The Center for Intellectual Property Law at The John Marshall Law School is hosting its 56th Annual Intellectual Property Law Conference: Hot Topics and Current Developments in Patent, Trademark, Copyright, and Trade Secrets Law on Friday, Feb. 24, 2012, from 8:45 a.m. to 6 p.m. The conference is sponsored by Neal, Gerber, & Eisenberg LLC.
Attorneys from top law firms and law schools across the country will discuss changes facing intellectual property (IP) law, including the effect and interpretations of new patent laws and how new technologies continue to redefine the IP field.
The keynote speaker, Bernard Knight, general counsel for the Patent & Trademark Office of the United States Department of Commerce, will address the conference during the luncheon session.
The morning session, moderated by Kevin C. May of Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg, will cover the America Invents Act and recent changes in patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret law. Speakers on these topics will be Adam G. Kelly of Loeb & Loeb; Bradley C. Wright of Banner & Witcoff Ltd.; Mark V. B. Partridge of Partridge IP Law; William H. Frankel of Brinks, Hofer, Gilson, & Lione; and R. Mark Halligan of Nixon Peabody LLP.
The afternoon session will consist of two tracks. The first, covering issues in patent law, will be moderated by Meredith Martin Addy of Steptoe & Johnson LLP, and will feature speakers Timothy Holbrook of Emory Law School on “Supreme Court’s Renewed Interest in Patent Law.”
Also, David Ruschke of Medtronic Inc.; Glen Belvis of Foro Energy Inc.; Vicki Menard of Marsh & McLennan Cos.; and Robert Pluta of Motorola Mobility Inc. on “Critical Trends in 2012 from In-House Perspective.” Steve Steger of Global IP Law Group LLC will discuss “Monetizing IP and Generating Cash from Patents.”
The patent track also will feature a presentation on “E-Discovery—Limiting the Solar System or Expanding the Universe?” moderated by Charles McMahon of Brinks, Hofer, Gilson & Lione and featuring Judge Virginia M. Kendall of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois; Jennifer (Wojciechowski) Freeman of Kroll Ontrack; and Brandon C. Helms of Steptoe & Johnson LLP.
The second afternoon track, covering trademark, copyright and related issues, will be moderated by Acting Center Director William T. McGrath of Davis McGrath LLC, and will feature speakers William D. Henslee of Florida A&M University Law School on “Safe Harbor Provisions of the DMCA: Exploring the Threshold of ‘Red Flag’ Knowledge for ISPs;” Linda K. Stevens of Schiff Hardin LLP on “Use of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act in Trade Secret Litigation: Employer v. Former Employee;” Mark H. Barinholtz of Mark H. Barinholtz PC on “Copyright & Photography: Derivative Works, Substantial Similarity, and Other Imponderables;” and Mary Hutchings Reed of Winston & Strawn LLP on “Use of Third-Party Trademarks in Advertising: What Happened to Brand X?”
Attendees may earn approximately seven CLE hours. The cost to attend is $195 for general admission and $95 for representatives from government, judicial, or academia. John Marshall students may contact Michelle Bridges, executive director of the Center, at 312.427.2737 ext 581 or 6bridges@jmls.edu for a fee waiver. Register online at events.jmls.edu/IPDevelopments by Friday, Feb. 17, 2012.
“The conference is an excellent opportunity for the intellectual property community to discuss the many changes facing this rapidly expanding field of law,” said McGrath. It is offered by The John Marshall Law School as part of its role as a leader in intellectual property law education.
