There is no question that the legal field remains one of the least diverse professions in the United States. Not only are men overrepresented in the practice of law, but they outnumber women in equity partner positions nearly five to one. The statistics become even grimmer when we examine patent attorneys, who need both a law degree and a hard science degree. In the wake of a new study indicating that the Mansfield Rule is not as effective as thought for increasing diversity, what is our industry to do? Join our distinguished panelists who have taken action to help diversity the patent bar. Learn about their innovative and collaborative programs and how you can get involved to be part of the solution.

Join IPO to hear from the USPTO and WIPO on the implementation of the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) Standard ST.26 as the experts discuss the changes to sequence listings filed in patent applications that contain disclosures of nucleotide and/or amino acid sequences. WIPO Standard ST.26, requiring XML formatting, went into effect worldwide on July 1, 2022. The USPTO has adopted new rules to implement this Standard as published at 87 Fed Reg. 30806, (May 20, 2022). The presentation will provide guidance on how you will be able to prepare and submit a compliant sequence listing in U.S. patent applications and PCT applications filed on or after July 1, 2022.

A Joint Presentation by IPO and the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA) In this webinar, speakers will address recent IP developments in the United Kingdom and Europe post-Brexit. They will provide an overview of IP rights, the UK and European litigation landscape, and address what has (and has not) changed in the UK.

IPO has been closely monitoring IP issues related to the evolving situation in Russia. During this webinar, our panelists will provide updates related to protection and enforcement of IP in Russia, including the impact of sanctions on the maintenance of Russian IP and developments in Russian laws and in Russian courts impacting IP owners.

This session will provide strategies and best practices for sharing and protecting your business’ data. Speakers will discuss considerations when licensing data including who owns the data, where it can be stored, whether it can be manipulated, what it can be used for, etc. They will also discuss when to choose an open data model vs. a closed model.

This panel will delve into the PTAB’s use of Fintiv to thwart would be challengers from attacking patent claims in AIA proceedings. The panel will look at the changing landscape and evaluate the import of the various factors over time, consider whether Fintiv makes sense given the sliding trial schedules in some jurisdictions, consider how Fintiv impacts different technology areas, and consider how parallel proceedings in different jurisdictions have been impacted. Further the panel will consider where we are now and how changes to Patent Office leadership and proposed legislation might impact future proceedings.

This presentation will review the ethics issues arising from cases in the last 12 months for intellectual property law attorneys.

Our panel will discuss the USPTO’s efforts to increase global harmonization and focus on case studies on strategies used by US and the EU/UK practitioners in preparing industrial design applications that meet their client’s needs in both the priority country and internationally.

What do sustainability, diversity & inclusion, and intellectual property all have in common? Many companies are publicly pledging to lower carbon footprints, increase diversity within their organizations, and share IP in the fight against COVID. This session, which was originally presented during the IPOwners Spring Summit™ in March, will discuss the origin of pledges, how they can impact your organization, and whether they work.

This webinar will take an in-depth look at the new ex parte expungement and reexamination proceedings, including requirements for filing a petition and USPTO procedures for initiating a proceeding.

This webinar will address key TTAB developments and trends from 2021. Important TTAB decisions from the last year will be highlighted, with a focus on fraud on the TTAB, false association, descriptiveness, and functionality.

This webinar will provide an overview of significant IP policy concerns across different countries and regions based on IPO’s comments made during the U.S. Trade Representative’s Special 301 review. The panelists will go around the world in one hour, noting issues that IP practitioners need to be aware of and pointing out global trends in IP law and policy.

Employee restrictive covenants have traditionally played a key role in most companies’ trade secret protection strategies. Managing to divergent state and foreign laws in this area has always been difficult, but businesses are now faced with two new challenges. First, states and also the federal government are weighing in with new restrictions and penalties; and second, remote work has raised new concerns over enforceability. This webinar will address how companies can adapt and contain the legal risk while guarding the integrity of the information entrusted to their employees.

Join us as our panel of experts from industry and private practice discusses key PTAB developments from 2021. Important PTAB decisions will be highlighted, as well as impacts on PTAB practice from external sources such as the Supreme Court, Federal Circuit, and Congress. Find out what you need to know about what happened at PTAB last year and what to watch out for in 2022!

2021 was an active year for IP cases. The U.S. Supreme Court Supreme Court tackled THREE blockbuster cases: United States v. Arthrex, Google v. Oracle, and Minerva v. Hologic. And while perhaps not issuing any blockbuster opinions, the Federal Circuit has provided the IP law mill with some additional grist. This webinar will provide a roundup of this year’s most significant intellectual property cases. Our panelists are three litigators in private practice, all members of IPO’s Amicus Brief Committee. They will review the most significant decisions as of 2021 and give a sneak peek at coming attractions.