On April 17, 2015, CLIPT hosted a conference on the administrative proceedings created by Leahy-Smith America Invents Act for evaluating the validity of issued patents. Congress intended for these proceedings to provide an alternative to challenging the validity of patents through expensive and lengthy district court litigation.
Panels of experts from academia, government, industry, and private practice assessed whether Congress achieved its stated goals, exploring the uses, procedures, and outcomes of these administrative procedures. A lively audience of academics, alumni, lawyers, and students joined the discussion, with informal conversations lasting well after the end of the conference.
Former Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit Paul Michel (below holding water) delivered a stirring keynote address over lunch regarding patent reform.
CLIPT and the University of Baltimore are indebted to our speakers for sharing their time and expertise. We also thank Wiley Rein LLP for generously donating coffee and lunch.
Over coffee before the conference, UBalt IP alumni enjoyed reconnecting (above UBalt alumni Bill Atkins, Vicki Schultz, and Manus Cooney with School of Law Dean Ron Weich).
UB students also enjoyed the conference and are looking forward to launching their own IP careers (above aspiring patent attorneys Renia Zervos and Kirsten Smulovitz).
Keynote Speaker
- Hon. Paul Michel, Former Chief Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
Conference Speakers
- William P. Atkins, Partner and Leader of IP Litigation, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman
- Andrew S. Baluch, Partner, Foley & Lardner, former Director of International IP Enforcement for the White House
- Gregory Dolin, Associate Professor and Associate Director for the Center for the Law of Intellectual Property and Technology, University of Baltimore School of Law
- Matthew Dowd, Partner, Wiley Rein
- James Gould, Counsel, RatnerPrestia, former Legal Director for Merck & Co.
- William Hubbard, Associate Professor and Director for the Center for the Law of Intellectual Property and Technology, University of Baltimore School of Law
- George Medlock, Assistant General Counsel, Comcast, Inc.
- Adam Mossoff, Professor of Law and Senior Scholar of the Center for the Protection of Intellectual Property, George Mason University
- Molly Silfen, Associate Solicitor, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
- Hon. Jacqueline Wright Bonilla, Administrative Patent Judge, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
- Ron Weich, Dean, University of Baltimore School of Law