This Week in Washington IP: CAIL Hosts 58th Annual IP Law Conference, Advancing Telehealth After the COVID Pandemic and Ethical Issues in Trademark Practice at the USPTO

This week in Washington IP events, the Senate and House of Representatives remain fairly quiet as we move into the lame duck period of Donald Trump’s presidency following the results of the 2020 Presidential election. The week begins with the 58th Annual Conference on IP Law sponsored by the Center for American and International Law which will feature appearances from many influential people within IP law, including USPTO Director Andrei Iancu. Elsewhere among policy institute events, Aspen Institute hosts an event to discuss the future of science policy in America while the Bipartisan Policy Center explores telehealth efforts in rural communities to see how the country can advance such technological platforms after the COVID-19 pandemic. The USPTO will also host an event on Tuesday with senior advisors at the agency to inform trademark practitioners of various ethical issues being policed at the agency.

Monday, November 9 

Center for American and International Law

58th Annual Conference on Intellectual Property Law

At 7:45 AM on Monday, online video webinar.

The 58th Annual Conference on IP Law sponsored by the Center for American and International Law (CAIL) is a two-day event offering regular programming in patent year in review and ethics topics. This year’s conference will also include discussions focusing on new and developing topics such as data privacy for IP lawyers as well as remote advocacy. Other topics explored by panel discussions during this conference include women in IP, copyright year in review, trade secret update, COVID-19’s impact on licensing, a judges panel with U.S. District Judges Alan Albright of the Western District of Texas and Cathy Bencivengo of the Southern District of California, and a fireside chat on the COVID-19 response at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office with Director Andrei Iancu.

Tuesday, November 10 

Center for Strategic & International Studies 

Regulating for European Tech Sovereignty

At 11:00 AM on Tuesday, online video webinar.

Regulatory efforts in the European Union’s tech sector have recently focused on achieving “digital autonomy” and “tech sovereignty” in developing areas such as artificial intelligence and data services. This event is offered by CSIS as part of an on-going project focused on the potential impact of EU regulatory efforts upon businesses in both Europe and the United States. Keynote remarks at this event will be offered by Ambassador Michael Froman, Vice Chairman and President, Strategic Growth, Mastercard, and Former U.S. Trade Representative. Following Ambassador Froman’s remarks will be a discussion with a panel including Benedikt Blomeyer, Director of EU Policy, Allied for Startups; Eliana Garces, Director, Economic Policy, Facebook; Kati Suominen, Founder and CEO, Nextrade Group, and Adjunct Fellow, CSIS Europe Program; Kai-Uwe Kuhn, Professor of Economics and Deputy Director, Centre for Competition Policy, University of East Anglia, and Academic Adviser, The Brattle Group; Meredith Broadbent, CSIS Senior Advisor, Former Chairman, U.S. International Trade Commission, and Assistant USTR; and moderated by Bill Reinsch, Senior Advisor and Scholl Chair in International Business, CSIS.

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Trademark Practitioners: Learn About Representation, Signatures, and Ethical Issues in Trademark Cases

At 3:00 PM on Tuesday, online video webinar.

This informational event from the USPTO is designed for trademark attorneys who want to learn more about the agency’s ethical rules as well as the agency’s practices for looking into supposed violations of those rules. USPTO attorneys will discuss relevant case law on ethical issues and discuss scenarios specific to general ethical considerations, signature requirements, authority to sign, proof-of-use audits and addressing misconduct before the agency. Speakers at the event include Kathleen Cooney-Porter, Senior Trademark Advisor to the USPTO Director; Robert Lavache, Senior Trademark Legal Policy Advisor; and David Mayer, Trademark Legal Policy Attorney.

Thursday, November 12 

Aspen Institute

Future of Science in America Summit

At 12:00 PM on Thursday, online video webinar.

As the fallout from the recent Presidential election continues to settle, many science-based policy items are likely to be moved forward in the agenda by the incoming Democratic administration. This Aspen Institute event will explore which science policy items deserve the most focus in the years to come, from responses to the COVID-19 pandemic to rebuilding public trust in research programs and science-based policy. Speakers at this event will include Saad Amer, Founder, Plus1Vote; France Córdova, Ph.D., Former Director, National Science Foundation, and Former President, Purdue University; Joseph DeRisi, Ph.D, Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California San Francisco, and Co-President, Chan Zuckerberg Biohub; Seema Kumar, Global Head, Office of Innovation, Global Health and Policy Communication, Johnson & Johnson; Michelle McMurray-Heath, M.D., Ph.D, President and CEO, Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO); and Nancy Messonnier, M.D., Director, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.

New America

Public Interest Technology University Network 2020 Virtual Convening

At 12:00 PM on Thursday, online video webinar.

New America’s Public Interest Technology University Network (PIT-UN) is a collection of professionals and researchers from 36 academic institutions dedicated to developing civic-minded technologists in many fields including computer science, data science and information architecture. This year’s Virtual Convening of PIT-UN takes place over two days with events on Friday, November 13 being co-located with IEEE’s International Symposium on Technology and Society. Events on Thursday run from 12:00 PM until 8:00 PM’s social hour on Thursday and then from 8:00 AM on Friday until the closing celebration at 7:00 PM that day.

Friday, November 13 

Bipartisan Policy Center 

What’s Next for Telehealth: Sustaining and Expanding Access After COVID-19

 At 12:00 PM on Friday, online video webinar.

The ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially the incredibly viral nature of the disease, has offered a good opportunity to test the reliability of telehealth remote medical care services which were already being developed to support healthcare networks in rural communities like those in the state of Maine. This event will explore telehealth initiatives implemented in Maine during the coronavirus pandemic and how such efforts can be adopted by rural communities across the country. This event will feature a discussion with a panel including Jennifer P. Lundblad, Ph.D, MBA, President & CEO, Stratis Health, Member, Rural Policy Research Institute Health Panel, and Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Minnesota School of Public Health; Dena McDonough, PA-C, Associate Director, Health Project, Bipartisan Policy Center; Dr. Lisa Miller, Family Medicine Physician, Western Maine Health; Scott Oxley, President, Northern Light Acadia Hospital; Walter Panzirer, Trustee, Helmsley Charitable Trust; and moderated by Senator Angus King (I-ME).