The 2008 Patent Consultation Group Roundtable (PCG6) will be held November 13–14, 2008, at The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Note: As of Friday, October 17, 2008, we can no longer guarantee a room at the Ritz-Carlton, but we will do our utmost to secure a room for every attendee who registers after this date. Please continue registering for the conference. We will advise you as soon as possible if a room is available or if other accommodations should be made. If other arrangements are necessary, please see the Alternate Hotel List below.
Discussion Materials
To view and print the materials for PCG6, you will be required to enter your ALAS username and password. Please note: The password is the same one you used to register. If you do not have that password, click the "Request Password" button below and your password will be sent to you. Otherwise, click the "View Materials" button below and enter your username and password.
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The Fifth ALAS Patent Consultation Group Roundtable Discussion (PCG5) was held at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach on November 1–2 (Thursday–Friday), 2007. Dennis Brown, a member of the ALAS Board of Directors and a partner at member firm Munger, Tolles & Olson, opened Thursday afternoon’s program by welcoming all attendees. Following Dennis’s welcome, James Arpin, of member firm Baker Botts, David Cushing, of member firm Sughrue Mion, Ron Schoenbaum, of member firm Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear, and Eric Hubbard, of member firm Ropes & Gray, lead a lively discussion of loss prevention issues raised by new IP cases and the new PTO rules, which included up-to-the-minute details of the injunction entered the day before staying the effective date of the rules. Thursday afternoon’s programming concluded with breakout sessions, where participants attended a small-group discussion of either the new cases or the new rules.
Friday morning began with a program titled New Business Intake–IP Style. Douglas McDonald, of member firm Carlton Fields, discussed essential elements of an effective IP business intake system. James Repass, of member firm Fulbright & Jaworski, addressed intake issues that arise in dealing with foreign associates and agents. And Theresa Gillis, of member firm Jones Day, discussed intake of lateral lawyers and their files. Next, Brian Redding, ALAS Loss Prevention Counsel, was joined by panelists Rodney Caldwell of member firm Howrey and Eric Hubbard of member firm Ropes & Gray, for a discussion of IP conflicts of interest raised by hypothetical scenarios derived from ALAS claims history. These presentations were followed by a second breakout session, where attendees participated in a session of their choice devoted to one of five IP loss prevention topics.
The conference concluded with a “claims update” in which Aaron Hoffman, ALAS Senior Vice President—Loss Prevention, reported on recent trends in ALAS IP claims.
This PCG roundtable discussion also included use of an electronic audience response system. We were able to ask the audience how their firms deal with the various IP issues that the conference addressed. The responses reflect a broad range of practices. They do not represent a scientific sample, and should not be taken to suggest any standard of care or conduct. Nevertheless, the responses provide a look at what a significant number of law firms are actually doing. You can review those responses by clicking here.
Click the PCG5 link below to view and print the PowerPoint slides presented at PCG5 and the discussion materials that were distributed to all attendees.