Patent Law Seminars: Alexandria, Virginia (March 7-8, 2024)

The Chisum Patent Academy will hold its next two-day Advanced Patent Law Seminar on Thursday/Friday, March 7-8, 2024 in Alexandria, Virginia.  You can register here. Because attendance is limited to ten persons, you may wish to email us at info@chisum.com to confirm the availability of seats before registering.  

Location:

Our seminar will be held in the Whitney conference room at the Westin Alexandria Old Town, Alexandria, Virginia. 

Overnight accommodations: A block of rooms is being held at the Westin for seminar participants at the rate of $279/night. Each seminar participant must make his or her own reservation by booking online via the Westin’s website no later than the cutoff date of February 6, 2024. 

Seminar Coverage:

We update the syllabus for every seminar to reflect important recent developments, and it is subject to change until the start of the seminar. The March 2024 seminar will likely include at least the following topics:

• Recent Significant Federal Circuit and Supreme Court Patent Law Decisions
  • Enablement
  • Inventorship
  • Eligibility
  • Nonobviousness
  • Design patent obviousness 
• “To Err is Human”: Strategies for Correcting Errors in Patent Claims
  • Judicial correction
  • Substitute claims in inter partes reviews
  • Reissue
  • Certificates of correction
• New Rules for Prior Art Effective Dates under the AIA
  • Penumbra v. RapidPulse (PTAB Nov. 15, 2023) (precedential) (interpreting §102(d) (AIA version) and distinguishing Dynamic Drinkware v. Nat’l Graphics (Fed. Cir. 2015) (interpreting §102(e) (pre-AIA))
• Patent Claim Interpretation: The Recurring Issue of Singular versus Plural
• Ethics Issues in USPTO Post-Issuance Review Practice
  • Ethics rules relevant to Inter Partes Review
  • Duty of candor
  • Sanctions decisions by Director/PTAB
  • Office of Enrollment and Discipline decisions
• Distinguished Guest Lecturer Hon. Paul R. Michel, Ret. in Conversation with Donald Chisum: What’s Ailing the U.S. Patent System and What are the Prospects for Improving it?
  • Unpredictability of outcomes on validity issues: patent eligibility and obviousness
  • Unaffordability of patent enforcement
  • Unavailability of sufficient remedies
  • Evolution of the PTAB and the Federal Circuit’s Role
  • Prospects for legislative reform
  • Patent trolls; patent hold-up versus hold-out
  • Federal Circuit en banc on design patent nonobviousness

Virginia State Bar MCLE Credit Applied For: 

We have applied to the Virginia State Bar for 12.0 MCLE credits for the Alexandria seminar, including 1.0 ethics credit. 

CLE credit for other states: Because of our small group size, the Chisum Patent Academy applies in advance for CLE accreditation only in those states where we conduct live seminars. Where state bars require, we submit attendees’ names as they are listed on the sign-in sheet. If you are seeking CLE credit for a state other than the state where that seminar is being held, please apply directly to the appropriate state bar. We are happy to provide any necessary documentation required for your application.

Schedule:

Our two-day seminar will run from 9am to 4:30pm both days, with a 1.5 hour lunch break, for a total of 12.0 instructional hours. Continental breakfast will be available starting at 8:30am each day.

Our small group seminars are limited to ten (10) attendees. To maximize opportunities for discussion and debate, we conduct the seminars in interactive, round-table style. Sessions are co-taught by Donald Chisum and Janice Mueller. During the Alexandria seminar, we are honored to be joined by Distinguished Guest Lecturer Hon. Paul R. Michel, Ret. (Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, 2004-2010). 

Registration Fee:

The registration fee for the two-day Alexandria seminar is $2,000 per person, which includes extensive materials, continental breakfast, and on-site lunch. Alumni/ae of the Academy receive a 10% discount. Registration fees may be paid by credit card or wire transfer here.

Due to the limited number of seats, registration fees are non-refundable. If the Chisum Patent Academy cancels the seminar, your registration will be refunded in full.

Refreshments:

We provide Continental breakfast for our participants in the seminar room starting at 8:30 am each morning. Lunch (between 12-1:30 pm) will also be provided.