The Economic Contribution of Technology Licensing

Logos for the USPTO and CPIP

The United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) and George Mason University’s Center for the Protection of Intellectual Property (CPIP) hosted an all-day public conference on Wednesday, June 8, 2016, at the USPTO’s Global Intellectual Property Academy in Alexandria, Virginia.

This conference highlighted the economic importance of patent licensing both domestically and across borders. Licensing contributes greatly to domestic innovation and employment, while constituting a significant portion of US trade. It plays an essential role in commercializing new technologies, bringing products and services from lab to market. This conference aimed to bring licensing into the policy discussion and to examine how the US government might help in measuring, promoting, and encouraging licensing.


Remarks, Keynotes, & Panels

Opening Remarks

  • Michelle K. Lee, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property, United States Department of Commerce, Director, United States Patent & Trademark Office

Morning Keynote Speech

  • Bruce H. Andrews, Deputy Secretary of Commerce, United States Department of Commerce

Panel 1: The Economic Contribution of Licensing to the US Economy

  • Alan Marco, Chief Economist, USPTO
  • Brian Moyer, Director, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Department of Commerce
  • Jeffrey Whittle, Partner, Hogan Lovells, Chairman, Licensing Executives Society (USA and Canada)
  • Becky Fraser, Director, Government Affairs, Qualcomm
  • Moderator: Prof. Adam Mossoff, George Mason University School of Law, Director of Academic Programs and Senior Scholar, CPIP

Panel 2: The Role of Licensing in Trade, Investment, and Technology Transfer

  • Marc Ehrlich, Associate General Counsel, IBM
  • Elizabeth Kendall, Director for Intellectual Property and Innovation, USTR
  • Keith Mallinson, Founder, Wise Harbor
  • Prof. Walter Park, American University
  • Moderator: Prof. Mark Schultz, Southern Illinois University School of Law, Director of Academic Programs and Senior Scholar, CPIP

Afternoon Keynote Speech

  • Maureen K. Ohlhausen, Commissioner, Federal Trade Commission

Panel 3: Challenges and Opportunities in Cross-Border Licensing

  • Mark A. Cohen, Senior Counsel, USPTO
  • David Cohen, Chief Legal and Intellectual Property Officer, Vringo
  • Damon Matteo, Chief Executive Officer, Fulcrum Strategy
  • Gaétan de Rassenfosse, Chair of Innovation and IP Policy, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
  • Moderator: Marina Lamm, Attorney-Advisor, USPTO

Panel 4: Licensing and Commercialization in the Life Sciences Sector

  • Issi Rozen, Chief Business Officer, Broad Institute
  • Sherry Knowles, Principal, Knowles Intellectual Property Strategies
  • Lin Sun-Hoffman, Partner, Liu, Zheng, Chen & Hoffman, LLP, Former BIO Chief Advisor for Asia
  • Moderator: Larry Lian, Attorney-Advisor, USPTO

Roundtable: Government’s Role in Promoting Licensing

  • Paul Zielinski, Director, Technology Partnerships Office, NIST
  • Matthew Rainey, Director-Advisor, WIPO Academy
  • Mojdeh Bahar, Assistant Administrator, Office of Technology Transfer, USDA
  • Michael Remington, Of Counsel, Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP
  • Tyrone Montague, Director, Washington National Tax, KPMG
  • Moderator: Mark A. Cohen, Senior Counsel, USPTO

Closing Remarks

  • David J. Kappos, Partner, Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, Former Director, United States Patent & Trademark Office


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