Two important events on Monday, December 10, 2012
- FTC and DOJ will hold a workshop on patent assertion entities (PAEs) – also known as "patent trolls." http://www.ftc.gov/opp/workshops/pae/agenda.pdf. The agencies are considering ways that additional regulation and/or antitrust enforcement could be used to control negative effectives of patent assertion. This conference also highlights the renewed focus on patents outside of the USPTO. (Free Webcast Available)
- Also in DC, the IPO is hosting its annual conference on USPTO law and practice. I will be speaking on a design patent panel that will include a discussion of the role of the new Hague agreement and also changes in design patent practice highlighted by the Smartphone wars. http://www.ipoef.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Calendar1&ContentID=32154&Template=/CM/HTMLDisplay.cfm.
See you in DC.
