Upcoming Conferences

There are a few March ’05 conferences here in Chicago that look promising.

1) FTC’s town-hall meeting on patent reform will be held in Chicago on March 4, 2005.  Kenneth Dam, University of Chicago Professor and formerly of the Deputy Secretary of Treasury will be a keynote speaker.  USPTO Director Jon Dudas will be speaking as well. [Brochure] [Online Registration].

2) The Japan-America Society of Chicago is presenting a discussion of the recent Blue LED patent litigation and the meaning of ‘reasonable compensation’ for inventors in Japan.  Mr. Katsuyuki Akutagawa Senior IP Manager at Nichia Corporation and Yasuharu Nagashima founder of Nagashima, Ohno & Tsunematsu will be speaking.  Everyone is welcome, but there is a $50 fee for non-members ($25 for students). March 4, 2005 — 2-4 pm at the Gleacher Center.  Pre-Registration is preferred.

3) The ABA’s TECHSHOW will be held in Chicago on March 31-April 2.  Sessions include: How to Jump Start Your Practice; Meet the Bloggers; and Using Technology to Avoid Malpractice. [Registration] [More info here, here, here, here, and here].

Shoot me an e-mail if you would like to meet-up during these events.

Los Angeles: A discussion of the good & bad of outsourcing patent work

Loyola Law School in Los Angeles is hosting a conference on the cost effectiveness of outsourcing of patent prosecution that promises to raise a number of provocative issues. (Link).

Speakers include:

  • Mozelle Thompson, former FTC Commissioner;
  • Stephen Kunin, who was with the PTO until recently;
  • James Sullivan, Assistant GC at FMC Technologies;
  • and others

Logistics: Friday, March 4th from 8:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m. on the Loyola Law School campus in downtown Los Angles; $195 includes continental breakfast, lunch and all program materials; registration deadline February 28th.  Contact: IP-FOCUS@LLS.EDU

Upcoming Events in the Patent World

There are several events taking place next week that interest me, and might interest you. They are listed in chronological order.

1) Phillips v. AWH en banc oral arguments, Washington DC, Tuesday, February 8, 2005: This is going to be a big event at the Federal Circuit in DC. 

2) Chicago’s IP Roundtable will be on February 10, 2005 and is hosted by Foley & Lardner.  IP attorneys who are interested in participating in a lively discussion of current hot topics are invited to attend.  The agenda includes a discussion of Phillips v. AWH, Rader’s sharp dissent in last week’s Fosamax case, Merck v. Integra at the Supreme Court, and patent extraterritoriality.

From the Flyer: Featured participants include the author of the most popular and widely read patent blog, "Patently-O", Dennis Crouch of McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff LLP . . . The co-moderators are Sharon R. Barner, Gregory S. Norrod and Harold C. Wegner. RSVP: Jean Shim jshim@foley.com. The conference venue is Foley & Lardner LLP, 321 N. Clark Street – Suite 2800, Thursday, February 10, 2005, 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. CST [RSVP deadline to guarantee space February 7, 2005]

3) The APLF is hosting a discussion of "What is Your Case Worth?"  This all important question is very useful to help plaintiffs and defendants plan their tactics in the courtroom and at the settlement negotiation table. Dan Boehnen of MBHB along with Aron Levko of PriceWaterhouseCoopers will lead the discussion that takes place February 11, 2005, 11:30-12:30 CST. RSVP: info@aplf.org in order to obtain toll free dial in number. The roundtable discussions are a free service to in-house counsel involved in IP matters that want to receive very timely and accurate summary information on business-relevant patent law matters, and APLF member firm attorneys.

4) FTC’s town-hall meeting on patent reform will be held in Chicago on March 4, 2005.  Kenneth Dam, University of Chicago Professor [emeritus] and formerly of the Deputy Secretary of Treasury will be a keynote speaker.  USPTO Director Jon Dudas will be speaking as well. [Brochure] [Online Registration].

5 )The ABA’s TECHSHOW will be held in Chicago on March 31-April 2.  Sessions include: How to Jump Start Your Practice; Meet the Bloggers; and Using Technology to Avoid Malpractice. [Registration] [More info here, here, here, here, and here].

Free Telephone Roundtable Today on Patent Damages

Date: December 8, 2004
Time: 12:30 PM Eastern Duration: 1 Hour
Phone in #: RSVP to info@aplf.org in order to obtain 1-800 dial-in number
Fee: Participation is FREE
Topic: Patent Damages–Beyond the Basics: Lost Profit Consideration

This discussion will center on patent infringement damages. The presentation will address damage issues beyond the basics of Panduit and Georgia Pacific including recent court decisions on lost profits, reasonable royalty and price erosion. Joseph Egan and Michael Chase, expert witnesses on economic damages with Navigant Consulting, Inc., will also provide case examples from some of their recent engagements and expert testimony. Curt Whitenack, a litigator from McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff LLP, will moderate.

I had forgotten to post this notice until I saw it on I/P Updates.

AIPLA Annual Meeting

The American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) has opened registration for its annual meeting to be held October 14 – 16, 2004 in Washington, DC.

This year’s program promises to be an interesting one with sessions examining patent law in the Pacific Rim, the Doctrine of Equivalents, trademark dilution, Constitutional challenges to copyright, Federal Circuit decision making, prosecuting the difficult patent application, trademark fair use, licensing programs, and patent, copyright, and trademark litigation.

Jon Dudas, the … Director of the USPTO will speak during the Friday Lunch Program. David Nimmer will address the Thursday Lunch program with a discussion of the recent accomplishments of the US Copyright Office.In addition to the learning, AIPLA meetings always have their share of good times.