Patent Law Practice Center

Patent Law Institute: Hon. Sharon Barner’s Keynote

The 5th Annual Patent Law Institute has just kicked off and we are lucky to have Former Deputy Director of Sharon Barner here to give the keynote address on her experience in the United States Patent Office as Deputy Director  including the initiatives taking place in the Patent Office today as per the USPTO Strategic Plan”.  Here are a few of the highlights of Barner’s remarks:

Barner began by saying that a lot of activity was needed at the USPTO to change things believed needed to change.  The number one goal is to  focus our resources and more effectively improve overall operations and the time it takes to get a patent.  As a part of focusing on timeliness, focus on quality of a patent.  PTO needs to be properly funded.  USPTO needs to have sustainable funding model and end to fee diversion.  However, money alone will not solve problems, needs to be well run and well managed.  Spent time crafting “Strategic Plan” at Patent Office. Barner urged all patent practitioners to review the USPTO 2010-2015 Strategic Plan which highlights the USPTO’s goals and initiatives.  Wanted to make sure resources focused on activities that will actually drive down backlog and drive down pendency and they did this by setting priorities.   How are you going to make priorities real when you’re predecessors couldn’t,  we’re going to manage the priorities the way a business would manage priorities.  (more…)

PLI’s Patent Law Institute is Next Week!

PLI’s 5th Annual Patent Law Institute is next week on February 17-18 and the Patent Law Practice Center is your one-stop-shop for all things Institute related.  If you’re not joining us live in NYC or on the web, come here next Thursday at 9:15am to see a live stream of former USPTO Deputy Director Sharon Barner’s keynote address to kick off the Institute.  Also be sure to check back in to the Practice Center to read my live blog from the Institute.

The Institute will cover the practice impact of recent developments on all three sub-groups in the patent law community: patent prosecutors, patent litigators, and strategic & transactional lawyers. The two-day schedule includes six one-hour plenary sessions of broad interest to patent lawyers and a separate breakout track for prosecution, litigation and strategic & transactional practices. Each track features six one-hour breakout sessions focused on each of the three patent practice sub-groups. In just two days, you will learn the important developments and best practices in each area. And earn Ethics credit, too! You can design the Institute schedule that best meets your individual practice needs. Do not miss this unique opportunity to sharpen your practice skills and to network with federal judges, USPTO officials, in-house counsel and outside lawyers.

PLI’s Patent Law Institute Coming To A Location Near You!

PLI’s 5th Annual Patent Law Institute is on February 17-18 in New York (and via web) and on March 21-22 in San Francisco.  If you’re not joining us live in NYC or on the web, you can come here on Thursday February 17th at 9:15am to see a live stream of  former USPTO Deputy Director Sharon Barner’s keynote address to kick off the Insitute.

The Institute will cover the practice impact of recent developments on all three sub-groups in the patent law community: patent prosecutors, patent litigators, and strategic &transactional lawyers. The two-day schedule includes six one-hour plenary sessions of broad interest to patent lawyers and a separate breakout track for prosecution, litigationandstrategic & transactional practices. Each track features six one-hour breakout sessions focused on each of the three patent practice sub-groups.

Plenary sessions include:

• USPTO Keynote Address by USPTO Deputy Director Sharon R. Barner
• Understand the practice impact of recent Supreme Court and Federal Circuit decisions
• Learn the latest on the lower court’s reactions to the Supreme Court’s Bilski decision from a panel of experts
• Master the changes at the USPTO and how to manage client expectations
• Corporate counsel divulge the patent issues that keep them awake at night
• A distinguished panel of federal judges share their perspective on critical patent litigation issues
• Earn one hour of ethics credit

Interview Exclusive: USPTO Director David Kappos

Written by Gene Quinn (of IPWatchdog.com and Practice Center Contributor)

On Monday, July 19, 2010, I was granted behind the scenes access to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and was allowed to follow USPTO Director David Kappos throughout the day as he went from meeting to meeting. I have already chronicled much of the events of the day in the previous article– Behind the Scenes:  A Day in the Life of David Kappos. At the end of the day I was granted a 30 minute interview with Director Kappos, which appears below.

In this interview Kappos discusses with me his management style, his famously long hours, how he manages to inspire the Office to work harder than ever before, his efforts to get funding for the Office, how the USPTO can help innovators create new businesses and new jobs, and how to inspire young people to do public service. We also learn that he and Judge Rader share the same favorite movie (see Judge Rader Interviewat the end), he likes Star Trek and Star Wars equally (an astute political answer no doubt) and the famous American inventor he would like to meet is a “Mount Rushmore” inventor.

In terms of interview mechanics, I was joined in Director Kappos’ office by Drew Hirshfeld, Chief of Staff, and Peter Pappas, Chief Communications Officer and Kappos’ Senior Advisor.

Now, I proudly present my interview with Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, David Kappos.

QUINN: Thank you very much Director for taking the time at the end of this day.

KAPPOS: You Bet!

QUINN: I appreciate your giving me the opportunity to get an inside view of the PTO. And one of the things I try to do whenever I sit down and chat with people is to get a behind the scenes look. I got a good look today but one of the things I’d like to ask you about, since you spent so many years in the private sector, is what management techniques have you brought from the private sector into the government? (more…)