For information about the December 13, 2016 conference, which will be held at USPTO Headquarters in Alexandria, see this page.
The Santa Clara High Tech Law Institute and the Duke Law Center for Innovation Policy invite you to attend a pair of jointly-hosted conferences on Patent Quality, to discuss and support engagement in the USPTO’s Enhanced Patent Quality Initiative and other levers for improving patent quality. These conferences will convene academics and stakeholders to reflect, as a community, on existing initiatives and future directions. The first conference will be held on September 9, 2016 at Santa Clara University. A second conference, which will be co-hosted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, will be held on December 13, 2016 at USPTO headquarters in Alexandria, VA.
Conference Resources
All USPTO participant materials produced by the United States Patent and Trademark Office; no copyright is claimed by the United States in this presentation or associated materials.
Schedule
(Subject to change)
| Time | Topic |
| 8:45 am – 8:50 am | Welcome/Introduction Colleen Chien, Santa Clara Law Arti Rai, Duke University, School of Law |
| 8:50 am – 9:10 am |
Claim Clarity Initiatives |
| 9:15 am – 10:15 am |
Claim Clarity, Consistency |
| 10:15 am – 10:35 am |
Break |
| 10:35 am – 10:55 am |
How Examiner Time is Allocated |
| 11:00 am – 11:15 am |
Searching and Time Allocations Survey |
| 11:20 am – 12:20 pm |
Search and Time |
| 12:20 pm – 1:20 pm | Lunch |
| 1:20 pm – 1:35 pm | Comparative Patent Examination at the USPTO and EPO – SLIDES Colleen Chien, Santa Clara Law Jay Kesan, University of Illinois, College of Law |
| 1:35 pm – 1:55 pm | EPO Quality Initiatives and Differences Alfred Spigarelli, EPO – SLIDES |
| 1:55 pm – 2:55 pm | Once and Done, Feedback Loops Moderator: Arti Rai, Duke University, School of Law Alan Marco, USPTO – SLIDES Laura Sheridan, Google Sandy Swain, Microsoft Corporation – SLIDES Stephen Yelderman, University of Notre Dame Law School |
| 2:55 pm – 3:15 pm | Break |
| 3:15 pm – 4:15 pm | Applicant Incentives and Choices (including fees), Differentiating Between Patents Moderator: Melissa Wasserman, The University of Texas at Austin, School of Law Oskar Liivak, Cornell University Law School – SLIDES Brian Love, Santa Clara Law – SLIDES Josh Makower, New Enterprise Associates Robert Marek, GAO Arti Rai, Duke University, School of Law – SLIDES |
| 4:20 pm – 4:40 pm | Where We’ve Been – Perspective Dave Kappos, Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP |
| 4:40 pm – 5:10 pm | Reflections on Patent Quality – Where We’ve Been, Where We’re Going Moderator: Colleen Chien, Santa Clara Law John Cabeca, USPTO Andy Faile, USPTO Valencia Martin-Wallace, USPTO Alfred Spigarelli, EPO |
This event will qualify for 6 hours of California MCLE. Santa Clara Law is a State Bar of California approved MCLE provider.
Follow us Online at #PatentQualityConf, @PatentQualityCo
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Law360 is presenting a weekly series of opinion pieces related to the two conferences.
Making ‘Compact Prosecution’ Truly Compact
Laura Sheriden, Google [Sept. 28]
Q&A With GAO Directors: Improving Patent Quality
Frank Rusco & John Neumann, GAO [Oct. 7]
Reconsidering Patent Examiner’s Time Allocations
Michael D. Frakes, Duke Law & Melissa F. Wasserman, Texas Law [Oct. 13]
Getting Practical about Patent Quality
David J. Kappos, Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP [Oct. 21]
Overclaiming Is Criminal
Oskar Liivak, Cornell Law [Oct. 28]
