On January 17, 2019 in Washington, DC, many of the country’s leading patent experts, including USPTO Director Andrei Iancu, will gather to discuss how the U.S. patent system can be optimized for the benefit of all stakeholders.  The focus this year is on  “Promoting Invention, Entrepreneurship, Economic Growth, and Job Creation” .  The initial sessions focus on statutory subject matter, PTAB and remedies.  I will be participating in the last session focusing on how developments in Europe and China differ from the United States and could impact the innovation ecosystems of each region.   Former Chief Judge Paul Michel and former USPTO Director David Kappos will be co-moderating this session, which will also include former WIPO Deputy Director General for Innovation and Technology, Jim Pooley, Galit Gonen from Teva and Ami Patel Shah from Fortress Investment Group.

I have followed some of these issues in this blog, including the SIPO examination guideline revisions on software and life science patents, the role of industrial policy in patent grants in China, and the availability of injunctive relief (including in SEP cases, as well as preliminary injunctions).   The problems in differing approaches to patentability was also highlighted by me in written testimony before the United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission earlier this year (see p. 145).

Sedona conferences are highly interactive, policy-oriented expert discussions.  These are typically not one-off events, as they can often involve follow-up in the form of position papers or other efforts.

I hope that some of the readers from this blog can attend and contribute their insights, especially to my session. If you are interested, please register now.  More information about the Conference can be found on The Sedona Conference website.