new Patent Review Processing System (PRPS) and show how to register to use the system, to file a petition seeking a trial, to pay petition fees, to join the proceeding as a patent owner and to file motions and other documents. The preview will be helpful for any practitioners or administrative personnel who anticipate filing documents in the new proceedings beginning September 16, 2012 (inter partes review, post-grant review, and the transitional program for covered business methods). There will also be an opportunity to ask questions. You may attend electronically or in person. [Link]

Patent Jobs:

  • Stevens & Showalter is seeking a patent attorney/agent with at least 2 years of experience and a background in EE or CS to work at their Dayton, Ohio office. [Link]
  • Connolly Bove Lodge & Hutz is looking for patent attorneys with 3-5 years of experience to work at their Wilmington, DE office. [Link]
  • Faegre Baker Daniels is searching for a patent associate with a Ph.D. in the life sciences and 2-4 years of experience to work at their Indianapolis office.[Link]
  • Westerman, Hattor, Daniels & Adrian is seeking a electrical attorney/agent with 1-3 years of experience to work at their D.C. office. [Link]
  • Maquet is looking for a patent attorney with a minimum of 3 years of patent prosecution experience to work at their Wayne, N.J. office. [Link]
  • Drinker Biddle & Reath is searching for a patent agent with 3+ years of experience and a degree in EE to work at their Chicago or D.C. office. [Link]
  • Hiscock & Barclay is seeking a patent attorneys/agents with 3-5 years of experience to work at in their upstate NY office. [Link]
  • Bass, Berry & Sims is looking for IP associates with 1-4 years of experience to work at their Nashville office. [Link]
  • Trop, Pruner & Hu is seeking associates with EE/CS backgrounds to work at their Austin or Houston office. [Link]

Upcoming Events:

  • U.S. Patent Commissioner Speaks: Current Developments in Patents event/webinar will be held on September 13. U.S. Commissioner for Patents, Margaret Focarino, will comment on current developments in patents, especially those occurring at the U. S. Patent and Trademark Office, and participate in questions and answers. [Link] [Webinar]
  • ACI's FDA Boot Camp conference is scheduled for September 20-21, in Boston. ACI's FDA Boot Camp has been designed to give products or patent litigators, as well as patent prosecutors, industry in-house counsel, and life sciences investment and securities experts, a strong working knowledge of core FDA competencies. [Link] (PatentlyO readers register for with PO 200 for a discount)
  • C5s 3rd EU Pharma Regulatory Law conference is scheduled for September 25-26 in Brussels, Belgium. 2012 is set to be a critical year for EU pharma regulation with the implementation of the pharmacovigilance rules, proposals to amend the data protection and clinical trials directives and the new falsified medicinal products directive. [Link] (PatentlyO readers register with PO 10 for a discount)
  • The 13th Annual Maximizing Pharmaceutical Patent Lifecycles is scheduled for October 10-11 in New York. The conference will feature, Presentations from key representatives from the USPTO who will provide you with direct insights and the logic of this agency on some of most pressing life cycle management strategies that the industry is facing today, Analyses of recent critical cases affecting patent life cycle planning including: Caraco (use codes); Prometheus (subject matter eligibility); Sun Pharma (double patenting); Ariad (patentability); and Therasense (inequitable conduct) – and strategies for using these cases to your advantage and many more topics. [Link] (PatentlyO readers register for with PO 200 for a discount)
  • The University of Akron School of Law's Center for IP & Technology will host the 6th Annual IP Scholars Forum on October 26, 2012, from 9:00AM – 2:00 PM. The Forum's purpose is to bring together a small group of prominent scholars for intensive, high-level discussions on cutting-edge issues of common interest. This year's Forum will discuss "The Impact of IP on Public Health." Guest include: Frank Pasquale, Andrew Torrance, Jim Chen Jay Dratler, Jr., Katherine Van Tassel, and many others. [Link]

Contact Lawrence.Higgins@patentlyo.com with leads for future Bits and Bytes.

Patently-O Bits & Bytes by Lawrence Higgins

Patent, ,

2012 Jefferson Medal recipient

  • The New Jersey Intellectual Property Law Association (NJIPLA) will award the 2012 Jefferson Medal to the Honorable Garrett E. Brown, Jr. (Ret.), Chief Judge, United States District Judge for the District of New Jersey. Following a 60 year tradition, the NJIPLA presents the Jefferson Medal annually to someone who has made exceptional contributions to the field of intellectual property law. Former Medalists include judges, members of Congress, Patent and Trademark Office officials and leaders of the intellectual property bar. Chief Judge Brown will be presented with the Jefferson Medal on June 8, 2012 at the annual Jefferson Medal Dinner at The Hilton at Short Hills, Short Hills, NJ.

    Chief Judge Brown recently joined the JAMS panel after a distinguished judicial and legal career. He served twenty-six years as United States District Judge for the District of New Jersey, the last six as Chief Judge, where he led the court-wide effort to provide prompt, efficient justice to civil litigants, and to implement new local patent rules. Prior to appointment to the federal judiciary, he served two years as Chief Counsel to the U.S. Maritime Administration. While in private practice, he concentrated on federal commercial litigation, including antitrust, employment, construction, environmental, banking, intellectual property, and securities matters. [Link]

Will Singapore Become a Patent Hotspot?

  • Singapore wants foreign IP attorneys and professionals to relocate there. A Patents Bill was introduced to the parliament, which will allow foreign patent professionals to practice in Singapore without going through the long process of passing exams and doing an internship with a local law firm, which is currently required. However, foreign attorneys will only be allowed to engage in work from other countries. The intention behind the proposed changes is that highly skilled IP professionals from across Asia and beyond will relocate to Singapore, where they will be ideally located to handle patent work for the whole Asia region. [Link] Patent Act

Patent Jobs:

  • Faegre Baker Daniels is seeking a patent associate with 2-6 years of experience and a degree in EE, ME, or ChemE to work at their Minneapolis office. [Link]
  • Klarquist Sparkman is looking for a patent attorney/agent with an advanced degree in organic chemistry and 3+ years of experience to work at their Portland office. [Link]
  • Klarquist Sparkman is searching for a patent attorney with 1-4 years of experience and an EE, CS, or physics degree to work at their Portland office. [Link]
  • Bacon & Thomas is seeking a patent attorney with 1-3 years of experience and a background in ME, EE, or similar to work at their Alexandria, VA office. [Link]
  • Klein, O'Neill & Singh is looking for a patent attorney/agent with 2-5 years of experience and a degree in EE, CS, or physics to work at their Irvine, CA office. [Link]
  • Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney is searching for a trademark associate with 2-4 years of experience to work at their Alexandria, VA office. [Link]
  • TransTech Pharma is seeking an IP Counsel with 5+ years of experience and a science degree to work at their High Point, NC location. [Link]
  • Baker & Hostetler is looking for patent attorneys with 2+ years of experience with a degree in ME, EE, or materials to work at their Cincinnati office. [Link]
  • Solazyme is searching for a patent agent with 3-5 years of experience and a degree in bio sciences to work at their San Francisco location. [Link]
  • Trop, Pruner & Hu is seeking associates with an EE or CS backgrounds and a minimum of 2 years of experience to work at their Houston or Austin office. [Link]
  • A law firm in Cupertino has multiple openings for patent attorneys/agents with an Electrical or mechanical background. [Link]
  • NSIP LAW is looking for associates with a minimum of 4 years of experience in patent prosecution and an EE, CE, or CS degree to work at their Washington, DC office. [Link]
  • Myers Wolin is seeking a partner level patent or trademark attorney or small practice group with portables to join their firm located in Morristown, NJ. [Link]
  • Kilpatrick Townsend is searching for a student associate or patent agent with a degree in EE, CS, or physics to work at their Washington, DC office. [Link]
  • Los Alamos National Lab is looking for an experienced patent attorney with 8 years of experience and a technical background to work at their Los Alamos, New Mexico location. [Link]
  • Nagoya International Patent Firm is seeking a US patent attorney with 2-5 years of experience to work in Japan. [Link]
  • Banner & Witcoff is searching for lateral associates with EE or CS backgrounds to work at either their Washington, DC or Chicago office. [Link]
  • The Webb Law Firm is looking for a senior litigation attorney with a minimum of 7 years of experience to work at their Pittsburgh location. [Link]
  • The Webb Law Firm is seeking a patent litigation associate with a minimum of 3 years of experience to work at their Pittsburgh location. [Link]
  • The Webb Law Firm is searching for associates with a degree in CS, CE, or EE and a minimum of 3 years of experience to work at their Pittsburgh location. [Link]
  • Perkins Coie is looking for a patent associate with a minimum of 3 years of experience and a degree in EE, physics, or CS to work at their Seattle office. [Link]
  • Fiala & Weaver is seeking patent attorneys/agents with 1+ years of experience and a degree in EE, CS, or physics. [Link]
  • FLSmidth is searching for a patent attorney with at least 5 years of experience to work in Salt Lake City. [Link]
  • Hamilton, Brook, Smith & Reynolds is looking for electrical associates with 3-5 years of patent pro or IP litigation experience to work at their Concord, Massachusetts office. [Link]
  • Sandia National Labs is seeking a patent attorney with 4-8 years of experience and a degree in physics, EE, ChemE or relevant field to work at their Albuquerque location. [Link]
  • Solazyme is searching for an IP paralegal with 2-5 years of experience to work at their San Francisco location. [Link]
  • Senniger Powers is looking for an associate attorney with a minimum of 2 years of experience and a degree in EE, CE, or CS to work at their St. Louis office. [Link]
  • Harness, Dickey & Pierce is seeking an IP litigation associate with 2-4 years of experience to work at their St. Louis location. [Link]
  • Hoxie & Associates is searching for an experienced patent prosecution paralegal to work at their Millburn, NJ office. [Link]
  • Faegre Baker Daniels is looking for a Biotech/Biochem/Chemical patent agent with at least 2 years of experience and a Ph.D. to work at their Denver office. [Link]
  • Schwegman, Lundberg & Woessner is seeking attorneys with 1+ years of experience and a degree in software/Electrical engineering, organic chemistry (Ph.D.), chemical/polymer engineering, and ME. [Link]
  • Telesign is seeking an IP analyst with at least a bachelor's degree to work at their Marina Del Rey, CA location. [Link]
  • The Michaud-Kinney Group is seeking 2 IP attorneys with at least 3 years of experience: 1 with a background in chemistry or biology and the other with a background in mechanical or electrical technologies. [Link]
  • AdvantEdge Law Group is looking for patent attorneys/agents with a degree in EE, CE, or CS and 2-5 years of experience to work at their South Jordan, Utah location. [Link]
  • Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt is searching for a patent associate with a background in CS and/ or EE and 4 years of experience to work in either their Seattle or Portland office. [Link]
  • NXP is seeking a Sr. patent attorney, IP and licensing with 10-15+ years of experience to work at their San Jose location. [Link]
  • Steptoe & Johnson is searching for IP associates with a minimum of 2 years of experience in patent litigation and a background in EE to work at in their DC office. [Link]
  • Harrity & Harrity is looking for patent attorneys/agents with a minimum of 2 years of experience and a background in EE, CS, or physics to work in their Fairfax, VA office. [Link]
  • Turner, Padget, Graham, and Laney is seeking a patent attorney 3-5 years of experience in drafting and litigating patents to work in their Greenville, SC office. [Link]
  • Weaver Austin Villeneuve & Sampson is searching for a patent attorney/agent with a EE and/or CS background and 3-5 years of experience to work in their Oakland office. [Link]

Upcoming Events:

  • The Los Angeles Intellectual Property Law Association invites you to join us for the 2012 LAIPLA Spring Seminar at the beautiful Lodge at Torrey Pines in La Jolla, California, on June 8-10, 2012. The Spring Seminar features nine hours of panel discussions and presentations on the latest developments in intellectual property law, provides excellent networking opportunities at the cocktail receptions and dinners, and allows sufficient time for relaxation and enjoyable outdoor activities, including a golf tournament at the Torrey Pines Golf Course, home of the 2008 U.S. Open. Speakers and panelists include federal judges, practitioners (including in-house attorneys), and academics. [Link]
  • The Louisville Bar Association, IP Section, is hosting a half-day CLE program covering various topics in patent law, including patent-eligible subject matter in light of Mayo, patent claim interpretation, joint and distributed infringement, and inequitable conduct. The CLE will be held on June 12 from 9 AM until 12 PM at the LBA office in downtown Louisville, Kentucky. Speakers include Donald S. Chisum, author of Chisum on Patents, and Janice M. Mueller, author of Patent Law, Third Edition. [Link]
  • A free webinar on Improving Decision-Making with Patent Claims Analytics hosted by IPVision will take place June 12, 2012 at 1 pm EST/10 am PST. Those who attend will receive a free claims analysis. Sign up here: [Link]
  • The C5's 11th Annual International Conference on Maximising Pharma Patent Lifecycles conference will be held June 20-21 in London. Patent lifecycle management is becoming more crucial for pharmaceutical companies with the cost of research and drugs continually rising and companies constantly trying to obtain the maximum financial benefit from existing patent terms. In addition to protecting existing IP rights and seeking methods to extend current patent lifecycles, pharmaceutical companies are faced with the challenge of inventing new drugs and diversifying portfolios to replace sales on older and generic drugs. [Link]
  • AIPLA's 4th Annual Trademark Bootcamp will be held in Alexandria, VA on June 22. Learn the trademark basics from top trademark practitioners. This day-long course provides a complete overview of the trademark prosecution process from start to finish, with sessions including: pre-filing considerations, the application process, the examination process, and many more. [Link]
  • The ACI 3rd annual Hatch-Waxman Boot Camp will be held June 25-26 in San Diego. Topics to be covered include: the organization, jurisdiction of the FDA and the PTO and their interplay in the patenting of drugs and biologics, how the approval process for drugs and biologics is connected to the patenting of these products, how the Hatch-Waxman Act established the paradigm for market entry of generic small molecule drugs – and how biosimilar and many others. [Link]
  • IP Dispute Resolution 2012 will take place June 28-29 in London. Hear experiences from Kraft Foods, Nokia, Ericsson, Proctor & Gamble, RIM, Google, Unilever…Discuss current litigation issues, procedures & remedies in all relevant jurisdictions. Guest speakers include: Mialeeka Williams, Ignacio de Castro, Michael Bishop, Richard Vary, Kevin Cranman, and many others. [Link] (PatentlyO readers receive a 10% discount)
  • The AUTM annual meeting will take place July 23-25 in Oklahoma City. There will be many intriguing sessions and lectures to attend. Guest speakers include: Dennis Crouch, Kevin Noonan, Todd Sherer, and many more. [Link]
  • ACI's Freedom to Operate conference is scheduled for July 30-31, 2012 in Philadelphia, PA. Freedom to operate searching and analysis, always a critical component of any patent counsel's profession, is undergoing its biggest shake-up in a generation. Expansion of the obviousness standard, the America Invents Act provisions now requiring a truly global search, and other developments have left patent attorneys and business development professionals perplexed as they try to protect valuable IP in an increasingly competitive global environment. [Link] Register for with PO 200 for a discount.
  • Earn Advanced Patent Law CLE in Spectacular Seattle This Summer: The Chisum Patent Academy is now accepting registrations for its 4th annual summer seminar in Seattle, July 30 – August 1, 2012. Their uniquely insightful, interactive seminars are limited to 10 participants. All sessions are taught by Donald Chisum and Janice Mueller. For further details on seminar coverage and registration information, see http://www.chisumpatentacademy.comor e-mail mailto:info@chisum.com
  • IP Law Summer School will be held August 13-17 in Cambridge, UK. The only residential conference for Intellectual Property lawyers who want to get ahead… an unrivalled resource for the consolidation of, or initiation into all of the central concepts in IP, presented in the context of the latest developments in the industry. [Link] (PatentlyO readers receive a 10% discount)

Contact Lawrence.Higgins@patentlyo.com with leads for future Bits and Bytes.

Patently-O Bits & Bytes by Lawrence Higgins

Patent,

Freedom of Speech and Facebook

  • Technology is forever changing, and with technological change there is also legal change. In a recent Virginia District Court case, the judge decided that liking a Facebook page is not protected speech. The judge stated that, "It is the court's conclusion that merely 'liking' a Facebook page is insufficient speech to merit constitutional protection. In cases where courts have found that constitutional speech protections extended to Facebook posts, actual statements existed in the record." I would like to think that if I like a page or a comment on Facebook or any other website with similar features that it is protected under law. Eugene Volokh of the University of California recently stated in a blog post that: A Facebook "like" is a means of conveying a message of support for the thing you're liking. That's the whole point of the "like" button; that's what people intend by clicking "like," and that's what viewers will perceive… I would treat "liking" as verbal expression — though it takes just one mouse-click, it publishes to the world text that says that you like something. But even if it's just treated as symbolic expression, it is still constitutionally protected, as cases such as Texas v. Johnson (1989) (the flag-burning case) show." [Link] Case

AOL Will "Supposedly Give Shareholders Proceeds From Patent Sale

  • Last month AOL sold an estimated 800 patents to Microsoft for around $1 billion. When making the sale, AOL stated that they would give significant amount of the sales proceeds to shareholders. Subsequently, AOL shares rose 35% in April and is currently trading around $26.50 per share. AOL's CEO recently stated that AOL will give 100% of the proceeds of the sale to shareholders, with details to be released. [Link] [Link]

Chisum Patent Academy

  • Earn Advanced Patent Law CLE in Spectacular Seattle This Summer: The Chisum Patent Academy is now accepting registrations for its 4th annual summer seminar in Seattle, July 30 – August 1, 2012. Their uniquely insightful, interactive seminars are limited to 10 participants. All sessions are taught by Donald Chisum and Janice Mueller. For further details on seminar coverage and registration information, see http://www.chisumpatentacademy.com or e-mail mailto:info@chisum.com

Patent Jobs:

  • Faegre Baker Daniels is seeking a patent associate with 2-6 years of experience to work at their Minneapolis office. [Link]
  • Luminex is searching for a patent associate with 3-6 years of experience and a graduate degree in molecular bio to work at their Austin, Texas location. [Link]
  • Faegre Baker Daniels is looking for a patent litigation associate with 1-2 years of experience to work at their Indianapolis office. [Link]
  • North Star IP is seeking patent associates with 3 to 4+ years of experience and a background in EE, CS, or CE to work at their Washington DC office. [Link]
  • Finnegan is searching for an attorney with a background in electrical technologies and 1 to 3 years of experience in patent prosecution or litigation to work at their Reston, VA office. [Link]
  • Tarolli, Sundheim, Covell & Tummino is looking for a patent attorney with at least 4 years of experience and a chemical or biochemical background to work at their Cleveland office. [Link]
  • Hickman Palermo Truong Becker Bingham Wong is seeking attorney with 2+ years of experience and a degree in CS, EE, CE, or physics to work at their San Jose office. [Link]
  • Dickstein Shapiro is searching for 2 IP associates with 2-5 years of experience in prosecution and litigation and a degree in EE to work at their DC office. [Link]
  • Tokyo Electron is looking for a patent agent/attorney with 5 years of experience and an advanced degree in EE to work at their Austin, Texas location. [Link]
  • Hiscock & Barclay is seeking patent attorneys and patent agents with 3-5 years of experience to work in their upstate NY office. [Link]
  • Hodgson Russ is searching for a patent attorney with at least 2 years of experience with a degree in EE to work at their Buffalo, NY office. [Link]
  • Myers Wolin is looking for a partner level attorney (patent or trademark) for their Morristown, NJ office. [Link]
  • Brooks Kushman is seeking a patent attorney with an EE or CS degree and 3-6 years of experience to work at their Southfield, Michigan office. [Link]
  • Michaud-Kinney Group is searching for an IP attorney with a chem or bio background and at least 3 year of experience to work at their Middletown, Connecticut office. [Link]
  • Sutherland is looking for an associate or patent agent with a degree in EE, CE, CS, or a related discipline to work at their Atlanta or Austin office. [Link]
  • Abel IP is seeking a patent associate with 4+ years of experience in the chemical and/or ceramic materials art areas to work at their Austin, Texas office. [Link]
  • Murphy, Bilak & Homiller is searching for a patent attorney or patent agent with 1-4 years of experience and a degree in EE to work at their Cary, NC office. [Link]
  • Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton is looking doe a mid-level associate with a CS or EE degree to work at their Palo Alto office. [Link]
  • The Ovidian Groupis is seeking Director, IP asset development, to work at their Berkeley, CA location; this person will have a JD degree and 2-5 years of patent pro experience. [Link]

Upcoming Events:

  • LES 2012 Spring Meeting – "Licensing to Solve the Innovation Gap" will be held May 15-17, Boston, MA. Speakers from GE Healthcare, Harvard, Hoffmann-LaRoche, Intel, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, MIT, Pfizer, Stanford and more will share their expertise on licensing to solve the innovation gap. (Patently-O readers save $100 by using promo code PO12 when registering) [Link]
  • The World Research Group is holding its 4th Annual Corporate IP Counsel Forum on May 16-17 in NYC. The Corporate IP Counsel Forum will address key issues and uncover latest developments related to IP in the form of case studies and panel discussions. Some of the topics include, but are not limited to: The America Invents Act and its impact on patent litigation and prosecution, IP monetization strategies for small and mid-size companies, Patent valuation, The top 10 most influential court cases in IP this year, Patent eligibility, Invention mining, Divided infringement, Best practices for combating non-practicing entities, Appeals to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Copyright infringement. [Link]
  • The Annual DRI Business Litigation and Intellectual Property Seminar will be held May 16-18, 2012, in New York City. Attendees will learn trial and appellate advocacy skills in business litigation get up-to-date on the last trends in intellectual property and business litigation, and network with in-house counsel, business and intellectual property trial lawyers and experts from across the country. Speakers include: Former ABA President, Dennis W. Archer, Dennis Archer PLLC, and David Leitch, VP and General Counsel of Ford Motor Company. [Link]
  • Fitch, Even, Tabin & Flannery, LLP will present a free one-hour CLE webinar, "Inequitable Conduct After Therasense: Materiality and the Intent to Deceive in Aventis Pharma S.A. v. Hospira, Inc.," on May 23, 2012 at 12 noon EST. On April 9, 2012, for the first time after the Therasense decision, the Federal Circuit affirmed a finding of inequitable conduct in Aventis, signifying that inequitable conduct based on failure to cite prior art to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is still a viable patent infringement defense. During this webinar, Fitch Even partner Alison Aubry Richards will discuss how to defend against an inequitable conduct defense; how to maximize the chances of a successful inequitable conduct defense; and how to avoid inequitable conduct as a prosecuting attorney, before and during litigation. [Link]
  • The San Francisco Intellectual Property Law Association is hosting its annual seminar in Healdsburg, the center of one of California's best wine regions, from June 1-3. Speakers include Hon. Margaret A. (Peggy) Focarino, USPTO Commissioner of Patents, Hon. Robert Stoll, former USPTO Commissioner of Patents, Hon. Gerard F. Rogers, Chief Administrative Trademark Judge of the TTAB, Hon. Randall R. Rader, Chief Judge of Federal Circuit, Hon. Susan Illston, Judge of N.D.CA, Hon. Edward J. Davila, Judge of N.D.CA, as well as professors and leading practitioners. [Link]
  • On May 21-22 Ronald Slusky will hold a seminar in Chicago, the seminar teaches a comprehensive approach to analyzing inventions and capturing them in a sophisticated set of patent claims. The seminar is based on Ronald's book, Invention Analysis and Claiming: Patent Lawyer's Guide. [Link]
  • ACI will hold a Biosimilars conference May 22-23 in New York, NY. The conference will focus on the legal, regulatory, and commercial realities of biosimilars. [Link]
  • The Los Angeles Intellectual Property Law Association invites you to join us for the 2012 LAIPLA Spring Seminar at the beautiful Lodge at Torrey Pines in La Jolla, California, on June 8-10, 2012. The Spring Seminar features nine hours of panel discussions and presentations on the latest developments in intellectual property law, provides excellent networking opportunities at the cocktail receptions and dinners, and allows sufficient time for relaxation and enjoyable outdoor activities, including a golf tournament at the Torrey Pines Golf Course, home of the 2008 U.S. Open. Speakers and panelists include federal judges, practitioners (including in-house attorneys), and academics. [Link]
  • The C5's 11th Annual International Conference on Maximising Pharma Patent Lifecycles conference will be held June 20-21 in London. Patent lifecycle management is becoming more crucial for pharmaceutical companies with the cost of research and drugs continually rising and companies constantly trying to obtain the maximum financial benefit from existing patent terms. In addition to protecting existing IP rights and seeking methods to extend current patent lifecycles, pharmaceutical companies are faced with the challenge of inventing new drugs and diversifying portfolios to replace sales on older and generic drugs. [Link]
  • The ACI 3rd annual Hatch-Waxman Boot Camp will be held June 25-26 in San Diego. Topics to be covered include: the organization, jurisdiction of the FDA and the PTO and their interplay in the patenting of drugs and biologics, how the approval process for drugs and biologics is connected to the patenting of these products, how the Hatch-Waxman Act established the paradigm for market entry of generic small molecule drugs – and how biosimilar and many others. [Link]

Contact Lawrence.Higgins@patentlyo.com with leads for future Bits and Bytes.

Patently-O Bits & Bytes by Lawrence Higgins

Patent, , , ,

IP's contribution to the US economy

  • A recent USPTO whitepaper reports that IP industries contribute $5 trillion and 40 million jobs to the US economy. Some of the report major findings are:
    • The entire US economy relies on some form of IP, because virtually every industry either produces or uses it.
    • IP-intensive industries directly accounted for 27.1 million American jobs, or 18.8% of all employment in the economy, in 2010.
    • Jobs in IP-intensive industries pay well compared to other jobs. Average weekly wages for IP-intensive industries were 42% higher than the average weekly wages in non IP-intensive industries.
    • Growth in copyright-intensive industries (2.4%), patent-intensive industries (2.3%), and trademark-intensive industries (1.1%) all outpaced gains in non-IP intensive industries.

    Report

Rights of the dead

  • At Coachella 2012 Tupac Shakur appeared on stage and as if he was actually alive and performing. What rights does the family of Tupac or other deceased entertainers have when it comes to situations like this?
  • California Civil code Section 3344.1 (a)(1) reads in part:
    • Any person who uses a deceased personality's name, voice, signature, photograph, or likeness, in any manner, on or in products, merchandise, or goods, or for purposes of advertising or selling, or soliciting purchases of, products, merchandise, goods, or services, without prior consent from the person or persons specified… shall be liable for any damages…

    Section (a) (2) reads:

    • For purposes of this subdivision, a play, book, magazine, newspaper, musical composition, audiovisual work, radio or television program, single and original work of art… shall not be considered a product, article of merchandise, good, or service if it is fictional or nonfictional entertainment, or a dramatic, literary, or musical work.

    Having a dead celebrity performing electronically on stage seems like it falls into the audiovisual work exception under section (a) (2). I have yet to see anyone attempt to file a business-method patent on the dead touring, but I assume that someone may attempt to monopolize the business. [Link]

Patent Jobs:

  • Edell, Shapiro & Finnan is seeking an experienced EE patent attorney with an advanced degree in EE or physics. The firm is also seeking an associate/agent/tech writer with an EE or computer science degree to work at their Rockville, MD office. [Link]
  • Amgen is searching for Sr. Counsel with 4 years of patent or IP practice to work at their California location. [Link]
  • North Star IP is looking for a patent associate with 3 to 4+ years of prosecution experience and a background in EE, computer engineering, or computer science to work at their DC office. [Link]
  • Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox is seeking experienced electrical IP attorneys with a degree in EE or computer engineering to work at their DC office. [Link]
  • Cantor Colburn is searching for an associate ME/EE patent attorney with 3-5 years of experience. [Link]
  • Cantor Colburn is looking for IP litigation associates with 2-4 years of litigation experience. [Link]
  • The Kohler Company is seeking an IP attorney with 2+ years of experience to work at their Kohler, Wisconsin location. [Link]
  • Rutan & Tucker is searching for a patent associate/agent with 3-4 years of experience to work at their California office. [Link]
  • Rathe Lindenbaum is looking for a patent attorney/agent with experience in mechanical, electromechanical or chemical engineering and 3+ years of experience to work at their Milwaukee office. [Link]
  • NONY is looking for a US patent attorney/agent or UK patent attorney to work at their Paris, France office. [Link]

Upcoming Events:

  • The University of Colorado School of Law will hold a conference on April 24th. The conference, Patents on the Range or Wild Frontier, will discuss the future of patent policy. Guest speakers include: David Kappos, Don Rosenberg, John Thorne, Paul Ohm, Bernard Chao, and many others. [Link]
  • ACI will hold its 6th Annual Paragraph IV Disputes conference on April 24-25 in New York City. The conference will cover topics such as: the impact of the AIA on Hatch-Waxman litigation, claim construction, prior art obviousness and obvious-type double patenting, and many other topics. (Patently-O readers register with PO 200 for a discount). [Link]
  • The DC Bar IP Law Section 2012 Annual Spring Reception will be held April 25th. The D.C. Bar Intellectual Property Law Section awards the 2012 "Champion of Intellectual Property" Award to the late Paul J. Luckern, Chief Judge of the International Trade Commission. Guest include Chief Judge Randall R. Rader of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Judge Theodore R. Essex of the ITC, and Lynn I. Levine, Director of the ITC's Office of Unfair Import Investigations. [Link]
  • Fitch, Even, Tabin & Flannery, LLP will present a free one-hour CLE webinar, "Trademark Protection Strategies in Social Media," on April 25, 2012 at 12 noon EST. The proliferation of social media outlets frequented by millions of users have created untold opportunities for trademark exposure and potential infringement. Joseph T. Nabor will discuss strategies to protect trademarks in the social media arena, including monitoring and enforcement against infringement, creating social media policies, related ethics issues, and using social media in litigation support. [Link]
  • LES 2012 Spring Meeting – "Licensing to Solve the Innovation Gap" will be held May 15-17, Boston, MA. Speakers from GE Healthcare, Harvard, Hoffmann-LaRoche, Intel, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, MIT, Pfizer, Stanford and more will share their expertise on licensing to solve the innovation gap. (Patently-O readers save $100 by using promo code PO12 when registering) [Link]
  • The World Research Group is holding its 4th Annual Corporate IP Counsel Forum on May 16-17 in NYC. The Corporate IP Counsel Forum will address key issues and uncover latest developments related to IP in the form of case studies and panel discussions. Some of the topics include, but are not limited to: The America Invents Act and its impact on patent litigation and prosecution, IP monetization strategies for small and mid-size companies, Patent valuation, The top 10 most influential court cases in IP this year, Patent eligibility, Invention mining, Divided infringement, Best practices for combating non-practicing entities, Appeals to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Copyright infringement. [Link]
  • The Annual DRI Business Litigation and Intellectual Property Seminar will be held May 16-18, 2012, in New York City. Attendees will learn trial and appellate advocacy skills in business litigation get up-to-date on the last trends in intellectual property and business litigation, and network with in-house counsel, business and intellectual property trial lawyers and experts from across the country. Speakers include: Former ABA President, Dennis W. Archer, Dennis Archer PLLC, and David Leitch, VP and General Counsel of Ford Motor Company. [Link]
  • The San Francisco Intellectual Property Law Association is hosting its annual seminar in Healdsburg, the center of one of California's best wine regions, from June 1-3. Speakers include Hon. Margaret A. (Peggy) Focarino, USPTO Commissioner of Patents, Hon. Robert Stoll, former USPTO Commissioner of Patents, Hon. Gerard F. Rogers, Chief Administrative Trademark Judge of the TTAB, Hon. Randall R. Rader, Chief Judge of Federal Circuit, Hon. Susan Illston, Judge of N.D.CA, Hon. Edward J. Davila, Judge of N.D.CA, as well as professors and leading practitioners. [Link]
  • On May 21-22 Ronald Slusky will hold a seminar in Chicago, the seminar teaches a comprehensive approach to analyzing inventions and capturing them in a sophisticated set of patent claims. The seminar is based on Ronald's book, Invention Analysis and Claiming: Patent Lawyer's Guide. [Link]
  • ACI will hold a Biosimilars conference May 22-23 in New York, NY. The conference will focus on the legal, regulatory, and commercial realities of biosimilars. [Link]
  • The ACI 3rd annual Hatch-Waxman Boot Camp will be held June 25-26 in San Diego. Topics to be covered include: the organization, jurisdiction of the FDA and the PTO and their interplay in the patenting of drugs and biologics, how the approval process for drugs and biologics is connected to the patenting of these products, how the Hatch-Waxman Act established the paradigm for market entry of generic small molecule drugs – and how biosimilar and many others. [Link]

Contact Lawrence.Higgins@patentlyo.com with leads for future Bits and Bytes.

Patently-O Bits & Bytes by Lawrence Higgins

Patent

Patent Jobs Roundup:

  • Harrity & Harrity is looking for patent attorneys/agents with a background in EE, computer science, or physics and a minimum of 2 years of experience drafting patent applications to work at their Fairfax, VA office. [Link]
  • The USPTO Office of the Solicitor is seeking an experienced patent attorney. [Link]
  • Vierra Magen Marcus & DeNiro is seeking patent associates or agents with 1+ years of patent prosecution experience and degree in EE or CS to work at their San Francisco office. [Link]
  • Faegre Baker Daniels is searching for an experienced trademark attorney to work at their Colorado office. [Link]
  • Faegre Baker Daniels is looking for a patent litigation associate with 1-2 years of experience to work at their Minneapolis office. [Link]
  • Myers Wolin is seeking a partner level patent or trademark attorney or small practice group with portables to work at their Morristown, NJ office. [Link]
  • Hoffmann & Baron is seeking a patent attorney/agent with a minimum of 3-5 years of experience in the areas of computers and business methods to work in their Parsippany, NJ office. [Link]
  • Faegre Baker Daniel's is searching for a patent agent with a degree in EE or CS and patent experience to work in their Chicago office. [Link]
  • Larson Newman is looking for patent attorneys with an EE degree and 3-5 years of experience to work in their Austin office. [Link]
  • Akerman Senterfitt is seeking a chemical patent associate with 1-3 years of experience to work in their Denver office. [Link]
  • Gilead Sciences is searching for patent litigation counsel with a BS in life sciences and 5-8 years of experience to work at their Foster City, CA office. [Link]
  • Carlson, Gaskey & Olds is looking for a patent attorney with 4-8 years of patent litigation experience to work at their Birmingham, MI office. [Link]
  • Klarquist Sparkman is seeking a litigation associate with 1-2 years of experience to work in their Portland office. [Link]
  • Klarquist Sparkman is seeking a patent attorney/agent with an advanced degree in organic chemistry and 3+ years of experience to work in their Portland office. [Link]
  • Cardinal Intellectual Property is looking for a patent search professional with a JD degree and a technical degree to work remotely. [Link]
  • Berkeley Lab is searching for a patent attorney with at least 5 years of experience as a patent attorney/agent. [Link]
  • Faegre Baker Daniels is seeking a trademark litigation associate with 2-3 years of trademark and copyright litigation experience to work in their Minneapolis office. [Link]
  • Cardinal Intellectual Property is looking for a patent search attorney to work at their Evanston, IL location. [Link]
  • Wellstat Management Company is searching for a patent attorney/agent with at least 5 years of experience and a background in biomedical or mechanical engineering to work at their Gaithersburg, MD location. [Link]
  • Stroock
  • Faegre Baker Daniels is looking for a junior patent litigation associate with 1-2 years of experience to work in their Denver or Boulder office. [Link]
  • Nixon & Vanderhye is searching for a patent attorney/agent with experience drafting and prosecuting patent applications to work in their Arlington, VA office. [Link]
  • The DuPont Company is seeking patent agents with experience in preparing and prosecuting patent applications under USPTO TC1600 to work at their Wilmington, DE location. [Link]
  • Covidien is looking for an IP attorney with 4-6 years of experience to work at their New Haven, CT location. [Link]
  • Hagens Berman is searching for a patent litigation attorney with 3+ years of experience to work at their Seattle office. [Link]
  • The USPTO is seeking patent examiners with an engineering degree to work at their Alexandria or Detroit locations. [Link]

Patently-O Bits & Bytes by Lawrence Higgins

Patent, , ,

Are Companies Acting as Government Contractors Immune From Patent Infringement Suits?

  • The CAFC, in Zoltek Corp. v. United States, No. 2009-5135 (Fed. Cir. Mar. 14, 2012), Zoltek was the assignee of a patent for manufacturing carbon fiber sheets with controlled surface electrical resistivity. The carbon fiber at issue was used by Lockheed Martin to build the F-22 fighter jet, pursuant to a government contract. The manufacturing of the fibers started in Japan, and thereafter imported into the US, where the fibers were processed into sheets and used for F-22.

    The court held that when the US is subject to suit under 28 USC 1498(a) for alleged infringement of a patent by a contractor acting by and for the US, the contractor by law is rendered immune from individual liability for the alleged infringement. The court further held that, when a product of a patented process is… imported into the US by or for the US, there is direct infringement under a 1498 action. (In addition the US waives sovereign immunity) Opinion

    28 USC 1498

    • (a) Whenever an invention described in and covered by a patent of the United States is used or manufactured by or for the United States without license of the owner thereof or lawful right to use or manufacture the same, the owner's remedy shall be by action against the United States in the United States Court of Federal Claims for the recovery of his reasonable and entire compensation for such use and manufacture.
    • (c)The provisions of this section shall not apply to any claim arising in a foreign country.

USPTO Will Admit 10 Additional Schools into its Patent Law Clinic Certification Pilot Program

  • The Pilot Program started began in 2008 with 6 schools and expanded in 2010 to 16 schools. Students in the patent program can expect to draft and file a patent application and respond to an office action. Each law school clinical program must meet and maintain the requirements for USPTO certification in order for student practitioners to practice before the USPTO. The program provides real-world experience to students interested in the field of IP. Submissions will be accepted through June 1, 2012. [Link]

Patent Jobs:

  • Hoffmann & Baron is seeking a patent attorney/agent with a minimum of 3-5 years of experience in the areas of computers and business methods to work in their Parsippany, NJ office. [Link]
  • Faegre Baker Daniel's is searching for a patent agent with a degree in EE or CS and patent experience to work in their Chicago office. [Link]
  • Larson Newman is looking for patent attorneys with an EE degree and 3-5 years of experience to work in their Austin office. [Link]
  • Akerman Senterfitt is seeking a chemical patent associate with 1-3 years of experience to work in their Denver office. [Link]
  • Gilead Sciences is searching for patent litigation counsel with a BS in life sciences and 5-8 years of experience to work at their Foster City, CA office. [Link]
  • Carlson, Gaskey & Olds is looking for a patent attorney with 4-8 years of patent litigation experience to work at their Birmingham, MI office. [Link]
  • Klarquist Sparkman is seeking a litigation associate with 1-2 years of experience to work in their Portland office. [Link]
  • Klarquist Sparkman is seeking a patent attorney/agent with an advanced degree in organic chemistry and 3+ years of experience to work in their Portland office. [Link]
  • Cardinal Intellectual Property is looking for a patent search professional with a JD degree and a technical degree to work remotely. [Link]
  • Berkeley Lab is searching for a patent attorney with at least 5 years of experience as a patent attorney/agent. [Link]
  • Faegre Baker Daniels is seeking a trademark litigation associate with 2-3 years of trademark and copyright litigation experience to work in their Minneapolis office. [Link]
  • Cardinal Intellectual Property is looking for a patent search attorney to work at their Evanston, IL location. [Link]
  • Wellstat Management Company is searching for a patent attorney/agent with at least 5 years of experience and a background in biomedical or mechanical engineering to work at their Gaithersburg, MD location. [Link]
  • Stroock
  • Faegre Baker Daniels is looking for a junior patent litigation associate with 1-2 years of experience to work in their Denver or Boulder office. [Link]
  • Nixon & Vanderhye is searching for a patent attorney/agent with experience drafting and prosecuting patent applications to work in their Arlington, VA office. [Link]
  • The DuPont Company is seeking patent agents with experience in preparing and prosecuting patent applications under USPTO TC1600 to work at their Wilmington, DE location. [Link]
  • Covidien is looking for an IP attorney with 4-6 years of experience to work at their New Haven, CT location. [Link]
  • Hagens Berman is searching for a patent litigation attorney with 3+ years of experience to work at their Seattle office. [Link]
  • The USPTO is seeking patent examiners with an engineering degree to work at their Alexandria or Detroit locations. [Link]

Upcoming Events:

  • On April 10th join the United States Patent and Trademark Office Managers, Design Examiners, Design Patent Practitioners and Industrial Designers from across the country in a lively and thought-provoking discussion at the USPTO. They will discuss rules and techniques relating to proper graphic descriptions of design patent claims, confer on best practices aimed at the broadest protection of industrial designs in the United States, and hear from members of the design community on the importance of strong industrial design protection in an increasingly design-conscious world. [Link]
  • The IP Section of the Atlanta Bar Association and Georgia State University Law School will hold its 8th annual SpringPosium at the Barnsley Gardens resort on April 13 &14. Some example seminars will include: the new America Invents Act, Federal Court best practices, IP law and life practice management, and recent developments in damages law. Guest speakers include: Clerk of Court and Chief Deputy Clerk of the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Jan Horbaly and Pamela Twiford and Clerk of Court of the US District Court for the North District of Georgia, James Hatten.
  • The European Generic Medicines Association is hosting the 10th EGA International Symposium regarding Biosimilar Medicines on April 19-20 in London. Greenblum & Bernstein is providing a pre-symposium workshop on April 19, 2012 titled: Biosimilars In America: IP Strategy and Due Diligence. The workshop will explore the mechanics of the Biologics Act with an emphasis on how the Act relates to the involved intellectual property and how the intellectual property may impact the biosimilar applicant's strategy for entering the market. [Link]
  • The University of Colorado School of Law will hold a conference on April 24th. The conference, Patents on the Range or Wild Frontier, will discuss the future of patent policy. Guest speakers include: David Kappos, Don Rosenberg, John Thorne, Paul Ohm, Bernard Chao, and many others. [Link]
  • ACI will hold its 6th Annual Paragraph IV Disputes conference on April 24-25 in New York City. The conference will cover topics such as: the impact of the AIA on Hatch-Waxman litigation, claim construction, prior art obviousness and obvious-type double patenting, and many other topics. (Patently-O readers register with PO 200 for a discount). [Link]
  • The World Research Group is holding its 4th Annual Corporate IP Counsel Forum on May 16-17 in NYC. The Corporate IP Counsel Forum will address key issues and uncover latest developments related to IP in the form of case studies and panel discussions. Some of the topics include, but are not limited to: The America Invents Act and its impact on patent litigation and prosecution, IP monetization strategies for small and mid-size companies, Patent valuation, The top 10 most influential court cases in IP this year, Patent eligibility, Invention mining, Divided infringement, Best practices for combating non-practicing entities, Appeals to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Copyright infringement. [Link]
  • The Annual DRI Business Litigation and Intellectual Property Seminar will be held May 16-18, 2012, in New York City. Attendees will learn trial and appellate advocacy skills in business litigation get up-to-date on the last trends in intellectual property and business litigation, and network with in-house counsel, business and intellectual property trial lawyers and experts from across the country. Speakers include: Former ABA President, Dennis W. Archer, Dennis Archer PLLC, and David Leitch, VP and General Counsel of Ford Motor Company. [Link]
  • The San Francisco Intellectual Property Law Association is hosting its annual seminar in Healdsburg, the center of one of California's best wine regions, from June 1-3. Speakers include Hon. Margaret A. (Peggy) Focarino, USPTO Commissioner of Patents, Hon. Robert Stoll, former USPTO Commissioner of Patents, Hon. Gerard F. Rogers, Chief Administrative Trademark Judge of the TTAB, Hon. Randy R. Rader, Chief Judge of Federal Circuit, Hon. Susan Illston, Judge of N.D.CA, Hon. Edward J. Davila, Judge of N.D.CA, as well as professors and leading practitioners. [Link]
  • On May 21-22 Ronald Slusky will hold a seminar in Chicago, the seminar teaches a comprehensive approach to analyzing inventions and capturing them in a sophisticated set of patent claims. The seminar is based on Ronald's book, Invention Analysis and Claiming: Patent Lawyer's Guide. [Link]
  • ACI will hold a Biosimilars conference May 22-23 in New York, NY. The conference will focus on the legal, regulatory, and commercial realities of biosimilars. [Link]

Contact Lawrence.Higgins@patentlyo.com with leads for future Bits and Bytes.

Patently-O Bits & Bytes by Lawrence Higgins

Patent, , ,

Is There a Trend Towards IP Litigation Boutiques?

  • On February 29th of this year Renee Quinn of IPWatchdog wrote a post titled, Boutique Rising: A Conversation with Winthrop & Weinstine, in which she discusses the increase in IP litigation boutiques. [Link] I recently spoke with attorney Jason Mudd of the newly formed IP law firm Erise IP (www.eriseip.com) about the trend towards IP litigation boutiques. Jason recently left a large Kansas City law firm, along with partners Eric Buresh and Adam Seitz, to start Erise IP with a team of attorneys from their prior firm. Erise IP brought along several large clients, including Garmin, Sony, Ubisoft, Ford, and Mazda, to name a few. Jason believes their new firm is consistent with a trend of IP litigation groups departing large law firms to form boutique firms that are able to provide clients with greater flexibility demanded by the rapidly changing IP litigation landscape. While the numbers are not out yet, there could possibly be a recent trend towards IP litigation boutiques.

Copyright Infringement

  • Last week while I was in copyright class, Professor Crouch brought up the Lexis-Nexis and Westlaw class action copyright infringement case. The plaintiffs in the case claim that the defendants (Lexis and Westlaw) copied thousands of copyright-protected works created by, and owned by, the attorneys and law firms who authored them. So, this case got me thinking, do companies like Google Patents infringe patent lawyers and patent firms copyrights? Similar to Westlaw and Lexis, Google downloads thousands of patent applications to store in their database. While there is not a clear answer on whether patent applications are copyrightable or not, it seems that patent applications can have parts covered by copyright –drawings for example, even if the entire patent application is not copyrightable. In Rozenblat v. Sandia Corp. 69 USPQ2d 1474 (7th Cir 2003), the 7th Circuit recognized the copyrightability of an inventor's patent drawings. Does, this case alone indicate that Google and others may be guilty of copyright infringement for downloading patent applications? [Link]
  • It should be noted that Google is distinguishable from Lexis and Westlaw because Google does not charge users directly, and this fact adds weight to their fair use argument.

Patent Searching Tool

  • ArchPatent, a free-to-use patent search resource which provides novel ways to search, sort, and view patent information, has launched a revamped website this week. The revamp drew its inspiration from beta feedback over the last five months from individuals within the IP industry. ArchPatent Founder Brad Chassee indicates that the objective with the revamp is to focus the site on providing the simplest, most intuitive USPTO search tool – one which experts enjoy using and one which those new to patent searching would actually be able to navigate. ArchPatent wants everyone to be able to "slice and dice" patent search results quickly and efficiently, which should drastically reduce search times and simplify complex search tasks. The site is now ad free with some additional functionality being developed as part of a soon-to-be-released premium offering. The site has a useful filtering tool and filter types include: classification, assignee, examiner, agent, applicant and most referenced. The site now provides access to searchable USPTO data back to 1920 and pdfs back to 1790. [Link]

Patent Jobs:

  • Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney is seeking an Electrical patent agent with a minimum of 3 years of experience and a degree in EE, CS or Computer engineering to work in their Alexandria, VA office. [Link]
  • Stoel Rives is searching for a patent attorney with 3-5 years of experience drafting electrical-related patent applications to work in their Portland or Seattle office. [Link]
  • Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney is seeking an Electrical patent associate with a minimum of 3 years of experience and a degree in EE, CS or Computer engineering to work in their Alexandria, VA office. [Link]
  • SAS is looking for a patent counsel with 3 years of patent prep and prosecution experience in the software field and a degree in EE or CS to work at their Cary, NC location. [Link]
  • Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox is seeking chemist patent attorneys with at least a master's degree in organic or medicinal chemistry to work in their DC office. [Link]
  • Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox is searching for a chemical or biochemical IP attorney with a degree in CE, BM, or ME and 1-3 years of experience to work in their DC office. [Link]
  • Millennium Inorganic Chemicals is looking for corporate counsel with a degree in chemistry or chemical engineering and 7+ years of experience to work at their Glen Burnie, MD location. [Link]
  • Rutan & Tucker is seeking a trademark clerk with a minimum of 1 year of IP docket & filing experience to work at their Costa Mesa, CA office. [Link]
  • Westerman, Hattori, Daniels & Adrian is searching for a chemical IP attorney/agent with a 3 years or less of experience to work at their DC office. [Link]
  • Cantor Colburn is looking for an associate patent attorney with a chemical engineering degree and 2-5 years of experience to work in one of their offices. [Link]
  • Roberts Mlotkowski Safran & Cole is seeking a patent attorney with 2-4 years of experience and a degree in EE to work in their McLean, VA office. [Link]

Upcoming Events:

  • LES (USA & Canada) 2012 Winter Meeting will be held March 12-14 in Anaheim, CA. The meeting will focus on cutting-edge issues in the high tech space with overlapping content in related industries, including clean tech, nanotech, and medical devices. Featured speakers include Honorable Randall Rader, Chief Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit; Catherine Casserly, CEO, Creative Commons; and Patrick Ennis, Head of Global Technology, Intellectual Ventures. Patently-O readers save $100 with code PO1. [Link]
  • The New Jersey Intellectual Property Law Association will hold a half-day Patent Litigation Seminar on Wednesday, March 14, 2012 11:45 am to 5:45 pm. Guest speakers include: Paul Berghoff, Kara Stoll, William McElwain, Richard Bress, Barbara Fiacco, and Lewis Ho. [Link]
  • C5's 22 Forum on Biotech Patenting conference will take place March 14-15 in Munich, Germany. The conference brings together experienced in-house counsel from both innovator and generic pharma and biotech companies and their expert legal advisors from various jurisdictions across the globe. Session will cover the patentability of gene sequence patents in Europe and the US, current developments on biotech products and patent considerations for bio-deposits, and many other sessions. (Patently-O readers register with PO 10 for a discount). [Link]
  • The 14th Annual Richard C. Sughrue Symposium on IP Law and Policy will be held March 19th at The University of Akron Law School. The program will include a review of recent developments in patent, trademark, and copyright law, as well as a panel discussion on international IP. David Kappos will be the featured speaker and he will discuss the USPTO's implementation of the American Invents Act. Other guest speakers include: Timothy Holbrook, Mark Janis, former chief judge Paul Michel, Samuel Oddi, Ryan Vacca, Susan Pan, Harold Wegner, and many others.
  • American Conference Institute's FDA Boot Camp conference is scheduled for March 20-21 in New York, NY. ACI's FDA Boot Camp has been designed to give products or patent litigators, as well as patent prosecutors, industry in-house counsel, and life sciences investment and securities experts, a strong working knowledge of core FDA competencies. (Patently-O readers register with PO 200 for a discount). [Link]
  • Fitch, Even, Tabin & Flannery LLP will present a free one-hour CLE webinar, "Provisional Patent Applications: Making Substance in a Land Without Form," on March 21, 2012 at 12 noon EST. The first-to-invent impact of the America Invents Act requires a serious reevaluation of the use and content of provisional patent applications. Stephen G. Parmelee will address approaches to leveraging the provisional patent application opportunity by encouraging the inclusion of substantive content while taking economic advantage of the stylistic freedom that provisional filings permit. [Link]
  • The University of Pittsburgh School of Law will have their annual Innovation Law Lecture on March 22, 2012, 4-5PM. This year's guest speaker will be Professor Rochelle Dreyfuss from NYU School of Law and her talk is entitled "Are Patents Good for Science?" The event is open to the general public and one (1) CLE credit has been requested for the lecture. [Link] [Link]
  • American Conference Institute's PTO Procedures Under the America Invents Act conference is scheduled for March 26-27 in New York, NY. This conference will serve as a practical and tactical guide for PTO practice post-Patent Reform. (Patently-O readers register with PO 200 for a discount). [Link]
  • Managing Intellectual Property is holdings its US Patent Reform Forum conference March 27, 2012 in Washington D.C. The forum will bring together top officials, leading counsel at US corporations and their private practice advisers for a number of lively and informative sessions looking at the strategic implications of US Patent Reform. Speakers include: David Kappos, Judge Paul Michel, Gene Quinn, Robert Armitage, Phil Johnson, and many others. (Patently-O readers will receive a discount and in-house IP counsel from large corporations and research institutes attend free of charge.) [Link]
  • The ABA Section of IP Law will hold its 27th Annual IP Law Conference March 28-30 in Arlington, VA. The conference is recognized for its national and international scope and preeminent programming. It attracts IP practitioners from across the nation and around the world. Speakers and moderators include: Sharon Marsh, Keisha Hylton-Rodic, Alexander Wilson, Steven Emmert, Teresa Rea, James Bikoff, David Kappos, and many others. The discounted early registration deadline is March 14. [Link] [Link]
  • AIPLA and The University of San Diego School of Law will host the 2012 Electronic & Computer Patent Law Summit on April 2nd. The summit will include in-house counsel from Qualcomm, Apple, SAP, Covidien, ViaSat, Google, and Cisco, among others, as well as a distinguished panel of US District Court judges. Topics will include the new First to File system, an update on divided infringement, how the patent portfolio use and acquisition landscape is changing, and a discussion of the patent pilot program. [Link]
  • On April 10th join the United States Patent and Trademark Office Managers, Design Examiners, Design Patent Practitioners and Industrial Designers from across the country in a lively and thought-provoking discussion at the USPTO. They will discuss rules and techniques relating to proper graphic descriptions of design patent claims, confer on best practices aimed at the broadest protection of industrial designs in the United States, and hear from members of the design community on the importance of strong industrial design protection in an increasingly design-conscious world. [Link]
  • The IP Section of the Atlanta Bar Association and Georgia State University Law School will hold its 8th annual SpringPosium at the Barnsley Gardens resort on April 13 &14. Some example seminars will include: the new America Invents Act, Federal Court best practices, IP law and life practice management, and recent developments in damages law. Guest speakers include: Clerk of Court and Chief Deputy Clerk of the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Jan Horbaly and Pamela Twiford and Clerk of Court of the US District Court for the North District of Georgia, James Hatten.
  • The European Generic Medicines Association is hosting the 10th EGA International Symposium regarding Biosimilar Medicines on April 19-20 in London. Greenblum & Bernstein is providing a pre-symposium workshop on April 19, 2012 titled: Biosimilars In America: IP Strategy and Due Diligence. The workshop will explore the mechanics of the Biologics Act with an emphasis on how the Act relates to the involved intellectual property and how the intellectual property may impact the biosimilar applicant's strategy for entering the market. [Link]
  • ACI will hold its 6th Annual Paragraph IV Disputes conference on April 24-25 in New York City. The conference will cover topics such as: the impact of the AIA on Hatch-Waxman litigation, claim construction, prior art obviousness and obvious-type double patenting, and many other topics. (Patently-O readers register with PO 200 for a discount). [Link]
  • The World Research Group is holding its 4th Annual Corporate IP Counsel Forum on May 16-17 in NYC. The Corporate IP Counsel Forum will address key issues and uncover latest developments related to IP in the form of case studies and panel discussions. Some of the topics include, but are not limited to: The America Invents Act and its impact on patent litigation and prosecution, IP monetization strategies for small and mid-size companies, Patent valuation, The top 10 most influential court cases in IP this year, Patent eligibility, Invention mining, Divided infringement, Best practices for combating non-practicing entities, Appeals to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Copyright infringement. [Link]
  • The Annual DRI Business Litigation and Intellectual Property Seminar will be held May 16-18, 2012, in New York City. Attendees will learn trial and appellate advocacy skills in business litigation get up-to-date on the last trends in intellectual property and business litigation, and network with in-house counsel, business and intellectual property trial lawyers and experts from across the country. Speakers include: Former ABA President, Dennis W. Archer, Dennis Archer PLLC, and David Leitch, VP and General Counsel of Ford Motor Company. [Link]
  • The San Francisco Intellectual Property Law Association is hosting its annual seminar in Healdsburg, the center of one of California's best wine regions, from June 1-3. Speakers include Hon. Margaret A. (Peggy) Focarino, USPTO Commissioner of Patents, Hon. Robert Stoll, former USPTO Commissioner of Patents, Hon. Gerard F. Rogers, Chief Administrative Trademark Judge of the TTAB, Hon. Randy R. Rader, Chief Judge of Federal Circuit, Hon. Susan Illston, Judge of N.D.CA, Hon. Edward J. Davila, Judge of N.D.CA, as well as professors and leading practitioners. [Link]

Contact Lawrence.Higgins@patentlyo.com with leads for future Bits and Bytes.

Patently-O Bits & Bytes by Lawrence Higgins

Patent, ,

Conference on Industry/Academic Collaborations: Lessons from the Trenches

  • Innovation remains a major driver of economic growth in this country, and research universities provide a key reservoir of innovation. Increasingly, universities and industry have joined forces to translate that potential into jobs and commercial industries. Designing the complex legal and business frameworks for these collaborations is an evolving art, which will be discussed by those at the forefront of these transactions. On February 29, at UC Hastings College of Law, individuals from some of the biggest companies in the world will discuss their relationships with Universities. Google, Hoffman-LaRoche, Intel, Pfizer and BP will speak about their collaborations. The Keynote Speaker will be Chris Vein, The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Guest speakers include: Robin Feldman, Susan Capello, Paul Willems, Louisa Daniels, Jeff Walz, Laura Berner, and many others. This event will also be streamed online for individuals who are unable to attend. [Link]

Federal Court Dismisses OSGATA Lawsuit

  • The OSGATA suit against Monsanto has been dismissed by the US District Court for the Southern District of NY. OSGATA claimed that they did not want or intend to grow crops containing Monsanto patented gene traits and they feared being sued by Monsanto. Judge Naomi Buchwald noted that, Monsanto averages about 13 patent infringement lawsuits targeted towards farmers per year, which is considered insignificant compared to the number of farms in the US. The court held that there was no case or controversy because Monsanto has yet to take action against any of the plaintiffs. [Link]

USPTO Detroit Office Update

  • The Elijah J. McCoy United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will open in Detroit, Michigan in July 2012. The USPTO plans to hire for more than 100 positions, including patent examiners and Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences judges. The USPTO hopes to fill more than 50 percent of the positions by the end of the summer. Vacancy announcements for patent examiner positions and judges have been posted on the USA Jobs website.

Student Writing Contest

  • The Pennsylvania Bar Association IP Law Section is accepting papers for its annual IP writing contest. The competition is open to all students enrolled in one of the Pennsylvania law schools and Pennsylvania residents enrolled at other law schools within the US. The first place winner will receive $2500 and the paper will be published. [Link]

Patent Jobs:

  • Banner & Witcoff is seeking an International IP Manager with a minimum of 10 years of experience in management to work in their DC or Chicago office. [Link]
  • Axiom is looking to hire patent attorneys with 7+ years of experience to work remotely. [Link]
  • Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox is looking for electrical IP attorneys with 1-4 years of experience to work in their DC office. [Link]
  • Hiscock & Barclay is seeking patent attorneys/agents with a minimum of 3-5 years of experience to work at their Syracuse & Rochester offices. [Link]
  • The Coca-Cola Company is searching for a patent agent with 2-4 years of experience to work at their Atlanta location. [Link]
  • The USPTO is looking for patent examiners with a BS degree in engineering to work at their Alexandra location. [Link]
  • Steptoe & Johnson is seeking IP associates with a minimum of 4 years of experience in IP litigation to work in their DC office. [Link]
  • Fish & Richardson is looking for technical advisors with a background in EE, physics, or CS to work at one of their several offices. [Link]
  • Klemchuk Kubasta is searching for a patent associate with at least 4 years of experience to work in their Dallas office. [Link]
  • Guntin Meles & Gust is seeking patent attorneys with 3+ years of experience and a degree in EE or Computer Engineering to work in their Chicago office. [Link]
  • Levine Bagade Han is looking for a patent associate with 2-6 years of experience to work in their Palo Alto office. [Link]
  • Myers Wolin is searching for a patent attorney with 3-5 years of experience and a degree in EE to work at their Morristown, NJ office. [Link]
  • Young Basile is seeking a patent attorney with 2+ years of experience and a degree in ME, EE, or CS to work in their Ann Arbor office. [Link]

Upcoming Events:

  • The Florida Bar 3rd Annual IP Law Symposium will be held on March 1-2 on Orlando. The IP Symposium will address recent developments and important issues in IP law, including: Perspectives on the America Invents Act, Copyright Law and the First Sale Doctrine, Third Party Liability in IP, Enforcing IP on the Internet, Latest Developments in Patent, Trademark, and Copyright Law, and Recent Developments at the TTAB. Guest speakers include; Anne Gilson LaLonde, Scott Bain, John Welch, and many others. [Link]
  • Section 101 Gatekeepers: Finding the Patentable Subject Matter Line in a Judicial Sandstorm, webinar will be hosted by AIPLA on March 7. The webinar will be presented by Professor Christopher Holman and attorney Robert H. Fischer. [Link]
  • LES (USA & Canada) 2012 Winter Meeting will be held March 12-14 in Anaheim, CA. The meeting will focus on cutting-edge issues in the high tech space with overlapping content in related industries, including clean tech, nanotech, and medical devices. Featured speakers include Honorable Randall Rader, Chief Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit; Catherine Casserly, CEO, Creative Commons; and Patrick Ennis, Head of Global Technology, Intellectual Ventures. Patently-O readers save $100 with code PO1. [Link]
  • The New Jersey Intellectual Property Law Association will hold a half-day Patent Litigation Seminar on Wednesday, March 14, 2012 11:45 am to 5:45 pm. Guest speakers include: Paul Berghoff, Kara Stoll, William McElwain, Richard Bress, Barbara Fiacco, and Lewis Ho. [Link]
  • C5's 22 Forum on Biotech Patenting conference will take place March 14-15 in Munich, Germany. The conference brings together experienced in-house counsel from both innovator and generic pharma and biotech companies and their expert legal advisors from various jurisdictions across the globe. Session will cover the patentability of gene sequence patents in Europe and the US, current developments on biotech products and patent considerations for bio-deposits, and many other sessions. (Patently-O readers register with PO 10 for a discount). [Link]
  • American Conference Institute's FDA Boot Camp conference is scheduled for March 20-21 in New York, NY. ACI's FDA Boot Camp has been designed to give products or patent litigators, as well as patent prosecutors, industry in-house counsel, and life sciences investment and securities experts, a strong working knowledge of core FDA competencies. (Patently-O readers register with PO 200 for a discount). [Link]
  • American Conference Institute's PTO Procedures Under the America Invents Act conference is scheduled for March 26-27 in New York, NY. This conference will serve as a practical and tactical guide for PTO practice post-Patent Reform. (Patently-O readers register with PO 200 for a discount). [Link]
  • The ABA Section of IP Law will hold its 27th Annual IP Law Conference March 28-30 in Arlington, VA. The conference is recognized for its national and international scope and preeminent programming. It attracts IP practitioners from across the nation and around the world. Speakers and moderators include: Sharon Marsh, Keisha Hylton-Rodic, Alexander Wilson, Steven Emmert, Teresa Rea, James Bikoff, David Kappos, and many others. The discounted early registration deadline is March 14. [Link] [Link]
  • The IP Section of the Atlanta Bar Association and Georgia State University Law School will hold its 8th annual SpringPosium at the Barnsley Gardens resort on April 13 &14. Some example seminars will include: the new America Invents Act, Federal Court best practices, IP law and life practice management, and recent developments in damages law. Guest speakers include: Clerk of Court and Chief Deputy Clerk of the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Jan Horbaly and Pamela Twiford and Clerk of Court of the US District Court for the North District of Georgia, James Hatten.
  • The European Generic Medicines Association is hosting the 10th EGA International Symposium regarding Biosimilar Medicines on April 19-20 in London. Greenblum & Bernstein is providing a pre-symposium workshop on April 19, 2012 titled: Biosimilars In America: IP Strategy and Due Diligence. The workshop will explore the mechanics of the Biologics Act with an emphasis on how the Act relates to the involved intellectual property and how the intellectual property may impact the biosimilar applicant's strategy for entering the market. [Link]
  • ACI will hold its 6th Annual Paragraph IV Disputes conference on April 24-25 in New York City. The conference will cover topics such as: the impact of the AIA on Hatch-Waxman litigation, claim construction, prior art obviousness and obvious-type double patenting, and many other topics. (Patently-O readers register with PO 200 for a discount). [Link]

Contact Lawrence.Higgins@patentlyo.com with leads for future Bits and Bytes.

Patently-O Bits & Bytes by Lawrence Higgins

Bits and Bytes, Patent, , , , ,

USPTO Patent Externship

  • The USPTO will be accepting application for their patent externship until February 29. Last year there were about 200 students who participated in the program. The program will last anywhere from 8-10 weeks and is at the USPTO headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia. This is a great opportunity for anyone who wants to work in the patent field. [Link]

Chisum Patent Academy

  • The Chisum Patent Academy will hold its next Intensive Patent Law Training Seminar in New York City on Feb. 22-24, 2012. Topics to be addressed include the America Invents Act of 2011, recent nonobviousness decisions, inequitable conduct post-Therasense, and the continuing schism in the Federal Circuit over patent claim construction. The Chisum Patent Academy offers what CLE providers and patent bar review courses simply can’t: premium-quality patent law education in a unique seminar-style setting. Co-taught by leading patent law scholars Donald Chisum and Janice Mueller, the intensive three-day seminars are limited to ten (10) participants and conducted in roundtable, interactive style. [Link]

Patent Jobs:

  • Stoel Rives is searching for an associate attorney with 3-5 years of experience in patent prosecution and an EE background to work at their Salt Lake City office. [Link]
  • Weaver Austin Villeneuve & Sampson is seeking a patent attorney with 3-5 years of experience and a background in EE to work at their Oakland office. [Link]
  • Schwegman, Lundberg & Woessner is looking for patent attorneys with 2+ years of experience or 5+ years of experience if telecommuting. [Link]
  • Holland & Knight is searching for 2 IP litigation associates with 4-6 years of experience to work at their Boston or Chicago offices. [Link]
  • Howard & Howard is seeking IP associates with 4-8 years of experience of patent prep experience to work at their Royal Oak, Michigan office. [Link]
  • Armstrong Teasdale is looking for patent attorneys with 2-6 years of experience to work in one of their offices. [Link]
  • Pramudji Law Group is searching for a patent agent/attorney/engineer with at least 2 years of patent experience to work at their Houston office. [Link]
  • Shook, Hardy & Bacon is seeking a litigation associate with 3-4 years of litigation experience work in their Kansas City office. [Link]
  • Paul Hastings is searching for a patent litigation associate with a computer science degree and experience with patent litigation to work in their Atlanta office. [Link]
  • Krieg DeVault is looking for an IP associate with 3-7 years of experience to work in their Indianapolis office. [Link]
  • UTC Power is searching for an IP paralegal with 2-4 years of IP experience to work at their South Windsor, Connecticut location. [Link]
  • Fennemore Craig is seeking an experienced patent attorney to work in their Phoenix or Denver office. [Link]
  • Gore Medical Products is searching for an IP technical specialist to work at their Flagstaff location. [Link]
  • Wells St. John PS is looking for a patent attorney with 4+ years of experience in all aspects of IP practice to work at their Spokane office. [Link]
  • Sutherland is seeking a patent associate/agent with 2-5 years of experience and a degree in chemical engineering to work at their Atlanta office. [Link]

Upcoming Events:

  • IBC Legal’s 20th Annual Biotech & Pharmaceutical Patenting Conference 2012 will be held on February 21-22 in Munich, Germany. Get advice and analysis from a diverse team of international life science and IP experts on recent case law and developments, patent filing, patent life cycles, SPCs, patent infringement, EC Bolar implementation and more! Patently-O readers get a 10% discount when registering with this link. [Link]
  • Fitch, Even, Tabin & Flannery LLP will present a free one-hour CLE webinar, “Patent Reexaminations in Parallel with Litigation,” on February 22, 2012 at 12 noon EST. Joseph E. Shipley will discuss the factors that should be considered in deciding whether to seek reexamination as an alternative or adjunct to litigating patent validity in the federal courts. Topics will include what can and cannot be achieved in reexamination, current statistics on outcome, associated risks and costs, time frames, and reexamination options and alternatives. The upcoming new USPTO procedures–Post-Grant Review and Inter Partes Review–will also be covered. [Link]
  • The 7th Annual Conference on EU Pharma Law & Regulation will be held on February 22-23 in London. The conference will bring together eminent in-house counsel from the world’s largest pharma and biotech companies, top legal practitioners and regulatory experts in an outstanding speaker panel. (Patently-O readers register with PO 10 for a discount). [Link]
  • Maurer School of Law Center for IP Research will hold a CLE Fundamentals of Federal Circuit Advocacy event on February 23. Greg Castanias will lead a discussion of patent appeals before the Federal Circuit. Also appearing: Center for Intellectual Property Research senior advisor Donald Knebel, Prof. Mark D. Janis, and former Federal Circuit clerk Allison Kerndt. [Link]
  • The Florida Bar 3rd Annual IP Law Symposium will be held on March 1-2 on Orlando. The IP Symposium will address recent developments and important issues in IP law, including: Perspectives on the America Invents Act, Copyright Law and the First Sale Doctrine, Third Party Liability in IP, Enforcing IP on the Internet, Latest Developments in Patent, Trademark, and Copyright Law, and Recent Developments at the TTAB. Guest speakers include; Anne Gilson LaLonde, Scott Bain, John Welch, and many others. [Link]
  • Section 101 Gatekeepers: Finding the Patentable Subject Matter Line in a Judicial Sandstorm, webinar will be hosted by AIPLA on March 7. The webinar will be presented by Professor Christopher Holman and attorney Robert H. Fischer. [Link]
  • LES (USA & Canada) 2012 Winter Meeting will be held March 12-14 in Anaheim, CA. The meeting will focus on cutting-edge issues in the high tech space with overlapping content in related industries, including clean tech, nanotech, and medical devices. Featured speakers include Honorable Randall Rader, Chief Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit; Catherine Casserly, CEO, Creative Commons; and Patrick Ennis, Head of Global Technology, Intellectual Ventures. Patently-O readers save $100 with code PO1. [Link]
  • C5’s 22 Forum on Biotech Patenting conference will take place March 14-15 in Munich, Germany. The conference brings together experienced in-house counsel from both innovator and generic pharma and biotech companies and their expert legal advisors from various jurisdictions across the globe. Session will cover the patentability of gene sequence patents in Europe and the US, current developments on biotech products and patent considerations for bio-deposits, and many other sessions. (Patently-O readers register with PO 10 for a discount). [Link]
  • American Conference Institute’s FDA Boot Camp conference is scheduled for March 20-21 in New York, NY. ACI’s FDA Boot Camp has been designed to give products or patent litigators, as well as patent prosecutors, industry in-house counsel, and life sciences investment and securities experts, a strong working knowledge of core FDA competencies. (Patently-O readers register with PO 200 for a discount). [Link]
  • American Conference Institute’s PTO Procedures Under the America Invents Act conference is scheduled for March 26-27 in New York, NY. This conference will serve as a practical and tactical guide for PTO practice post-Patent Reform. (Patently-O readers register with PO 200 for a discount). [Link]
  • The European Generic Medicines Association is hosting the 10th EGA International Symposium regarding Biosimilar Medicines on April 19-20 in London. Greenblum & Bernstein is providing a pre-symposium workshop on April 19, 2012 titled: Biosimilars In America: IP Strategy and Due Diligence. The workshop will explore the mechanics of the Biologics Act with an emphasis on how the Act relates to the involved intellectual property and how the intellectual property may impact the biosimilar applicant’s strategy for entering the market. [Link]

Contact Lawrence.Higgins@patentlyo.com with leads for future Bits and Bytes.

Patently-O Bits & Bytes by Lawrence Higgins

Patent, ,

USPTO Hoteling Report

  • The US Department of Commerce recently performed an audit and evaluation of the USPTO's Hoteling program. The report shows that the average Patent Hoteling Program (PHP) examiner spends 66.3 more hours a year examining patents than does the average in-house examiner (which translates to reviewing about 3.5 more patent applications a year. However, the report shows that PHP participants are no more efficient at reviewing patent applications than individuals at the USPTO headquarters. At the end of the fiscal year 2011 over 2,600 patent examiners were Hoteling. To be able to participate in the PHP an examiner must be GS-12 or above, worked at least 2 years at the USPTO, passed the certification exam (essentially the Patent Bar), & currently not under any warnings. [Link]

U.S. House introduces bill to amend design patent law

  • The proposed House bill, known as the Promoting Automotive Repair, Trade, and Sales (PARTS) Act, would reduce the time period when auto manufacturers are able to enforce design patents on collision repair parts against alternative suppliers from 14 years to 30 months. The bill claims that it would save Americans money on car parts, by removing auto manufacturer monopolies from the equation. [Link]

Can University Tech Transfer save the Pharma Industry?

  • The pharmaceutical industry has been hit hard by the fall in revenue because of expiring patents. Pfizer's profit declined 50% because of Lipitor going into the public domain. Eli Lilly's profit dropped 27% because of Zyprexa going generic. AstraZeneca revenue declined and they plan to lay off 7,350 people, because Nexium fell out of patent protection in Europe. Also, later this year Plavix and Singulair will face competition, which will probably cause those companies' profits to drop. With all of these multi- billion dollar patents expiring, it seems that pharma companies need new compounds and drugs to increase profit. I think that Universities will be the key to the pharma industry. Universities have many patents waiting to be licensed by big companies that could be very profitable for both the University and the company. The problem that I see is that there is a lack of communication between companies and Universities. Most University Tech Transfer offices are limited in what they can do, and if they do not have an inside connection at a company, it is difficult to market an invention to a big company. This problem can be overcome in many ways; however it would seem that an intermediary may be needed. An intermediary would be of great value if they can connect pharma companies (or companies in general) with University Tech Transfer offices to help broker a deal. While this is not a new idea in the patent world, I do not think that many universities currently use individuals from the outside to help get technology licensed. [Link]

Patent Jobs:

  • Apple seeks to hire a Sr. IP Counsel with 6+ years of experience in patent disputes to work at their Cupertino location. [Link]
  • Sughrue Mion is searching for candidates for an associate or technical specialist positions with a BS in chemical fields and candidates with Ph.D. level education in Molecular/Cell biology to work in their D.C. office. [Link]
  • Brookstone is looking for IP Counsel with a minimum of 5 years of experience to work at their Merrimack, New Hampshire location. [Link]
  • Christopher & Weisberg is seeking a patent attorney with 1-5 years of experience and degree in EE to work in their Fort Lauderdale office. [Link]
  • Harness, Dickey & Pierce is searching for a patent prosecution associate with 3-4 years of experience and Bachelor's degree in Biotech or a Biotech-related degree to work in their Saint Louis office. [Link]
  • Faegre Baker Daniels is looking for an IP associate with degree in EE, ME, CE, physics, or chemistry and up to 5 years of patent prosecution experience to work in their Fort Wayne, Indiana office. [Link]
  • Bluestone Innovations is seeking to hire in house counsel with 5 years of patent litigation experience to work at their Reston, Virginia location. [Link]

Upcoming Events:

  • The New Jersey IP Association is sponsoring, The Inside Track to the Proposed Rules for Implementation of the America Invents Act on February 7 in Trenton, NJ. Featured speakers include: David Kappos, Philip Johnson, and Kenneth Nigon. [Link]
  • The Emory Law Journal will hold The 2012 Randolph W. Thrower Symposium, Innovation For the Modern Era: Law, Policy, and Legal Practice in a Changing World on February 9. The symposium is free and open to the public. [Link]
  • The Intellectual Property Law Section of the Utah State Bar is hosting its annual IP Summit in Salt Lake City, Utah, on February 17, 2012, at the Little America Hotel. This full day event includes two tracks of topics in various areas of IP law, lunch, and a networking reception. Confirmed speakers include Ted McAleer, Executive Director of USTAR; Robin Zhao, Jeekai & Partners; Hon. Dee V Benson, US Dist. Ct for the Dist. of Utah; Hon. Ted Stewart, US Dist. Ct for the Dist. of Utah; Hon. Virginia Kendall, US Dist. Ct for Northern Dist. of Illinois; Paul Marchegiani, NBC; Howard Michael, Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione; Jeff Gee, Symantec; and Richard Chang, ICON. [Link]
  • IBC Legal's 20th Annual Biotech & Pharmaceutical Patenting Conference 2012 will be held on February 21-22 in Munich, Germany. Get advice and analysis from a diverse team of international life science and IP experts on recent case law and developments, patent filing, patent life cycles, SPCs, patent infringement, EC Bolar implementation and more! Patently-O readers get a 10% discount when registering with this link. [Link]
  • The 7th Annual Conference on EU Pharma Law & Regulation will be held on February 22-23 in London. The conference will bring together eminent in-house counsel from the world's largest pharma and biotech companies, top legal practitioners and regulatory experts in an outstanding speaker panel. (Patently-O readers register with PO 10 for a discount). [Link]
  • Maurer School of Law Center for IP Research will hold a CLE Fundamentals of Federal Circuit Advocacy event on February 23. Greg Castanias will lead a discussion of patent appeals before the Federal Circuit. Also appearing: Center for Intellectual Property Research senior advisor Donald Knebel, Prof. Mark D. Janis, and former Federal Circuit clerk Allison Kerndt. [Link]
  • The Florida Bar 3rd Annual IP Law Symposium will be held on March 1-2 on Orlando. The IP Symposium will address recent developments and important issues in IP law, including: Perspectives on the America Invents Act, Copyright Law and the First Sale Doctrine, Third Party Liability in IP, Enforcing IP on the Internet, Latest Developments in Patent, Trademark, and Copyright Law, and Recent Developments at the TTAB. Guest speakers include; Anne Gilson LaLonde, Scott Bain, John Welch, and many others. [Link]
  • Section 101 Gatekeepers: Finding the Patentable Subject Matter Line in a Judicial Sandstorm, webinar will be hosted by AIPLA on March 7. The webinar will be presented by Professor Christopher Holman and attorney Robert H. Fischer. [Link]
  • LES (USA & Canada) 2012 Winter Meeting will be held March 12-14 in Anaheim, CA. The meeting will focus on cutting-edge issues in the high tech space with overlapping content in related industries, including clean tech, nanotech, and medical devices. Featured speakers include Honorable Randall Rader, Chief Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit; Catherine Casserly, CEO, Creative Commons; and Patrick Ennis, Head of Global Technology, Intellectual Ventures. Save $100 before January 31. [Link]
  • C5's 22 Forum on Biotech Patenting conference will take place March 14-15 in Munich, Germany. The conference brings together experienced in-house counsel from both innovator and generic pharma and biotech companies and their expert legal advisors from various jurisdictions across the globe. Session will cover the patentability of gene sequence patents in Europe and the US, current developments on biotech products and patent considerations for bio-deposits, and many other sessions. (Patently-O readers register with PO 10 for a discount). [Link]
  • American Conference Institute's FDA Boot Camp conference is scheduled for March 20-21 in New York, NY. ACI's FDA Boot Camp has been designed to give products or patent litigators, as well as patent prosecutors, industry in-house counsel, and life sciences investment and securities experts, a strong working knowledge of core FDA competencies. (Patently-O readers register with PO 200 for a discount). [Link]
  • American Conference Institute's PTO Procedures Under the America Invents Act conference is scheduled for March 26-27 in New York, NY. This conference will serve as a practical and tactical guide for PTO practice post-Patent Reform. (Patently-O readers register with PO 200 for a discount). [Link]

Contact Lawrence.Higgins@patentlyo.com with leads for future Bits and Bytes.

Patently-O Bits & Bytes by Lawrence Higgins

Patent, ,

2012 Student Writing Competition

  • The Virginia State Bar Intellectual Property Section is seeking papers written by law students who are attending law school in Virginia or are residents of Virginia attending law school outside of Virginia and relating to an intellectual property law issue or the practice of intellectual property law. The winner receives a cash prize of $4,000. The judge of the final round of the competitor is the Honorable Richard Linn, judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The deadline for submissions is Friday, May 25, 2012 at 4:00 EDT. [Link]

New IP Message Board

  • IPtalk.pro is a new intellectual property law message board for the discussion of patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and IP careers. It promises no spam, no downtime, and sensible moderation. [Link]

Intel buys IP for 120 million

  • Intel recently acquired about 190 patents, 170 patent applications, and video codec software from RealNetworks for 120 million dollars. Intel states that, the acquisition will enhance their ability to continue to offer richer experiences and innovative solutions to end users across a wide spectrum of devices, including through Ultrabook devices, smartphones and digital media. [Link]

Next Patent Office Location

  • Many cities would like to be the next location of USPTO's next satellite office, including Austin, Texas, Denver, Boston, Silicon Valley and now Las Vegas. It seems that the USPTO has set a deadline for groups and individuals to submit written pitches for why their cities should get a satellite office. The patent office, in soliciting proposals, listed five areas that would play a large role in the selection. Those areas included improved recruiting and retention of examiners that would hinge on factors such as cost of living and number of attorneys in the field, contributions toward speeding and improving the process, and access to innovators as judged by measures such as the number of patents already held by residents in the area. Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid and others will draft their letter to the USPTO, explaining the advantages of Las Vegas. [Link]

Patent Jobs:

  • Nelson Mullins is searching for 1 or more new or lateral associates with a background in CS or EE to work at their Boston office. [Link]
  • Verenium is looking for a patent agent with a BS in molecular biology or biochemistry and a minimum of 5 years of experience to work at their San Diego location. [Link]
  • Vista-IP-Law-Groups is seeking a patent attorney with a background in ME or EE and at least 2 years of experience to work at their San Jose office. [Link]
  • Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox is seeking electrical IP attorneys with 1-4 years of experience to work at their Washington, DC office. [Link]
  • International IP Law Group is searching for an associate, Of Counsel to prepare and prosecute patent applications at their Houston office. [Link]
  • International IP Law Group is looking for a patent engineer/agent with 2-3 years of technical experience to work at their Houston office. [Link]
  • Microsoft is seeking a patent attorney with a BS in CS or EE and at least 5 years of experience to work in their Redmond, Washington location. [Link]
  • Toler Law Group is searching for patent attorneys with a BS in EE or CS and 0-2 years of experience to work in their Austin, Texas office. [Link]
  • Kilyk & Bowersox is looking for a biochem/chem patent agent with at least 4 years of experience to work in their Warrenton, Virginia office. [Link]
  • The Webb Law Firm is seeking an associate with a BS in chemistry or chemical engineering and at least 3 years of experience as an IP attorney to work at their Pittsburgh office. [Link]
  • Klarquist Sparkman is searching for lateral litigation associates with 1-2 years of experience to work in their Portland office. [Link]
  • Klarquist Sparkman is seeking a patent attorney or patent agent with an advanced degree in organic chemistry and 3+ years of experience to work in their Portland office. [Link]
  • Roberts Mlotkowski Safran & Cole is searching for a patent attorney with 2-4 years of experience and a degree in EE to work at their McLean, Virginia office. [Link]

Upcoming Events:

  • The Synopsis under IP/Patents Telecom Sourcing (SUITS) Conference will take place January 31-February 3 in Miami, Florida. The SUITS Conference was launched to advance the knowledge innovators of telecommunications including developers, implementers, licenses, licensors, end users, carriers and enterprise patents. Guest speakers include: Jeffery Dalton, Christopher Douglas, Loren Pearson, Keith Bergelt, Todd Juneau, Michael Rouleau and many others. [Link]
  • The American Conference Institute (ACI) The Comprehensive Guide to Patent Reform For Life Science Companies, conference is scheduled for January 31- February 1 in New York. (Patently-O readers register with PO 200 for a discount). [Link]
  • AIPLA webinar, Selecting the Right Expert to Put on (or Poke Holes in) a Patentee's Case, will be held on February 1. The webinar will focus on the process of selecting a damage expert, recent cases that may influence the decision and some of the ways that a damage expert can assist with evaluating poking holes in the opposing expert's analysis. The webinar will be presented by Gillian Thackray and Philip Green. [Link]
  • The DC Bar's IP Section will host an event, Section 337 IP Investigations at the ITC: Lessons for District Court Practitioners, on February 2. The event will discuss what practitioners need to know before appearing at the ITC. Speakers include ITC Commissioner Shara Aranoff, ITC Judges Theodore Essex and Robert Rogers, Jr., Attorney Advisor to Commissioner Michael Diehl, Christine Lehman, Marcia Sundeen, Maureen Browne, and Jaime Underwood. [Link]
  • The Intellectual Property Law Section of the Utah State Bar is hosting its annual IP Summit in Salt Lake City, Utah, on February 17, 2012, at the Little America Hotel. This full day event includes two tracks of topics in various areas of IP law, lunch, and a networking reception. Confirmed speakers include Ted McAleer, Executive Director of USTAR; Robin Zhao, Jeekai & Partners; Hon. Dee V Benson, US Dist. Ct for the Dist. of Utah; Hon. Ted Stewart, US Dist. Ct for the Dist. of Utah; Hon. Virginia Kendall, US Dist. Ct for Northern Dist. of Illinois; Paul Marchegiani, NBC; Howard Michael, Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione; Jeff Gee, Symantec; and Richard Chang, ICON. [Link]
  • The 7th Annual Conference on EU Pharma Law & Regulation will be held on February 22-23 on London. The conference will bring together eminent in-house counsel from the world's largest pharma and biotech companies, top legal practitioners and regulatory experts in an outstanding speaker panel. (Patently-O readers register with PO 10 for a discount). [Link]
  • LES (USA & Canada) 2012 Winter Meeting will be held March 12-14 in Anaheim, CA. The meeting will focus on cutting-edge issues in the high tech space with overlapping content in related industries, including clean tech, nanotech, and medical devices. Featured speakers include Honorable Randall Rader, Chief Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit; Catherine Casserly, CEO, Creative Commons; and Patrick Ennis, Head of Global Technology, Intellectual Ventures. Save $100 before January 31. [Link]
  • C5's 22 Forum on Biotech Patenting conference will take place March 14-15 in Munich, Germany. The conference brings together experienced in-house counsel from both innovator and generic pharma and biotech companies and their expert legal advisors from various jurisdictions across the globe. Session will cover the patentability of gene sequence patents in Europe and the US, current developments on biotech products and patent considerations for bio-deposits, and many other sessions. (Patently-O readers register with PO 10 for a discount). [Link]
  • American Conference Institute's FDA Boot Camp conference is scheduled for March 20-21 in New York, NY. ACI's FDA Boot Camp has been designed to give products or patent litigators, as well as patent prosecutors, industry in-house counsel, and life sciences investment and securities experts, a strong working knowledge of core FDA competencies. (Patently-O readers register with PO 200 for a discount). [Link]
  • American Conference Institute's PTO Procedures Under the America Invents Act conference is scheduled for March 26-27 in New York, NY. This conference will serve as a practical and tactical guide for PTO practice post-Patent Reform. (Patently-O readers register with PO 200 for a discount). [Link]

Contact Lawrence.Higgins@patentlyo.com with leads for future Bits and Bytes.

Patently-O Bits & Bytes by Lawrence Higgins

Patent, , , ,

Microsoft and LG Sign Patent Agreement

  • Microsoft and LG singed a patent agreement that provides coverage under Microsoft's patent portfolio for LG's tablets, mobile phones and other products that runs on the Android Platform. Microsoft claims that more than 70% of all Android smartphones sold in the US are now receiving coverage under Microsoft's patent portfolio. It has been estimated that more than 700,000 Android based devices are sold every day and analyst have predicted that the number will reach 2.5 million devices per day. [Link] Microsoft most likely receives anywhere from $5-$15 dollars per device sold, meaning Microsoft makes $2.45 million-$7.35 million every day from Android operated phones. [Link]

Wal-Mart and Entrepreneurs

  • Wal-Mart has launched a "Get on the Shelf" contest to find the next new thing to put on their shelves. The contest is limited to categories that Wal-Mart carries, which makes the contest open to all kind of entrepreneurs. There will be 3 winners picked and their items will be sold on Walmart.com, with the grand prize winner being featured on the site's home page and stocked n select Wal-Mart stores. The public will vote for their favorite products, similar to other contest such as American Idol. [Link]

National Medal of Technology and Innovation

  • The PTO is seeking nominations for the 2012 National Medal of Technology and Innovation. The medal is presented by the President and is the highest award for technological achievement in the US. The medal is awarded to individuals, teams of up to 4, or companies for their contribution to America's economic, environmental, and social well-being. [Link]

Patent Jobs:

  • Cardinal Intellectual Property is seeking a patent search attorney to work at their Evanston, Illinois location. [Link]
  • Roberts Mlotkowski Safran & Cole is looking for a patent attorney with 2-4 years of experience and a degree in EE to work at their McLean, Virginia office. [Link]
  • Cardinal Intellectual Property is searching for patent search professional to work remotely. [Link]
  • DIRECTV is seeking a senior patent analysis counsel with 6+ years of experience to work at their El Segundo, California location. [Link]
  • Dority & Manning is seeking patent attorneys with 1-4 years of experience and a BSEE or BSME to work at their Greenville, SC office. [Link]
  • The Sughrue Firm is searching for patent agents with 1-2 years of experience and backgrounds in computer science of software to work in their Silicon Valley office. [Link]
  • Whirlpool is seeking a patent agent with a minimum of 2 years of experience and a BS in engineering to work at their Saint Joseph, Michigan location. [Link]
  • Hiscock & Barclay is seeking patent agents/attorneys with a minimum of 3-5 years of experience to work at their New York offices. [Link]
  • Steptoe & Johnson is searching for IP associates with a minimum of 4 years of experience in patent litigation and a technical background to work in their DC or Chicago offices. [Link]
  • Edell, Shapiro & Finnan is looking for a patent attorney with 2+ years of experience and a degree in EE or physics to work at their Rockville, Maryland office. [Link]
  • Michael Best & Friedrich is seeking a biotech associate with 5+ years of experience and a Ph.D. to work at their Madison, Milwaukee or Chicago office. [Link]
  • Intellectual Ventures and Invention Law Group is looking for a Chief Policy Counsel with 15+ years of experience to work at their Bellevue, Washington location. [Link]
  • Telesign is seeking a IP analyst with 2+ years of experience to work at their Marina Del Rey, California location. [Link]

Upcoming Events:

  • The American Bar Association Section of Intellectual Property Law, Young Lawyers Division, ABA-IPL Young Lawyers Action Group and the ABA Center for Continuing Legal Education will sponsor a webinar on January 20 at 1 p.m. Eastern time. The webinar, Prosecution Strategies: Tackling USPTO Obviousness Rejections will explore how the KSR standards have been applied in various technology areas and provide guidance for effective avenues of argument based on the technology area. Speakers include: Janet Hendrickson, Gregory Hillyer, Michelle O'Brien, and Zachary Stern. [Link]
  • American University Washington College of Law Administrative Law Review will be hosting an afternoon symposium on January 25 on the creation and administration of a new trial-like review procedure, more commonly known as post-grant patent opposition, at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, titled Regulating Innovation: How the Patent and Trademark Office Intends to Create Adjudication From Scratch. The symposium will explore the rulemaking that will be required of the agency, the implementation of the post-grant review process, and industry reaction to the proposed changes.
  • International IP- Is the IP World Flat? Santa Clara Computer & High Tech Law Journal is hosting its annual symposium January 27 on SCU Campus. The symposium will include the following 4 panels: (1) International Patent Harmonization; (2) Non Practicing Entities: Going Global; (3) The Rise of Chinese IP; and (4) Comparative e-Privacy Regimes. Speakers include: David Abrams, Colleen Chien, Nancy Kremers, Francois Gilbert and many others. Also, PatentlyO's Dennis Crouch will be a Speaker discussing International Patent Harmonization. [Link]
  • The American Conference Institute (ACI) The Comprehensive Guide to Patent Reform For Life Science Companies, conference is scheduled for January 31- February 1 in New York. (Patently-O readers register with PO 200 for a discount). [Link]
  • AIPLA webinar, Selecting the Right Expert to Put on (or Poke Holes in) a Patentee's Case, will be held on February 1. The webinar will focus on the process of selecting a damage expert, recent cases that may influence the decision and some of the ways that a damage expert can assist with evaluating poking holes in the opposing expert's analysis. The webinar will be presented by Gillian Thackray and Philip Green. [Link]
  • The DC Bar's IP Section will host an event, Section 337 IP Investigations at the ITC: Lessons for District Court Practitioners, on February 2. The event will discuss what practitioners need to know before appearing at the ITC. Speakers include ITC Commissioner Shara Aranoff, ITC Judges Theodore Essex and Robert Rogers, Jr., Attorney Advisor to Commissioner Michael Diehl, Christine Lehman, Marcia Sundeen, Maureen Browne, and Jaime Underwood. [Link]
  • The Intellectual Property Law Section of the Utah State Bar is hosting its annual IP Summit in Salt Lake City, Utah, on February 17, 2012, at the Little America Hotel. This full day event includes two tracks of topics in various areas of IP law, lunch, and a networking reception. Confirmed speakers include Ted McAleer, Executive Director of USTAR; Robin Zhao, Jeekai & Partners; Hon. Dee V Benson, US Dist. Ct for the Dist. of Utah; Hon. Ted Stewart, US Dist. Ct for the Dist. of Utah; Hon. Virginia Kendall, US Dist. Ct for Northern Dist. of Illinois; Paul Marchegiani, NBC; Howard Michael, Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione; Jeff Gee, Symantec; and Richard Chang, ICON. [Link]
  • The 7th Annual Conference on EU Pharma Law & Regulation will be held on February 22-23 on London. The conference will bring together eminent in-house counsel from the world's largest pharma and biotech companies, top legal practitioners and regulatory experts in an outstanding speaker panel. (Patently-O readers register with PO 10 for a discount). [Link]
  • LES (USA & Canada) 2012 Winter Meeting will be held March 12-14 in Anaheim, CA. The meeting will focus on cutting-edge issues in the high tech space with overlapping content in related industries, including clean tech, nanotech, and medical devices. Featured speakers include Honorable Randall Rader, Chief Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit; Catherine Casserly, CEO, Creative Commons; and Patrick Ennis, Head of Global Technology, Intellectual Ventures. Save $100 before January 31. [Link]

Contact Lawrence.Higgins@patentlyo.com with leads for future Bits and Bytes.

Patently-O Bits & Bytes by Lawrence Higgins

Patent,

Kodak accuses HTC and Apple of patent infringement

  • Kodak is trying to prohibit Apple's iPhones, iPads, and iPods and HTC's smartphones and tablets, from entering the US because they claim that the products infringe their patents on its digital imaging technology. Kodak has filed suit at the ITC and in the Western district of New York against Apple and HTC. [Apple Complaint][HTC Complaint] 
  • Kodak has been in the news lately with the threat of bankruptcy. However, Kodak has a very large number of patents in their portfolio and from the looks of the pending patent infringement suits; they plan to enforce their patents. This could be the start of a busy year for Kodak and their patent attorneys, if they plan on going after all potential infringers. Could Kodak's patent portfolio potentially save the company from bankruptcy? Only time will tell.

USPTO will host educational roadshows

  • USTPO officials will travel to seven educational roadshows regarding the America Invents Act, allowing the public to speak with the USPTO officials about the implementation of the Act. Discussions will mainly focus on the USPTO's recently proposed rules regarding provisions of the Act. The locations that USPTO officials will hold the roadshows are Alexandria, VA, Sunnyvale, CA, Salt Lake City, Dallas, Ft. Lauderdale, Boston, and Chicago. [Link]

The Nuts and Bolts of Federal Circuit Practice

  • On January 19, at 3p.m. eastern time, the Federal Circuit Bar Association will hold the Nuts and Bolts of Federal Circuit Practice. The webcast will provide a practical "How To" discussion of the rules and issues that practitioners and companies must face when appealing to the Federal Circuit. Many questions will be answered such as: How does the Court handle the many highly technical issues that come before it? What are the time limits for filing a notice of appeal and briefs? The panelists for the event are Pamela Twiford, Jan Horbaly, and James Benjamin. [Link]

Patent Jobs:

  • A patent firm is seeking a contract patent attorney/agent with at least 4 years of experience and a background in CS. (telecommuting option) [Link]
  • Stoel Rives is seeking a patent attorney with 3-5 years of experience to work in their Portland or Seattle office. [Link]
  • NSIP Law is searching for a patent attorney with at least 3 years of experience to work at their Washington DC office. [Link]
  • Hiroe & Associates is seeking a patent attorney with 2-5 years of experience to work in Japan. [Link]
  • Alston & Bird is seeking a patent prosecution associate with 2-3 years of experience and a background in electrical engineering to work at their Charlotte office. [Link]
  • Google is searching for a patent litigation counsel with 3 years of litigation experience to work at their New York office. [Link]
  • The USPTO is seeking patent examiners with engineering backgrounds and experience in the patent field. [Link]
  • Ice Miller is looking for a patent attorney with 2+ years of experience to work at their Indianapolis office. [Link]
  • Ice Miller is seeking a 2012 law school graduate eligible to sit for the patent bar. [Link]

Upcoming Events:

  • What You Need to Know About… The New ND Cal Patent Pilot Program, session will be hosted by Stanford Law School on January 18. Guest include Chief Judge Randall Rader, Jeff Fehervari, Laura Storto, Judge Nathanael Cousins, Judge Elizabeth Laporte, Judge Lucy Kohand many others.
  • The American Bar Association Section of Intellectual Property Law, Young Lawyers Division, ABA-IPL Young Lawyers Action Group and the ABA Center for Continuing Legal Education will sponsor a webinar on January 20 at 1 p.m. Eastern time. The webinar, Prosecution Strategies: Tackling USPTO Obviousness Rejections will explore how the KSR standards have been applied in various technology areas and provide guidance for effective avenues of argument based on the technology area. Speakers include: Janet Hendrickson, Gregory Hillyer, Michelle O'Brien, and Zachary Stern. [Link]
  • The American Conference Institute (ACI) The Comprehensive Guide to Patent Reform For Life Science Companies, conference is scheduled for January 31- February 1 in New York. (Patently-O readers register with PO 200 for a discount). [Link]
  • The 7th Annual Conference on EU Pharma Law & Regulation will be held on February 22-23 on London. The conference will bring together eminent in-house counsel from the world's largest pharma and biotech companies, top legal practitioners and regulatory experts in an outstanding speaker panel. (Patently-O readers register with PO 10 for a discount). [Link]
  • LES (USA & Canada) 2012 Winter Meeting will be held March 12-14 in Anaheim, CA. The meeting will focus on cutting-edge issues in the high tech space with overlapping content in related industries, including clean tech, nanotech, and medical devices. Featured speakers include Honorable Randall Rader, Chief Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit; Catherine Casserly, CEO, Creative Commons; and Patrick Ennis, Head of Global Technology, Intellectual Ventures. Save $100 before January 31. [Link]

Contact Lawrence.Higgins@patentlyo.com with leads for future Bits and Bytes.

Patently-O Bits & Bytes by Lawrence Higgins

Patent, , ,

USPTO news

  • On December 20th the USPTO released its updated website. The new website seems to be more user friendly and the design is more attractive than the previous website design. [Link]
  • The USPTO in cooperation with the Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation (COECI) launched the USPTO Innovation Challenge, a $50,000 prize to develop new algorithms to aid in patent examination. [Link]

Chisum Patent Academy

  • The Chisum Patent Academy will hold its next Intensive Patent Law Training Seminar in New York City on Feb. 22-24, 2012. Topics to be addressed include the America Invents Act of 2011, recent nonobviousness decisions, inequitable conduct post-Therasense, and the continuing schism in the Federal Circuit over patent claim construction. The Chisum Patent Academy offers what CLE providers and patent bar review courses simply can't: premium-quality patent law education in a unique seminar-style setting. Co-taught by leading patent law scholars Donald Chisum and Janice Mueller, the intensive three-day seminars are limited to ten (10) participants and conducted in roundtable, interactive style. [Link]

Student Writing Competition

  • Georgia State University College of Law will hold its first annual Intellectual Property Student Writing Competition in 2012. The GSU Intellectual Property Writing Competition seeks papers addressing legal issues and challenges in the intellectual property field. Winners will have the opportunity to have their paper published in the conference materials for the 2012 Corporate IP Institute (CIPI) and also win a cash prize. [Link]

Evil Twin Debate

  • On November 18, the University of Richmond School of Law hosted the Fifth Annual Evil Twin Debate, featuring Professor Daniel Crane of University of Michigan Law School and Professor Michael Carrier of Rutgers University School of Law at Camden. The video of the event has been posted on YouTube and is very entertaining. [Link]

Patent Jobs:

  • Zagorin O'Brien Graham is seeking patent attorneys with 2+ years of experience and a degree in electrical engineering to work in their Austin, Texas office. [Link]
  • Pioner is searching for IP attorneys with 5-7 years (or more) prior experience in patent prosecution and a background in life sciences to work at their Iowa location. [Link]
  • Bristol-Myers Squibb is seeking an IP Counsel with 5+ years of patent attorney experience and a background in molecular biology or biochemistry to work at their New Jersey location. [Link]
  • Guntin Meles & Gust is looking for patent attorneys with2+ years of patent prep and prosecution experience and a degree in EE or CE to work at their Chicago office (remote locations may be considered). [Link]
  • Steinfl & Bruno is seeking a patent agent with 2-3 years of experience and a degree in EE or related fields to work in their Pasadena, California office. [Link]
  • Klarquist Sparkman is searching for an IP litigation associates with 1-2 years of experience in IP to work at their Portland office. [Link]
  • Klarquist Sparkman is looking for a patent attorney/agent with an advanced degree in organic chemistry and 3+ years of experience to work at their Portland office. [Link]
  • Roberts Mlotkowski Safran & Cole is searching for a patent attorney with 2-4 years of experience and a degree in EE to work at their McLean, Virginia office. [Link]
  • Roberts Mlotkowski Safran & Cole is searching for a patent attorney with 2-4 years of experience and a degree in chemical engineering to work at their McLean, Virginia office. [Link]
  • Clements Bernard is seeking a patent attorney/agent with a degree in electrical/computer engineering to work at their Charlotte office. [Link]
  • Wells St. John is looking for a patent attorney with 4+ years of experience in all aspects of IP to work at their Spokane office. [Link]
  • An IP firm in Northern Virginia is seeking a patent attorney/agent with at least 3 years of experience and a background in semiconductor inventions (telecommuting option). [Link]

Upcoming Events:

  • The American Bar Association Section of Intellectual Property Law, Young Lawyers Division, ABA-IPL Young Lawyers Action Group and the ABA Center for Continuing Legal Education will sponsor a webinar on January 20 at 1 p.m. Eastern time. The webinar, Prosecution Strategies: Tackling USPTO Obviousness Rejections will explore how the KSR standards have been applied in various technology areas and provide guidance for effective avenues of argument based on the technology area. Speakers include: Janet Hendrickson, Gregory Hillyer, Michelle O'Brien, and Zachary Stern. [Link]
  • The American Conference Institute (ACI) The Comprehensive Guide to Patent Reform For Life Science Companies, conference is scheduled for January 31- February 1 in New York. (Patently-O readers register with PO 200 for a discount). [Link]
  • The 7th Annual Conference on EU Pharma Law & Regulation will be held on February 22-23 on London. The conference will bring together eminent in-house counsel from the world's largest pharma and biotech companies, top legal practitioners and regulatory experts in an outstanding speaker panel. (Patently-O readers register with PO 10 for a discount). [Link]

Contact Lawrence.Higgins@patentlyo.com with leads for future Bits and Bytes.