Posts Tagged: "louis foreman"

It would have done Members of Congress good to see the stories of these extraordinary individuals who researched, developed, innovated and succeeded beyond the wildest dreams of what anyone could ever reasonably hope to accomplish. It is this innovation that has lead to life saving treatments, a better way of life, and countless American jobs. It was an inspiring, non-political evening that should have been celebrated at the highest levels in our government. This is who we want our children to become. These are the role models. We all need to work toward making math, science, engineering and innovation the sexy career path it should be. These thirty-nine inductees, and the other 421 previous inductees, together create perhaps the most exclusive society anywhere in the globe. They are no less than heroes of invention.

As the debate in the Senate starts to wind down and moves to the House of Representatives, whether you are pro-reform or against reform, get involved and participate. Taking the time to be engaged can go a long way. In listening to the debate in the Senate over the past 4 days it is clear to me that Senators are listening to those on both sides who engage in thoughtful debate. While I am often cynical about government, it has been refreshing to watch. Painful at times, but nice to see that ordinary citizens can make a difference.

Easily the most eggregious thing written about patent reform, at least that I have seen, is a statement from the Associated Press. In talking about the grace period in the patent reform legislation the AP wrote: “It comes with an enhanced grace period to protect inventors who publicly disclose their inventions before seeking patents.” This is not misleading, it is flat wrong. The grace period contained in S. 23 is not “enhanced,” but rather it is reduced.

All of the morning sessions were open to all attendees followed by break out sessions later in the day where the attendees were able to choose the sessions they wanted to attend. Most of the sessions were repeated throughout the event, so that the attendees would not have to forego one topic session to attend another. There were speakers from both the IP community and the USPTO on topics pertinent to this audience, including the inventor of the Post It Note, Art Fry. The attendees were given the opportunity to attend different educational break out sessions that were meant to educate the independent inventor on the entire patent process.

Like other years, the agenda is filled with great educational programs, such as commercializing intellectual property through licensing, claim drafting for beginners, advanced claim drafting, why file a provisional patent application, licensing vs. direct marketing, considerations for foreign filing, how to work with a patent practitioner and many other great sessions. There will be lunch presentations each day as well. On Thursday, November 4, 2010, the lunch speaker will be Arthur Fry, National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductee, Co-inventor of the Post It Notes. On Friday, November 5, 2010, the lunch speaker will be David Kappos, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

At these types of ceremonies everyone says such nice things, but what Judges Newman, Linn and Lourie said about Judge Michel seemed particularly heartfelt, and they seemed almost saddened to see their friend choose to leave and set out to make a difference advocating rather than opining. The video also included flattering comments from Chief Judge Anthony Joseph Scirica of the Third Circuit, one of Judge Michel’s former clerks and executives of the IPO. It was extremely tasteful, gave an appropriate but not lingering recap of his career and did not linger or go on at an uncomfortable length as these things sometimes can do. Extremely well done and kuddos to the IPO.

Louis Foreman sent the letter reproduced below to Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), who is Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee. As his letter explains, Foreman supports patent reform because “leaving the current system alone is not an opinion, nor does it benefit anyone.” Foreman believes the patent reform pending is a “significant improvement” because, among other things, it will lower fees for micro-entities and lead to because it will “ultimately result in a stronger patent making it easier for independent inventors and small businesses to attract start-up capital.

In my conversation with Dr. Michelson he explained to me that while he benefited greatly from the patent system he would have benefited even more if the system worked better. At this point Dr. Michelson “does not have a dog in the fight,” as he explained, because with the exception of a few lingering applications his patent portfolio has been fully acquired and he stands to gain no additional revenues. Nevertheless, Dr. Michelson, the quintessential successful American inventor, would like to see the US patent system improve for the benefit of all independent inventors, the American economy and to promote real job growth. He has some excellent ideas, I agree with his positions on almost every front, and it is with his approval that I put my conversation with him on the record.

Earlier this week I met with Louis Foreman, the creator, executive producer and lead judge of the Emmy® award-winning national PBS reality show, Everyday Edisons.  Louis is also Chief Executive of Enventys, an integrated product design and engineering firm with offices in Charlotte, NC and Taiwan.  Louis is also the publisher of Inventors Digest, the largest and oldest publication for…

The National Association of Patent Practitioners (NAPP) will be holding the 2009 Annual Meeting and Nuts & Bolts Short Course at The Embassy Suites San Diego Bay, in beautiful downtown San Diego, California, from July 18, 2009 to July 21, 2009.  I will be heading from the PLI Patent Bar Review Course in Orange County, California, which runs from July…