ag_logo With Memorial Day now behind us, so much for the vote on S.515 before the holiday. Since Congressman Conyers floated the separate USPTO funding bill there does not appear to be much movement on the substantive issues of S.515.

Still, there will be a discussion of the policies at play in these legislative proposals next week (6/15) in DC (Georgetown).  The Program is described as:

Hear the perspectives of leading experts on the need for reform and the current legislative landscape, the pros and cons of bills under consideration, and the future implications for research, licensing, and litigation:

  • The Honorable Paul Michel, Federal Circuit Chief Judge (retired)

  • Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, US House of Representatives

  • Joe Matal, Republican General Counsel, Senate Judiciary Committee

  • Cheryl Miller, Deputy Staff Director for Technology and Innovation, Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, US Senate

  • Philip Johnson, Chief Intellectual Property Counsel,  Johnson & Johnson

  • Bernard Cassidy, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Tessera Technologies

  • Hans Sauer, Deputy General Counsel for Intellectual Property, BIO

  • Jonathan Dudas, Partner, Foley & Lardner; Former Director, USPTO

  • Douglas Cawley, Principal, McKool Smith

  • Brian Riopelle, Partner, McGuireWoods

  • Pat Choate, Economist and Author

  • John Jarosz, Managing Principal, Analysis Group

  • John Mayo, Professor of Economics, Business, and Public Policy, Georgetown University

You can find more information on the program (here). If I can make it I will attend to report any movement on the proposals. It may be interesting to hear the comments of those on the Hill as to the progress of the seemingly competing bills….the economists, not so much.