Intellectual Property Institute Overview

Cutting-edge issues and current developments in intellectual property law were explored at the 2006 Intellectual Property Institute presented by the USC Gould School of Law Tuesday, May 23, at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

Some of the best practitioners and theorists from diverse backgrounds in law, business and government discussed patent law, copyright and trademark law, and international IP issues with Southern California’s IP professionals.

USC Law Professors Gillian Hadfield, Ed McCaffery and Jennifer Urban were part of the Institute’s planning committee, which also included the heads of the IP practices in nearly every Southern California law firm.

“One thing we really thought from the start was that we were going to look at all issues of IP: patents as well as copyrights and trademarks, and litigation as well as licensing and transactional,” says McCaffery, the Robert C. Packard Trustee Chair in Law and Political Science, who teaches IP at USC Law and the California Institute of Technology. “Other institutes struck us as being more narrowly focused. We wanted a breadth of focus but a depth of intellectual knowledge and reflection.”

Following a welcome and an introductory session on the state of the copyright world, the Institute featured two hour-long morning sessions, “Metabolite, eBay and MedImmune: What Will the Supremes Do Next?” focusing on cases that could dramatically affect the patent system, and “Judicial Perspectives on IP Litigation,” featuring a distinguished panel of federal judges.

Attendees customized their Institute experience by selecting in-depth afternoon sessions focusing on one of three “tracks:” patent, copyright and trademark, or international IP issues.

“Trademark specialists were able to learn how to manage their brands from in-house experts,” says USC Law Assistant Dean Leeanna Izuel, executive director of the Institute. “Those interested in copyright issues heard first-hand from David Nimmer, who literally wrote the book on copyright, and other top experts. Those interested in patent issues – both the infringer and protection sides – heard the pros and cons of patent trolls, hear judges talk about patent reform, and learn the latest developments in patent litigation.”

Professor Urban, who directs USC Law’s Intellectual Property Clinic, moderated the afternoon session “Searching for Legal Clarity: Copyright Issues Raised by Emerging Technologies for Accessing Online Content.” Panelists, including Alexander Macgillivray, senior product counsel for Google, and Matt Robinson, senior director of global product counsel for Yahoo!, explored copyright and other selected legal issues raised by existing and emerging Internet search models.

The “international IP issues” track included two sessions focusing on infringement issues in China, from the government and practitioner perspectives. Speakers included the Chief Judge of China’s IP court and a representative from the Chinese State IP Office, as well as the vice chair of the U.S. International Trade Commission.

“As always, too, the IP Institute will be a place to meet, network, share ideas,” McCaffery says. “We are very proud and honored to be bringing together the umbrella under which the very best from all around Southern California and beyond can gather.”

The programming culminated with a cocktail reception, hosted by Greenberg Traurig, during which attendees met the Institute’s speakers and heard a talk from featured speaker James E. Malackowski of Ocean Tomo, pioneer of the patent auction process.

For more information on this or other CLE programs, contact USC Law Continuing Legal Education.