Patent Law Institute is Around the Corner!

The Patent Law Institute returns for another exciting 2 day run on March 19th and 20th in San Francisco, California. Panel discussions are designed to be of ultimate practice value to all three subgroups in the patent law community: patent prosecutors, patent litigators, and strategic/transactional lawyers.  The Patent Law Institute’s New York run was a great success, with rare frankness from the judiciary and attorney panelists. The Institute brings together hundreds of the best patent law practitioners, federal judges and PTO officials as faculty and as Institute participants. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from and network with the best!

Customize your participation to best meet your practice needs. The Institute has 6 plenary sessions of interest to all patent lawyers. Add your choice of 6 breakout sessions in 3 tracks specially designed for patent prosecutors, patent litigators and those focusing on strategic and transactional aspects of patent law. Plenary sessions include:

-Keynote Address by Robert L. Stoll, Commissioner for Patents
-A dialogue with Federal Circuit Chief Judge Randall R. Rader
-Corporate counsel divulge critical issues that keep them awake at night
-A distinguished panel of Judges from critical U.S. District Courts
-The practice impact of the America Invents Act, and recent Supreme Court and Federal Circuit decisions
-Special Feature: Earn 1 hour of legal ethics credit

If you can’t attend the Institute in person, we’ve added a webcast of the first day of the Patent Prosecution breakout track. Originally it was not webcast from New York City, however, Institute attendees said that the PTO information was too important not to webcast and archive, so we have created this special viewing for you! I will be live blogging from the Patent Prosecution breakout as well.

Best of the 6th Annual Patent Law Institute

We here at the Practising Law Institute are pretty excited at how this past week’s 6th Annual Patent Law Institute exceeded expectations in the caliber and frankness of the featured panelists. The panels ranged from patent prosecution and litigation, to strategic and transactional discussions, to the ultimate in panels: the judges’ panel where federal & district court judges discussed the most relevant issues facing their courts along with some of the top patent attorneys in the country. If you missed this amazing institute, you’re not out of luck! The Patent Law Institute will have a second run in San Francisco, California from March 19-20, 2012, and registration is still open. Until then, here is a list of highlights, a best of the best if you will, from select panels throughout the Patent Law Institute. (more…)

Patent Law Institute Live Blog: PTO Keynote with Robert Stoll

Good morning and welcome to the 6th Annual Patent Law Institute live blog! We will be live blogging from the majority of the Institute’s panels, which will also be accompanied by live tweeting (@plipatentlaw, #PatentLawInstitute). This morning begins with the keynote address from Robert L. Stoll. Robert has had a long career with the USPTO, serving as Commissioner for Patents, Dean of Training and Education, and director of the Office of Enforcement for the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Robert is currently at Drinker, Biddle, & Reath LLP. Here are the highlights from Robert’s update on the PTO: (more…)

Press Release: Commissioner for Patents Robert Stoll to Retire from Government Service After 29 Years at the USPTO

As Per USPTO Press Release:

Deputy Commissioner Margaret “Peggy” Focarino to be Named Commissioner for Patents

WASHINGTON – Commissioner for Patents at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Robert L. Stoll has announced his intention to retire from the agency effective December 31, 2011. Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO David Kappos has announced that he will nominate current Deputy Commissioner for Patents Margaret “Peggy” Focarino to the position of Commissioner for Patents once Commissioner Stoll’s resignation becomes effective.

Stoll was appointed Commissioner for Patents by Under Secretary Kappos in October 2009. In his 29 years with the Patent and Trademark Office Stoll has held several leadership posts including training foreign officials on all aspects of intellectual property (IP), overseeing the Office of Enforcement, and directing federal legislative priorities for the Agency. In his tenure as Commissioner for Patents, Stoll was in charge of implementing initiatives to improve the speed and quality of the patent review process, and was instrumental in reducing the patent application backlog to under 670,000. Stoll also served as a principal liaison to representatives of government, academia and industry in order to raise awareness of the critical role patents play in economic development, and played a key role in the USPTO’s effort to enact historic patent reform legislation. (more…)