Agenda

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Thursday, December 8

Presiding Officer:
Christopher J. Byrne, Samsung Electronics

8:00 AM

Registration Opens + Continental Breakfast
Sponsored by Inflexion Point Strategy

8:50 AM Welcoming Remarks
9:00 AM

§101 Case Update

This panel will discuss recent trends in §101 decisions, distinguishing key points regarding claim language, technical details in the specification, and procedural issues that have impacted the outcome of cases. Panelists will make recommendations for prosecuting applications and litigating cases that have §101 issues.

Moderator:
David Simon, Salesforce

Panelists:
Isabella Fu, Microsoft Corp.
Joe C. Hao, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP
Rajiv Patel, Fenwick & West LLP

Powerpoint [PDF]

10:00 AM

The State of the Law of §101 Eligibility: A Debate

Twenty-five years after Diamond v. Diehr and 2½ years after Alice-Mayo, has the law of §101 eligibility established a good equilibrium between the interests of the public and patent owners? Based on recent decisions of the USPTO, the District Courts and the Federal Circuit, do we need minor statutory changes, slightly different guidance from the Supreme Court, or an entirely different approach? Is a “discovery” still eligible for patent consideration? The debaters will explore these and other questions and suggest new directions for resolution.

Peter Menell, Berkeley Law; BCLT
Chris Palermo, Hickman Palermo

Powerpoint [PDF]

10:30 AM 

Pleading Standards

In December 2015, the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure were amended to eliminate Form 18. Venue for patent cases has come under increasing scrutiny. Rarely have developing issues of civil procedure been so central to patent litigation strategy. Two leading patent litigators will discuss key developments in civil procedure, illuminate emerging trends and standards under the changed rules, and share strategic insights for effectively navigating the pleading stage of patent litigation.

Chris Mammen, Hogan Lovells LLP
Bijal Vakil, White & Case LLP

Powerpoint [PDF]

11:00 AM

Break

11:15 AM

DTSA and Trade Secrets

The recent ascendancy of trade secrets, including as an alternative form of protection for innovation, has been reinforced by the Defend Trade Secrets Act, which establishes newly powerful and efficient enforcement remedies. This session will consider how the provisions of the new law might affect the already dynamic environment for corporate IP strategy and litigation practice.

Jim Pooley, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP

Powerpoint [PDF]

11:45 AM

Willful Infringement and Enhanced Damages after Halo

By rewriting the rules on willful infringement, the Supreme Court’s decision in Halo wrought significant changes in litigation risk and strategy, trial strategy, opinion practice, and employee management. Among the questions to be addressed in this session:

  • How are courts handling willful infringement claims post-Halo?
  • Has the new preponderance standard made a difference?
  • Has Halo’s focus on “egregious infringement” changed the way courts instruct on, or evaluate, willfulness?
  • Are courts now more likely to increase damages by some percentage? 2x or 3x?
  • After Halo, what can you do to mitigate your willful infringement risk and to combat such claims at trial?
  • Is there a renewed role for opinions, and opinion counsel, at trial?
  • Is it better to review patents as they are asserted and create a record of good faith or to ignore all patents?

Moderator: 
G. Hopkins Guy, III, Baker Botts LLP

Panelists:
Michael Hendershot, Paul Hastings LLP
Buzz Frahn, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP
Ashok Ramani, Keker & Van Nest LLP

Powerpoint [PDF]

12:45 PM

Lunch
Sponsored by Hickman Palermo Becker Bingham LLP

Presiding Officer:
Thomas Friel, Cooley LLP

1:15 PM 

Lunch Keynote: What Robots and AI Can Teach Us About Being Human

While some say we’re on the brink of a revolution where robots will steal 50% of our jobs, Ken Goldberg will explain why humans still have many good years ahead.  He will explore how Cloud Robotics combines advances in cloud computing, big data, deep learning, open-source, and the Internet of things.  He will explain his concept of “Multiplicity,” which mobilizes diverse groups of humans and machines to solve difficult problems.

Ken Goldberg, EECS, UC Berkeley

1:45 PM

Damages

The panel will discuss recent developments in U.S. law concerning general damages, domestic RAND/SEP damages, and the availability of injunctive relief.

Moderator: 
Alexandra McTague, Winston & Strawn LLP

Panelists:
Ed Reines, Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP
Marta Beckwith, PacTech Law

2:30 PM

International Attitudes Towards Injunctions and SEPs

Two leading practitioners with broad international experience will discuss changing currents in international injunctive relief jurisprudence, with emphasis on injunctions in SEP-based litigations. They will address recent developments in the injunctive relief landscape, with a focus on Asia and Europe (and the impact Brexit may have).

Alexander Korenberg, Kilburn & Strode LLP
Keith Slenkovich, WilmerHale

Powerpoint [PDF]

3:00 PM

Investment Portfolios: Buying, Selling & Litigation

This session will “follow the money” to see how investors view patent portfolios and patent litigation. We’ll discuss how companies like Fortress make investment decisions where the patents are critical to the investment. How do patent holders evaluate their options and what are the values of those options? We’ll talk about how investors and patent holders use data like the overall patent market and litigation success rates to model their returns.

Michele Moreland, Fortress Investment Group
Kent Richardson, Richardson Oliver Law Group

Powerpoints [PDF]

 3:30 PM Break
3:45 PM

Attorney’s Fees

The Supreme Court’s decision in Octane Fitness, LLC v. Icon Health & Fitness, Inc. has made it easier for patent litigants to seek an attorney’s fee award for exceptional cases. This presentation will focus on what, if any, impact Octane has had on attorney’s fee awards, the role that litigation misconduct can play in determining those awards, and who owns or must pay the fee awards.

Richard S.J. Hung, Morrison & Foerster LLP

Powerpoint [PDF]

4:15 PM                       

 

Judges Panel

Leading District Court judges will discuss cutting-edge patent litigation issues, including creative ways they are managing cases in an evolving patent landscape.

Moderator:
Betty Chen, Fish & Richardson

Panelists:
Hon. Ron Clark, Chief Judge, USDC, Eastern District Of Texas
Hon. James Donato, USDC, Northern District of California
Hon. Beth Labson Freeman, USDC, Northern District of California
Hon. Robert W. Schroeder, III, USDC, Eastern District Of Texas

5:15 PM

Closing Remarks

 

Friday, December 9

Presiding Officer:
Jason Kipnis, WilmerHale

8:00 AM

Continental Breakfast
Sponsored by LitiNomics

8:30 AM

IPR and Post Grant Review

IPRs have proven to be a very popular means of seeking determinations concerning the validity of issued patents. As more patents become eligible for challenge under the PGR process, the popularity of those proceedings may also increase. This panel will examine the latest trends in IPR proceedings, consider strategic issues relating to IPRs and PGRs, and examine how the district courts are treating PTAB decisions and the intersection between these proceedings and district court litigation.

Moderator:
Brian Kwok, Haynes & Boone LLP

Panelists:
Judge Peter Chen, APJ, USPTO
Terry Rea, Crowell & Morning LLP
Michael De Vries, Kirkland & Ellis

Powerpoint [PDF]

9:30 AM

Perspectives and Priorities from the USPTO 

Silicon Valley USPTO Director John Cabeca will review priority initiatives at the USPTO, including updates on enhancing patent quality, examiner training, and guidance. He will also discuss the PTO’s open data models and will provide a snapshot of filing trends and trial proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.

John Cabeca, USPTO

Powerpoint [PDF]

10:00 AM

Geographic and Contractual Limitations on Patent Exhaustion

Under the Federal Circuit’s en banc decision in Lexmark International, Inc. v. Impression Products, Inc., patent exhaustion is not triggered by foreign sales or sales that are made subject to a “clearly communicated, otherwise-lawful restriction as to the post-sale use or resale.” This session will review some of the implications of the decision for patent holders and consumers of goods covered by patents, as well as the status of the certiorari petition to the Supreme Court.

Winslow Taub, Covington & Burling LLP

Powerpoint [PDF]

10:30 AM

Break

10:45 AM

Claim Construction Post-Teva

This panel will discuss current developments in claim construction, including the impact of Cuozzo, the use of expert opinions post-Teva, and recent data points from the Federal Circuit on its approach to claim construction.

Sonal Mehta, Durie Tangri
Emily O’Brien, Google Inc.

11:15 AM

Section 112: Means Plus Function Claiming

This session will review recent functional claim trends at the U.S. Patent Office and the courts and will discuss the implications for software and life sciences patents. Key questions to be addressed: Did you mean to invoke Section 112(f)? What are the pros and cons of invoking Section 112(f)? How should you draft patent specifications and claims to avoid Section 112(b) problems or Section 101 issues if functional claims are interpreted to invoke 112(f)?

Michael Schallop, Van Pelt, Yi & James LLP
Jeff Weaver, Weaver Austin Villeneuve & Sampson
Walter Wu, Cooley LLP

Powerpoint [PDF]

12:00 PM

Lunch
Sponsored by Bloomberg Law

Presiding Officer:
Maya Skubatch, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

12:30 PM

Lunch Keynote: The Surprising Resilience of the Patent System

Despite dramatic changes in patent law over the past 40 years, in important respects the patent system seems unaffected by changes in the law. This talk will explore the surprising resilience of the patent system and what it can teach about patent law and patent reform.

Mark Lemley, Stanford Law School; Durie Tangri

Powerpoint [PDF]

1:00 PM

Break

1:15 PM

Privilege and Ethics

This session will address recent ethics decisions regarding who may be in the protected “bubble” for privileged and proper communications, including as it relates to patent agent communications, team members with prior conflicts, and prior prosecution counsel serving as trial counsel.

Steven Carlson, Kasowitz Benson Torres & Friedman

Powerpoint [PDF]

1:45 PM

Prosecution Ethics & PTAB

A review of the evolving ethical obligations governing practice before the PTAB – and how to avoid running afoul of them. Recent developments include new Rule 11-type certification, sanctions decisions, and more.

Julie Holloway, Latham & Watkins LLP

Powerpoint [PDF]

2:15 PM

Oddball Defenses

Noninfringement, prior art, and §112 defenses are a dime a dozen. But what about laches, equitable estoppel, Walker Process, Handgards, obviousness-type double patenting, or the prior user defense? This panel will explore some of the lesser-used defenses that you should think about when preparing your case. Remember — just a few years ago, §101 was an oddball defense.

Karen Boyd, Turner Boyd
Fabio Marino, McDermott Will & Emery

Powerpoint [PDF]

2:45 PM

Break

3:00 PM

Patents in the Boardroom

In many high-tech (as opposed to pharma) companies, patents are seldom discussed at the board level, either in terms of their positive impact (e.g., stock price or M&A acquisition value) or in terms of their downside risk (e.g., treble damages infringement liability or injunctive relief). One of the primary reasons may be that it is very difficult to translate patent value and risk into the metrics that boards, top management and investors understand, except where there is a history of significant licensing revenue.

Ron Laurie, Inflexion Point Strategy

Powerpoint [PDF]

3:30 PM

Patent Strategy in Asia 

China is rapidly evolving its patent system. Japan and Korea remain key centers of innovation. Three experts with broad experience in Asia will review important trends in patent prosecution, post-grant review, litigation, and transactions.

Eric Schulman, Fish & Richardson
Peter Kang, Sidley Austin LLP
Alex Zhang, King & Wood Mallesons

Powerpoint [PDF]

4:15 PM

Closing Remarks

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