LES (USA & Canada) 2011 Annual Meeting

J. Derek Mason, Ph.D. and Yorikatsu Hohokabe, Ph.D. of Oblon, Spivak participated in two workshops at the above conference:

Monday, October 17th:  The Latest Case-Decisions Affecting Patent Licensing in the US, Europe and Japan

• Dr. Hohokabe was the moderator and Dr. Mason was a speaker in the panel discussion.

This workshop provided information regarding the latest case decisions in the U.S., Europe and Japan, which may affect patent licensing from the perspective of U.S., Europe and Japan.  Three panelists from the U.S., Europe and Japan provided the most recent issues and tips for drafting and/or negotiating a license agreement for patent licensing including these three major regions.

Tuesday, October 18th:  Practical Implication of the Patent Law Reforms in the U.S. and Japan, and Post-Issuance Procedures as Cost Effective Alternatives to Litigation and/or Adjunct to Licensing Negotiations

• Dr. Hohokabe was a co-moderator and Dr. Mason was a speaker in the panel discussion:

This workshop provided a summary of the upcoming changes to the U.S. and Japanese patent laws, highlighting the changes that will fundamentally affect patent prosecution and licensing practices, and propose strategies to exploit these changes to achieve cost effective solutions.  It provided a summary of certain strategic provisions of the new U.S. patent law, such as changing the U.S. to a "first to file" system and expanding post-issuance proceedings, and likely proposed rules resulting from the America Invents Act (formerly the Patent Reform Act of 2011).  In addition, certain strategic provisions of the new Japanese patent law, including provisions relating to inventor’s and licensee’s rights, were discussed.  The workshop then focused on how the new rules/procedures will affect business and licensing practices going forward. 

Resources

• Developments in US IP Law Affecting Licensing
• Patent Reform: Leahy-Smith America Invents Act
• Weblink