[lug] Evaluating Software Patents - Wolf Law Building, CU, Thu March 19

[Neal McBurnett]

This event sounds very interesting.  The CU Law School "Silicon
Flations" program has lots of interesting events on techie subjects
like telecom law, entrepreneurship etc.

Neal McBurnett                 http://neal.mcburnett.org/

http://www.silicon-flatirons.org/events.php?id=486

Over the last several years, the Supreme Court and the Federal Circuit
have taken a number of steps suggesting that the law governing
software patents is still very much in flux. In terms of the scope of
patent law's reach (Bilski) to applicable remedies (Ebay), the courts
have taken seriously concerns about the state of the patent system and
its impact on innovation the software and information technology
sectors. At the same time, Congress--spurred by a coalition of IT
firms--has considered a number of reform measures geared to address
concerns that the patent system is rewarding bad patents and
encouraging inefficient litigation.

In this conference, we will evaluate both the premises underlying the
call for a fundamental reform--and, indeed, the possible abolishment
of--software patents as well as some specific suggestions for changing
how patents are granted and how patent litigation operates. In
particular, we will evaluate whether software patents should exist at
all, whether patent litigation serves a constructive role in
facilitating innovation and commercialization of new technologies, and
whether patents play an important role in spurring the development of
new technologies and enabling start-up firms to attract financing. It
will conclude with a roundtable of three leading commentators on the
role of patents and innovation.