THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2024
5:30 Early Arrivals and Section Reception
5:30–7:00 PM | Page Road Grill, 5416 Page Road, Durham | Directions
Join us for the early arrivals CLE reception! The reception is open to all current Intellectual Property Law Section members and speakers of the section CLE! We hope to see you there! Includes heavy appetizers and alcoholic/non-alcoholic drinks.
Please RSVP by Tuesday, March 19.
FRIDAY, MARCH 22, 2024
8:25 Registration and Continental Breakfast
8:55 Welcome and Introductions
9:00 Artificial Intelligence: Patent Inventorship and Copyright Authorship Considerations in the U.S.
Maryna K. Gipsov, USPTO (Office of Policy and International Affairs), Virginia
Nalini Mummalaneni, USPTO (Office of Patent Legal Administration), Virginia
Artificial Intelligence is at the forefront of today's policy discussions in the United States and other parts of the world. It raises complex questions at the intersection of intellectual property law and technology, including questions on patent inventorship and copyright authorship. Our guest speakers from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Nalini Mummalaneni and Maryna Gipsov, provide a brief summary of recent developments in this area.
10:00 Break
10:10 Pro Bono Ethics Panel: Fostering Inclusive Innovation Through Intellectual Property Assistance*
Arthur J. "Art" DeBaugh, Ward and Smith PA, Raleigh
Jennifer R. Knight, Clements Bernard Walker PLLC, Charlotte
Shawna Cannon Lemon, Stanek Lemon Crouse + Meeks PA, Raleigh
Lisa L. Mueller, Casimir Jones SC, Raleigh
As intellectual property attorneys, we know that intellectual property protection is critical to inventors and entrepreneurs. In this session, we review the demographic disparities along the innovation pipeline. (For example, inventors who obtain patents and/or entrepreneurs who secure venture capital do not represent the general demographics with respect to gender, race, ethnicity or economic status.) We also discuss the wide range of IP pro bono programs that are impacting these disparities.
11:10 Break
11:20 Enablement Panel: USPTO 2024 Guidance and Where Are We Now?
Jeff W. Childers, Casimir Jones SC, Raleigh
Daniel E. "Dan" Kolker, USPTO (Technology Center 1600), Virginia
Jeffrey S. "Jeff" Lundgren, USPTO (Technology Center 1600), Virginia
Jacob "Jake" Moore, Moderna, Massachusetts/Cary
Michael Penn, BlueRock Therapeutics, Massachusetts/Raleigh-Durham
The USPTO published Guidelines for Assessing Enablement in Utility Applications and Patents in View of the Supreme Court Decision in Amgen Inc. et al. v. Sanofi et al. on January 10, 2024. The expert panel discusses the impact of Amgen and the guidance document, and shares insights on navigating a path forward for drafting patent applications.
12:20 Intellectual Property Law Section Annual Meeting
Julia A. Kim, Casimir Jones SC, Raleigh, 2023-2024 Section Chair, presiding
12:35 Lunch Break
1:20 Trademark and Patent Litigation Year in Review
Lance A. Lawson, Burr & Forman LLP, Charlotte
Richard T. "Rick" Matthews, Williams Mullen, Raleigh
This session reviews the most significant trademark and patent litigation cases over the past year.
2:50 Break
3:00 Emerging Copyright Issues Within the Videogame Space
Jay Choi, Epic Games Inc., Cary
Darrell A. Fruth, Smith Anderson Blount Dorsett Mitchell & Jernigan LLP, Raleigh
The three-dimensional modeling technology that drives videogames is also on the leading edge of emerging new copyright issues that will help shape Web 3.0 and the metaverse. How will users monetize the content they create? What about content created using artificial intelligence? This session focuses on broad issues from the perspective of practitioners with deep experience licensing technology used to create realistic experiences within games and in many other applications.
3:30 Break
3:40 Ethical and Responsible Use of AI in Practice Management*
Catherine Sanders Reach, North Carolina Bar Association, Cary
Generative artificial intelligence is not a new concept for lawyers, who have been applying some forms of it for a while. However, the recent emergence of many low-cost and accessible tools that can offer various benefits in a short time has changed the landscape. But before lawyers can take advantage of these AI assistants, they need to be aware of the ethical and practical implications. How can they ensure that using generative AI (GAI) for client work is secure and appropriate? The existing rules, as well as the proposed NC State Bar ethics opinion, provide some guidance and some best practices. In this session, we discuss what you need to consider when using GAI in your practice.
4:40 Adjourn
* Indicates portion providing Ethics/Professional Responsibility credit