2013 Fall Conference

2013 Fall Conference flyerCPIP hosted its inaugural conference on patent law at George Mason University School of Law. The conference panels addressed the function of the commercial system in the creation and distribution of patented innovation.

The conference was dedicated to a largely neglected perspective on patents: how they facilitate commercial transactions, and thus foster innovation and new businesses and products. Public policy discussions about patents focus almost entirely on litigation, but litigation is just a small part of the patent system. While a few notable disputes get all the attention, the reality is that patents facilitate millions of win-win transactions every day. The conference considered this overlooked perspective on the patent system and what it can contribute to public policy debates. CPIP would like to thank all of the speakers and panelists for helping create an engaging and informative conference.


Keynote & Panels

Keynote: Joshua D. Wright

Panel 1: Commercialization as the Intermediary Between Invention and Innovation

  • Greg Gorder, Founder & Vice Chairman, Intellectual Ventures
  • Dr. Stuart Graham, Georgia Tech University
  • Prof. Zorina Khan, Bowdoin University
  • Prof. F. Scott Kieff, George Washington University Law School

Panel 2: Innovation in Commercial Context: The Role of the Financial System

  • Prof. John Duffy, University of Virginia School of Law
  • C. Graham Gerst, Global IP Law Group
  • Prof. Edmund Kitch, University of Virginia School of Law
  • Prof. Sean O’Connor, University of Washington School of Law

Panel 3: Patent Licensing: New Business Models and New Opportunities

  • Prof. Damien Geradin, George Mason University School of Law, Tilburg University, Covington & Burling
  • Jonathan Hillel, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
  • Prof. Michael Risch, Villanova University School of Law
  • Matthew Vella, Chief Executive Officer, Acacia Research Corporation

Panel 4: The Commercial Function of Tech Transfer: From R&D to Innovation

  • Prof. David Audretsch, Indiana University
  • Brian Cummings, Vice President, Technology Commercialization & Knowledge Transfer, Ohio State University
  • Prof. Charles McManis, Washington University School of Law
  • William Tucker, Executive Director, Innovation Alliances & Services, University of California

Panel 5: Private-Ordering Solutions to Market-Based Problems: Patent Pools, SSOs, and Much More

  • Roger Brooks, Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP
  • Lawrence Horn, President and CEO, MPEG LA
  • Prof. Jay Kesan, University of Illinois College of Law
  • Dr. Anne Layne-Farrar, Vice President, Anti-Trust & Competition Economics, Charles River Associates

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