Greater Boston Chapter

Chapter Homepage

Licensing Executives Society
Boston Chapter

The Three "R's" of the Brave New World of Patents: Rules, Reform and Reflections

Wednesday, December 12, 2007
5:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Federal Reserve Building
4th floor/ New England Room
600 Atlantic Avenue
Boston, MA 02210

Change is the name of the game when it comes to the patent law landscape in recent months. The new USPTO rules changes, originally set to go into effect November 1, together with recent court decisions and so-called reform legislation, created a perfect storm of uproar, anguish, and confusion. 

Despite the 11th hour reprieve of a federal court’s preliminary injunction placing the rules on hold, the prospect of some or all of the rules going into effect is not dead.

Add to that, patent reform legislation, which by many accounts will drastically change the way patents are prosecuted, continues to wind its way through Congress.  Will a compromise rescue it or will it be shelved?  If it is enacted, what are the short- and long-term consequences?
Is there a patent revolution going on? What do all these changes mean? Which ones are likely to remain once the dust settles and what will that mean for those with licensing responsibilities in academic or corporate settings?

This program will answer these and other related questions. Two of our panelists will discuss the USPTO rules in the aftermath of the injunction, and the other two will cover the key components of the patent reform legislation that impact licensing.  How good are their crystal balls?

Panelists:
Donna M. Meuth, Counsel, WilmerHale
Lita L. Nelsen, Director, MIT Technology Licensing Office
Michael T. Siekman, Shareholder, Wolf Greenfield
John Stickevers, Partner, Bromberg & Sunstein LLP

Schedule:
5:30-6:30  Registration/networking/cocktails and hors d’oeuvres
6:30-7:15  USPTO Rules Post Injunction
7:15-8:00  Patent Reform Legislation
8:00-8:30  Networking

This program is being hosted by Wolf, Greenfield & Sacks, P.C.

RSVP:    
Registration:  The cost is $25.00 per attendee.  Please register by December 10, 2007.

By Check:  If necessary, you may send a check to register; Please make checks payable to “LES Boston” and return this invitation and the registration fee to:

Jim Freedman, 
Boston Chapter Co-chair,
Licensing Executives Society
M.I.T. Technology Licensing Office
Five Cambridge Center, NE25-230 
Cambridge, MA 02142
Tel: 617-253-6966
Fax: 617-258-6790
e-mail: jrftlo@mit.edu 

Federal Reserve Building

The Federal Reserve Building is accessible by the MBTA Red Line. Take the Red line to the South Station stop. The building is located directly across the street from South Station, on the corner of Summer Street and Atlantic Avenue.

For more detailed information, please visit the MBTA website.

Parking is not available at the Federal Reserve Building, but there are several public parking garages located throughout the city.

For parking that is a 5 to 10-minute walk from our building, continue down Summer Street (our building will be on your left and South Station on your right) and go straight through the lights at the intersection of Summer Street and Dorchester Avenue. At the next set of lights take a right onto Melcher Street, then a right onto Necco Street. The second building on your left is an enclosed parking garage.

For parking that is a 5-minute walk to our building, continue down Summer Street (our building will be on your left and South Station on your right) and at the intersection of Summer Street and Dorchester Avenue, take a left onto Dorchester Avenue. At the next intersection take a left onto Congress Street. A small parking lot is on the right.

On-street meter parking is also available.