JW Semiconductor Summit | Mega-mergers, the ITC, and China

Honored to speak at JW Insights' 2022 Semiconductor Summit. I spoke about three mega-mergers - AMD-Xilinx (done), Intel Corporation-Tower Semiconductor (pending), and NVIDIA-Arm (failed), explaining the key reasons for success and failure. I also touched on the strategic role of the International Trade Commission #itc in global patent litigation. In closing, I took stock of China's rapid developments and shared my hope that it will lead by example in strengthening the existing rules-based, multilateral framework through principled, pragmatic, results-oriented leadership. China is an indispensable partner in rebuilding supply chains and extending support for the world's post-pandemic recovery.

UIC Law | External Colleagues & Partners

Wrapping up my goodbyes with colleagues at Northwestern Law, Loyola University Chicago School of Law and Chicago-Kent College of Law. I hope to meet with other colleagues I missed at these schools and DePaul University College of Law! The IP community in Chicago is well-known for being very collegial and supportive - embodying the best of Midwestern charm. Over the years, they gamely spoke at our public lectures, seminars, and conferences, guest lectured our students, and invited me to do the same. In addition, these colleagues were my sounding board for article advice, colleague advice, and even career advice. I will miss having conversations with them in person. Besides local partners, I also worked with partners from further afield. Detlef von Ahsen, whom I've collaborated with for several years, invited me for tea during his recent visit to Chicago. The then-John Marshall Law School (now University of Illinois Chicago School of Law) offered an annual European patent practice seminar with his law firm, Kuhnen & Wacker, for over thirty years. Unfortunately, with declining numbers, we had to abandon what was comfortable and familiar to offer something relevant and attractive to attendees. So I reached out to another long-time partner of ours, Matthias Reischle from the World Intellectual Property Organization – WIPO, who was also facing declining enrollment in the Patent Cooperation Treaty seminar it offered with John Marshall for decades. It was not an easy negotiation. I had to build trust and confidence with all sides that this would be a viable product worth flying to Chicago for and investing considerable resources to co-organize and promote the event. Fortunately, the tripartite effort paid off. The redesigned event allowed us to combine both seminars into the International IP Practice Seminar, covering the major areas of IP and regions of the world. In four years, we increased enrollment to over 400 registrants worldwide. Today, the seminar continues to thrive. You can attend it virtually this fall on Friday, October 21. John Lewis reminded us to "[g]et in good trouble, necessary trouble." Progress and innovation may mean causing good trouble. So let's not shrink from being good troublemakers when we need to! Photos (clockwise): With Matthew Sag (Loyola Chicago, now Emory) and Stacey Dogan (Boston U, but honorary Chicagoan!), Dave Schwartz (Northwestern), Detlef von Ahsen (Kuhnen & Wacker), and Graeme Dinwoodie (Chicago-Kent) 

Marcus Evans | Chicago

Joined representatives from government, industry, and practice for Marcus Evans' recent IP Law Summit in Chicago. I spoke about AI IP enforcement issues, Big Tech and antitrust, and China-US tech rivalry - the ABCs in IP and Tech. I also had the pleasure of joining John Calkins (Pear Therapeutics), Dena VanDeVoort Ehrich (3M), and Laura Sheridan (Google) for a conversation on "Future Policy at the USPTO – Transformation or Status Quo." Topics include: ● Recent and potential changes at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board ● What may be on the horizon for how patents are examined ● The role of technology in the PTO’s operation ● Improving equitable and affordable access to the patent system Said hello to Gwendolyn Blackwell (USPTO) who gave a very engaging and well-received presentation on "Interacting with a USPTO Examiner and Addressing Patent Prosecution," and informally exchanged views during the summit with several attendees, including Roberte Makowski (FMC Corporation), who graciously came up to chat after my talk. Event details here: https://www.iplawsummit.com/ Photos (clockwise): Giving my talk on the ABC of IP and Tech, with Roberte, with John, Gwen, and Marcus Evans' Naomi Haynes, panel discussion with Laura, Dena, and John (not in picture).  

UIC Law | Thank you, staff colleagues!

Recently enjoyed a rare in-person lunch with staff at UIC Law, who worked closely with me to make our program what it is today. They come from marketing, communications, event planning, IT, and alumni relations and development. Unfortunately, not all could make it; some have left over the years. Often working quietly behind the scenes, they rolled up their sleeves to help me with the nuts and bolts of the program. Together, we more than doubled the program's conference and seminar offerings, amplified its national and international footprint, provided more opportunities for underrepresented groups to join us, added new and sustainable sources of sponsorships for our program, and much more. Thank you again to Gary Friedlander and Erik Fagrelius for organizing a most memorable get-together.

UIC Law | IP, Tech & Privacy Adjuncts

I recently chaired my last meeting at UIC Law with adjuncts who teach intellectual property, privacy, and technology law courses. I thanked them for taking time out of their busy day jobs to share their insights and experience with students. Adjuncts are the backbone of these courses and, from the feedback I received over the years, equip UIC Law students with important practice-ready skills that make them sought-after. Many do well after graduation and hold important positions in industry, nonprofits, practice, and government. I introduced Gary Friedlander, who took over the IP, tech, and privacy program at UIC Law last Friday. Gary will also teach a course in global privacy law. The adjuncts introduced themselves and gave him a warm welcome. Several adjuncts have decades-long experience. Others just joined UIC Law as part of the program's recruitment campaign to broaden and deepen its adjunct pool and continue to offer students the best in class education for many more years. I fondly remember my first adjunct meeting about six years ago, shortly after I took over from Emeritus Professor Doris Long, who now also serves as an adjunct. You can see her in the more recent group picture we took together, dressed in red. We all looked a little younger then! It is fitting as I pass the baton to Gary that we remember these important relationships with our adjuncts that helped the law school establish its reputation year by year, course by course, and student by student.

Jomarie Fredericks | Molly Pitcher

Caught up with Jomarie Fredericks over lunch in Chicago before traveling to Carlisle to continue with my transition to Penn State Dickinson Law. Congratulated Jomarie on becoming president-elect of the International Trademark Association, a global association of brand owners and professionals from 165 countries representing over 30,000 trademark professionals, including brand owners from major corporations, small and medium-sized enterprises, law firms, and nonprofits. She also as serves on the US Patent and Trademark Office's trademark advisory council, advising the agency's director on the policies, goals, performance, budget, and user fees of trademark operations there. Jomarie has paid it forward in many meaningful ways. Besides serving on the advisory board for UIC Law's IP program, she has given our students IP career talks, guest lectures, moderated panel discussions, and generously supported to the IP program's work over the years. Jomarie completed her Master of Law at the John Marshall Law School (now UIC Law) before going on to a successful career. She is the chief intellectual property (IP) counsel and Deputy General Counsel at Rotary International, a global not-for-profit corporation comprising 35,000 member clubs and its charitable foundation. When in Carlisle, I noticed a monument honoring Molly Pitcher, who fought in the American War of Independence and distinguished herself for her bravery in June 1778. As her husband was carried off the battlefield, Molly took his place at his cannon. After the battle, General George Washington honored Molly's courage by issuing her a warrant as a non-commissioned officer. In front of Molly's statue is a canon that the Carlisle club of Rotary International restored. As the nation celebrates Independence Day, let's honor the inspiring women who helped it win nationhood and continue to keep it great today. As the saying goes, women hold up half the sky. Happy 4th!

IP Summit | IP, Tech, and the USPTO

Looking forward to Marcus Evans Group's #IPLaw Summit this weekend. My remarks will address AI IP enforcement issues, Big Tech and antitrust, and China-US tech rivalry - the ABCs in IP and tech. I will also join John Calkins (Pear Therapeutics), Dena VanDeVoort Ehrich (3M), and Laura Sheridan (Google) for a conversation on "Future Policy at the USPTO – Transformation or Status Quo." Topics include: ● Recent and potential changes at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board ● What may be on the horizon for how patents are examined ● The role of technology in the PTO’s operation ● Improving equitable and affordable access to the patent system Details here: www.iplawsummit.com The Summit will feature insights from Hon. Wayne Andersen Dan Abrams Stephen Lee Ken Seddon Christopher M. Turoski Jamie Kemler, CLP, RTTP Patrick Kim Madhu Goel Southworth Katie Lichty Caeden Curtis Drayton Sal Karottki Dr. Mark Gavin Kokes Joel Van Winkle Caeden Curtis Drayton Jason Friday Braxton K. Davis, JD, CPP Gwendolyn Blackwell #thanks Naomi Haynes Stacey N. Russell

Zurich | Post-Event Hospitality

A special thank you to Peter Picht for his post-event hospitality! He gave me a tour of downtown Zurich. The weather was lovely. We stopped by H Schwarzenbach, a Swiss institution that offers an impressive array of chocolates, specialty coffee beans, teas, dried fruits and spices. I got to savor a chocolate beverage sweetened with cacao fruit juice. The baristas kindly offered me a sample of the juice, which tasted floral, mildly sweet, and pleasant. We also visited Fraumünster Church to view Chagall's stained glass windows. The Art Institute of Chicago, too, has its version of Chagall's windows, and it was nice to see the different variations on a theme. Finally, a part shot of the conference hotel featured an interesting ramp connecting the bedrooms in the hotel annex where I stayed. It reminded me of Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim Museum design in New York - another Chicago connection.

Change | Continuity

UIC Law’s IP Center concluded its “13th Annual Ethics in the Practice of IP Law Seminar” last Friday. Bill McGrath, doyen of the Chicago copyright bar and long-time associate director of the IP Center, created the event to focus on an important but overlooked area of IP practice.   Over thirteen years, the seminar has come of age and has evolved to stay responsive to the needs of our community of stakeholders. Bill passed the torch to our inaugural IP Law Fellow, Kyle Serilla, who in turn passed it on to his successor Adam Ernette.   The ethics seminar is special because it allows our IP Law Fellow to be the principal organizer for the event, from speaker selection, from topic conception to speaker selection. This Friday’s event was even more special because it was the first time our IP Law Fellows, past and present, each moderated a session – one on mental health and wellness and one on diversity, equity and inclusion. It was a proud moment for me to see them handling themselves well in navigating the panel discussion through difficult conversations on each of these issues.   During my closing remarks, I told the audience that the ethics seminar marks my final event as IP Center director. Gary Friedlander, retiring as a senior vice-president at TransUnion this summer, will join the IP Center and bring over twenty years of experience to lead the IP program in its next chapter. Gary delivered the opening remarks as an advisory board member (a role he will relinquish when he becomes interim director), providing a bookend to my remarks. Gary is well-placed to succeed. Please join in me cheering him on.   The ethics seminar is, therefore, significant in at least two ways. First, it represents the kind of event that should increasingly become a mainstay. Attorneys, judges, academics, and students need to keep up to date and be equipped to deal with issues that go beyond legal doctrine. They need to know how to lead a sustainable and rewarding professional life and be good citizens in the IP ecosystem. Second, it demonstrates how continuity in change at the personnel level can be well-coordinated, harmonious, and forward-looking.

Zurich | AI & IP

Just returned from Zurich where I spoke at a multilateral meeting on AI and IP, co-organized by the University of Zurich’s Center for IP & Competition Law (CIPCO) and the Swiss Federal Institute of IP (IPI), Switzerland’s national IP agency. Like many of you venturing abroad this summer, it was my first trip abroad in over two and a half years! In my keynote address on enforcement issues, I observed that each country must balance internal stakeholder interests with its national aspirations. For example, China and the US have different histories and legal traditions from each other and from smaller nations, like Singapore and Switzerland. I observed governments are actively seeking to promote innovation through AI-friendly initiatives. One example is the USPTO’s AI /ET Partnership, focusing on quantum computing, synthetic biology, blockchain, and virtual reality. Another is Singapore’s AI toolkit companies can use to show AI systems are accountable, transparent, safe and do not discriminate based on attributes such as race or gender, which was recently launched in Davos at the World Economic Forum in May. As blocks become available, governments put them into play and then continue to build a regulatory system on that. These approaches show a general preference for incremental and informed evolution rather than overturning established precedent and settled business expectations. Trust-building between stakeholders and across borders will be key in the next lap. Data is the new oil. Without trust, businesses and governments will not have the data they need to train their algorithms properly and provide next-generation services to all of us as consumers and citizens. In this context, my remarks addressed three key questions: How does AI change IP infringement? How does AI change IP exemptions? How does AI change collective rights management? Kudos to Prof. Dr. Peter Picht, Chairman, Center for Intellectual Property and Competition, and Prof. Dr. Felix Addor, Deputy Director General and General Counsel of the IPI, as well as Head of Legal & International Affairs Division, for assembling a slate of international representatives from IP offices, academia, and industry willing and able to engage in the rigorous conversations that this important topic deserves. Photos (Clockwise): Delivering my keynote, view from the conference hotel, with Alessandro Curioni, VP Europe and Africa and Director IBM Research and Felix Addor, with participants on an impromptu tour of the university by Prof. Dr. Florent Thouvenin, the university's beautiful foyer (above), and the law library (below), and a selfie with Beat Weibel, Chief IP Counsel & Group Senior Vice President, Siemens, Wissenschaftliche Assistentin Caroline Kopp and Lehrassistent Valerie Brunner.