The Pierce advantage: IP conferences on important topics
Since its founding in 1973 Pierce has offered IP related educational events to global IP professionals in many formats in many venues.
Pierce Law conferences include:
Patent System Major Problems Conference
Conference background
On April 1, 2006, Franklin Pierce Law Center (Pierce Law), in cooperation with the Kenneth J. Germeshausen Center for the Law of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, headquartered at Pierce Law, held its Eighth Intellectual Property System Major Issues Conference. The eighth conference continues a tradition of scholarship and discussion begun in 1987 by former Pierce Law professor Homer 0. Blair.
The discussions in Professor Blair's inaugural major issues conference focused on such varied topics as new forms of patents, litigation cost reduction measures, and first-to-file versus first-to-invent systems.
The 1989 conference was devoted primarily to patent trial simplification and dispute resolution.
All of the Conferences have been published in IDEA : The Intellectual Property Law Review, one of the oldest academic IP law reviews in the United States.
Franklin Pierce Law Center's First Biennial Patent System Major Problems Conference is published in 28 IDEA 61 (1987); 28 IDEA 117 (1987).
Franklin Pierce Law Center's Second Biennial Patent System Major Problems Conference is published in 30 IDEA 107 (1989).
The 1991 conference took up the issues of patent-law harmonization, with a particular focus on secret prior art, prior user rights, 35 U.S.C. § 104, and publication of pending applications.
The principal topics for the 1993 conference included abolition of jury trials in patent cases, a new specialized patent court in England, prior user rights, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as an independent government corporation.
The 1995 conference covered patent costs, the future of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and prior user rights.
The 1997 conference discussed medical procedure patents, software protection, and the Doctrine of Equivalents. It featured remarks by the Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Patents.
The theme of the 1998 conference was "Digital Technology and Copyright: A Threat or a Promise?" and the following five topics were under consideration: the capabilities of digital technology, the implementation of technological protection, technological protection and public policy, digital technology and copyright liability, and alternatives to technological protection.
Conference design
As in previous years, the 2006 conference was designed to bring together a significant number of invited scholars, industry representatives, practicing attorneys, and government officials for a roundtable discussion. The conference was designed to encourage in-depth discussion and exchanges among the attendees, without formal, prepared presentations other than the prefatory comments offered by Professors Craig Jepson and Tom Field to introduce the topics.
The conference was organized by Professor Karl Jorda, Director of the Germeshausen Center and Carol Ruh, Assistant to Karl Jorda and was chaired by Ron Myrick, Chair of Pierce Law's Advisory Council for Intellectual Prop-
Franklin Pierce Law Center's Third Biennial Patent System Major Problems Conference is published in 32 IDEA 7 (1991).
Franklin Pierce Law Center's Fourth Biennial Patent System Major Problems Conference is published in 34 IDEA 67 (1994).
Franklin Pierce Law Center's Fifth Biennial Patent System Major Problems Conference is published in 36 IDEA 345 (1996).
Franklin Pierce Law Center's Sixth Biennial Patent System Major Problems Conference is published in 37 IDEA 623 (1997).
Franklin Pierce Law Center's Seventh Biennial Intellectual Property System Major Problems Conference is published in 39 IDEA 291 (1999).
Patent System Major Problems Conference at a glance: Twenty years of the best of practice and scholarly thinking
First:
- Determination of Validity of Patents
- Improvements in Systems of Obtaining Patent
Second
- Dispute Resolution
- Patent Trial Simplification
Third
- Secret Prior Art
- Prior User Rights
- Sec. 104 (Inventions Made Abroad)
- Publication of Applications
Forth
- Abolition of Jury Trials in Patent Cases
- New Specialized Patent Court in England
- Prior User Rights
- PTO as Independent government Corporation
Fifth
- Patent Costs
- Future of U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
- Prior User Rights
- Additional Major Problems
Sixth
- Medical Procedures Patents
- Additional Major Problems
- Software Protection
- Doctrine of Equivalents
- Remarks by the Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Patents
Seventh
- Threats & Opportunities; Owners & Users
- Technical Measures and Anti-Circumvention
- Private Copying, Levy Systems, and Compensation
- Online Service Provider Liability
Eigth
- Patent Law Reform
- PTO Rules Changes
