Philly Meetings | Akin Gump and FMC Corp
BlogExcellent meetings in Philadelphia this week. Akin Gump IP head Steve Maslowski and Rubén H. Muñoz hosted Dean Danielle Conway and me to lunch. Happy to learn Steve is an ardent supporter of Penn State and paid it forward in numerous ways, including endowing a scholarship to his undergraduate program. A thank you to Rubén for connecting us. Looking forward to deepening our collaboration in the fall and beyond. Enjoyed a breakfast meeting with Roberte Makowski, one of our IP program advisory board members. Roberte serves as Chief IP Counsel at FMC. I thanked Roberte for speaking to our students about her work at FMC and discussed our plans for the coming year. You might have seen FMC's towering building amidst Philadelphia's skyline. Perhaps less well-known is the picturesque neighborhood where the building resides.
Lemelson-MIT Program | Forging The Pathway To Invention Education
BlogJerome H. Lemelson, one of U.S. history’s most prolific inventors, and his wife Dorothy founded the Lemelson-MIT Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1994. Funded by The Lemelson Foundation and administered by MIT School of Engineering, the Program celebrates outstanding inventors and inspires young people to pursue creative lives and careers through invention. The Lemelson-MIT program is the national leader in preparing the next generation of inventors and entrepreneurs. It is devoted to bringing invention education opportunities to all students, prioritizing work with young women and Black, indigenous populations, Latinx and other people of color. It also recognizes emerging collegiate inventors whose inventions can impact important sectors of the global economy and encourage youth to invent and develop their hands-on skills in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). Thank you to Executive Director Stephanie Couch and her talented team for their warm hospitality. Stephanie also gave me a tour of the MIT campus, featuring impressive initiatives blending science and art. She accepted my invitation to join me for a Penn State Dickinson Law Profiles in Leadership fireside chat, which we will post on YouTube over the summer. For more information about the program, see: https://lemelson.mit.edu/forging-pathway-invention-education.
IP Awareness Summit | 2023
BlogDelighted to speak at the sixth annual Intellectual Property Awareness Summit (IPAS) in Boston. Congratulations to Bruce Berman (Center for IP Understanding) and Northeastern University’s Center for Research Innovation for a well-attended and very interesting program. This year's summit featured IP owners, creators, educators, lawyers, organizations and investors speaking on timely and important topics such as how IP empowers entrepreneurship and diversity, educating future leaders about IP, and living in an AI world. Photo collage #1 (Clockwise): Toasting the summit (with Bruce Berman (The Center for Intellectual Property Understanding, Dan Brown, PhD (Segal Design Institute at Northwestern University)), with Adam Mossoff (George Mason University - Antonin Scalia Law School); Robert Cobert (Homology Medicines, Inc.); Entrepreneurship and inclusion panel (Arlyne Simon, Ph.D. (Intel Corporation) Madeleine Key (Forbes) Muriel Medard (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Maysa Razavi (Moderna) James Howard (Black Inventors Hall of Fame Films) ; with Chinwe Ohanele, Esq. (The Michelson Institute for Intellectual Property) and Keith Kupferschmid (Copyright Alliance). Photo collage #2 (Clockwise): The Innovation Race panel: Adam Mossoff, Andrei Iancu Council for Innovation Promotion Kendalle Burlin O'Connell, Esq. MassBio Patrick Kilbride U.S. Chamber of Commerce Global Innovation Policy Center; with Patrick and Tiffany Norwood (Tribetan -the science of turning imagination into reality); student helpers who helped make the event possible; Tracy Jean-Chronberg (Lemelson-MIT Program); Elizabeth Dougherty (USPTO) and Manny Schecter (IBM). #intellectualproperty #law #ai #innovation #design #entrepreneurship #diversity #leaders #university #future #technology #inclusion #educators
Pittsburgh | Alum Reception & Professor Mike Madison Podcast Interview
BlogDelighted to join my Penn State Dickinson Law colleagues at our #Pittsbugh alum reception. We also celebrated the birthday of our dean, Danielle Conway, who shared her special day with all of us. It was good to meet generations of alums and to see the older ones still connected to the school and the younger ones already doing well early on. While in Pittsburgh, I interviewed Professor Michael Madison for our Profiles in Leadership Podcast. You can find that podcast when we've posted it, and earlier podcasts in the series here: https://www.youtube.com/@PennStatesDickinsonLawCarlisle. Pittsburgh is beautiful, as you can see from some of my photos. Before leaving, I had dinner with Dickinson Law alum Noland Cheung (Dentons) and his family (not pictured). The warm hospitality of Pittsburghers is extraordinary and I look forward to returning before too long.
Patent Law Year in Review | Artificial Intelligence
BlogIt was great joining moderator Sahil Malhotra and fellow panelist Kevin E. Noonan on The Chicago Bar Association Young Lawyers Section IP committee webinar. Kevin is a leader of the Chicago IP Bar and co-founder of the well-known blog Patent Docs (https://www.patentdocs.org/), and an alum of the John Marshall Law School (now University of Illinois Chicago School of Law). Sahil was my student when I taught there and now has his own practice (Drishti Law). Happy to see him doing well and co-leading this effort with Natalie Guio (Leydig, Voit & Mayer, Ltd.) and Hillary Maynard (Polsinelli). In addition to the latest patent law jurisprudence, Sahil, Kevin and I, discussed: . Patent eligibility of AI and Web 3.0 technologies. . AI-generated inventions and the question of inventorship. . Using AI to improve patent search, analysis, drafting, and the potential impact on patent prosecution practice. . Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) and in IP protection and licensing. . Using blockchain-based smart contracts for IP licensing and enforcement. . The intersection of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and copyright, trademark, and right of publicity issues, as well as potential strategies for protecting and monetizing digital assets. . The implications of decentralized data storage and management on IP rights, data ownership, and privacy. . The role of open-source software in developing Web 3.0 technologies and the potential challenges and opportunities for IP protection and licensing. . The role of Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) in promoting or hindering innovation in AI and Web 3.0 technologies and the potential legal and policy implications. . Ethical concerns and policy implications of AI and Web 3.0 technologies on the patent system, including transparency, fairness, and access to knowledge. #law #ai #legal #data #privacy #innovation #opportunities #digital #blockchain Penn State Dickinson Law McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff LLP
IP Awareness Summit | Educating future leaders about IP – What they need to know
BlogLooking forward to joining speakers and participants at this year's #IP Awareness Summit (IPAS) in Boston, focused on the theme of ‘Bridges, Not Barricades.' Thanks to The Center for Intellectual Property Understanding and Northeastern University Center for Research Innovation (CRI) for co-hosting and to Bruce Berman for his leadership. IPAS is a gathering of IP owners, creators, educators, lawyers, organizations and investors, all with a common goal – to explore ways to make the benefits of IP rights and the issues surrounding them more apparent to people and society. I will be speaking on 'Educating future leaders about IP – What they need to Know,' along with Stephanie Couch (Lemelson-MIT Program), James
Conley (National Academy of Inventors; Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management), Tiffany Norwood (Cornell University Entrepreneur of the Year), and Rafael Cardona (Glendale Community College).
Panel themes include
•The role of Business, Engineering and Law Schools
•K-12: When is the right time to start teaching about IP?
• What needs to be taught?
Profiles in Leadership | Esther Lim & John Yang
BlogAsian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC has worked to strengthen the voice of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community and we see the results of that work in all aspects of American life. At Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP Penn State, the Finnegan IP University program introduces undergraduate and graduate STEM students to career opportunities in IP law over four weeks of online educational programming. Finnegan IP University launched in 2022 with over 80 student participants from across the country. John Yang and Esther Lim are at the heart of these respective efforts. They sat down with me to share their insights on life and leadership. 3:48: – Leaders as partners. 10:25:– Being immigrant Asian leaders: Quirks and perks. 14:17:– From Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center to Asian Americans Advancing Justice. 19:17:– Reflections on IP and social justice: “Even mountains and rivers change in ten years” (“십 년이면 강산도 변한다”). 29:20:– Is the growth of diversity officers in leadership positions a vindication of their work? 32:19:– Leveraging on the media: 88rising and beyond. 35:38:– Building coalitions and alliances: NAACP, USIPA, etc. 41:11:– US-China tensions and Asian hate. 43:13:– Lessons from Mrs. Herbert and what’s next for Esther. 47:26:– What’s next for John.
DC | Penn State Dickinson Law
BlogDelighted to be back in DC for meetings. It's a city abuzz with activity and steeped in insights. Understanding the environment we live in, the issues that matter, and the personalities who make things happen can help better position Penn State Dickinson Law to play a useful role in a world where relevance and trust are vectors of opportunity. Thanks to everyone for taking the time to chat. Collage 1 (L-R): with Andrei Iancu (Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS); Irell & Manella LLP), Barbara Lauriat, John Whealan, F. Scott Kieff (The George Washington University Law School); with David Korn (PhRMA); Michael Hogan (The George Washington University Law School); Tom Galvin (Digital Citizens Alliance) and our server - a proud new owner of Tom's book!; Lisa Jorgenson (World Intellectual Property Organization – WIPO); the neighborhood in Potomac Avenue where I stayed during this trip. Collage 2 (L-R): with Dean Dayna Bowen Matthew, JD, PhD (The George Washington University Law School); Chaka Butler (The George Washington University Law School); Stephanie Leparmentier (Embassy of France in the United States-Unis); Judge Newman (Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit); Steve Baughman and Megan Raymond (Groombridge, Wu, Baughman & Stone LLP); Tom Galvin (Digital Citizens Alliance). Not pictured: Ittie Rehani (Anzu Partners) Andrea Matwyshyn (Penn State Law) Esther Lim (Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP), John Yang (Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC).
Advanced Degree Students | Penn State Dickinson Law
BlogHappy to join our SJD candidates to discuss “How to Publish Legal Research” along with Professors William Butler, Sara Gerke, and Julie Tedjeske Crane. Our inspiring advanced degree students at Penn State Dickinson Law come from countries as diverse as Indonesia, Iran, Uzbekistan, and Lebanon. International and advanced degree programs play an understated role in fostering a robust exchange of ideas, the development of global norms, and people-to-people ties foundational to peace and stability. With Makhshar Rakhimov, Professor Gerke, Professor Crane, Delaram Rezaeikhonakdar, Harison Citrawan, Mireille Rebeiz, Ph.D., and Professor Butler.
Celebrating | Professor Michael Mogill’s Retirement
BlogDelighted to catch up with my colleague, Michael Mogill, ahead of his retirement celebration. As was the experience of many on the faculty, Michael was among the first to extend a warm welcome. He went out of his way to help me settle in, and I learned much from him. After a career promoting access to legal services for those in need and a stint at Mercer University, Michael joined the faculty in 1989 and has served here since then. He taught a wide range of courses and poured his time and effort into teaching many generations of students while also serving the community in Carlisle. It was therefore fitting that the law school community gathered to honor Michael on the occasion of his retirement with thoughtful speeches, including those by Dean Danielle Conway, and a reciprocal speech by Michael. You can read the resolution written by former dean Gary Gilden, which the faculty passed to recognize the life and accomplishments of an extraordinary member of our Dickinson Law family. Congratulations, Michael!