David Kappos, Director, USPTO
Building a 21st Century Patent Office in a Global Economy
Tuesday, October 18, 2011 • 12:30 p.m.
Room 3041, Duke Law School
David Kappos, Under Secretary of Commerce and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, will deliver the tenth annual Meredith and Kip Frey Lecture in Intellectual Property on Tuesday, October 18, 2011. Mr. Kappos will outline modern trends in intellectual property policy and how current court cases are shaping the patent landscape. He also will focus on the importance of patent reform legislation and its impacts upon the USPTO operations, patent quality, and innovation. This will include a conversation about the new tools and initiatives the USPTO is implementing to make navigating the patent system easier for practitioners–as well as a commentary on what procedural changes patent lawyers can expect in regards to patent litigation and disputes. Kappos’s lecture will offer a current focus on how the Obama administration is shaping intellectual property policy to build a truly 21st century patent system.
Mr. Kappos became Director of the USPTO in August 2009 and serves as a primary advisor to the President and the Secretary of Commerce on intellectual property issues. Under his leadership, the PTO encourages technological innovation and assists businesses to protect their investments and promote their goods and services while safeguarding against deception in the marketplace. Before joining the PTO, Mr. Kappos served as Vice President and Assistant General Counsel for Intellectual Property at IBM where he managed worldwide intellectual property operations. In addition, he has served on numerous boards and other leadership roles in the intellectual property field and has written and spoken widely on IP topics both in the U.S. and globally.
The event is open to the public, but seating is limited. Lunch will be provided. For more information, contact Balfour Smith
Meredith and Kip Frey Lecture in Intellectual Property
The Meredith and Kip Frey Lecture in Intellectual Property was established by Duke Law alumnus Kip Frey ’85 and his wife, Meredith, to increase discussion about emerging issues in the areas of intellectual property, cyberspace, and science and technology law.
Past Frey Lectures have featured:
Professor Arti K. Rai
Innovation Policy: Theory & Practice
Mr. William F. Patry
Moral Panics and the Copyright Wars: A Reply to Jack Valenti
Professor Suzanne Scotchmer
A Nonobvious Discussion of Patents
Professor Joseph Stiglitz
The Economic Foundations of Intellectual Property
Professor Pamela Samuelson
Enriching Discourse in the Public Domain
Professor Lewis Banscomb
Where Do High Tech Commercial Innovations Come From?
Mr. Jack Valenti
Comments on the Moral Imperative
Professor Yochai Benkler
Freedom in the Commons: Towards a Political Economy of Information
Professor Lawrence Lessig
Architecting Innovation