Patent Litigation in China, RBG’s Enduring Legacy in Copyright and Broadband Solutions to Pandemic Problems

This week, the House’s Communications and Technology Subcommittee on IP News is hosting a hearing to examine how expanding broadband internet access can solve many of the societal problems raised by the COVID-19 pandemic. Outside of Congress, the US Copyright Office is holding an event this Wednesday afternoon to examine Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s legacy of justice in the world of copyright. Elsewhere, the Hudson Institute is hosting an event Thursday evening to examine the changing landscape of patent litigation in China, and the Stimson Center is examining recent research on the future fleet of advanced nuclear reactor technologies.

Tuesday February 16

US Patent and Trademark Office

Brand Basics Boot Camp, Module 3: Application Requirements

Online video webinar on Tuesday at 2 p.m.

This webinar, part of the USPTO’s eight-part series on the basics of trademark filing for small businesses and entrepreneurs, focuses on the process of filing an initial application for trademark registration with the agency. This module includes branding basics, drawings, identifications of goods and services, filing bases, patterns and ornaments, and additional resources at the agency. The module concludes with a question-and-answer session for the participants.

Wednesday February 17th

House Communications and Technology Subcommittee

Connecting America: Broadband Solutions to Pandemic Problems

Online video webinar on Wednesday at 11:00 a.m.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has brought large parts of the global economy to a standstill, internet access and telecommunications technologies have enabled many sectors to stay connected with consumers or continue to provide essential services. This growing reliance on the Internet also underscores the broadband gap that affects many rural and low-income communities. The panel of witnesses for this hearing has yet to be announced.

US Copyright Office

The Enduring Copyright Legacy of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Online video webinar on Wednesday at 1:00 p.m.

While Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s most enduring legacy will be her impact in removing laws that discriminate based on gender, her career also included writing several influential opinions on major copyright cases such as Eldred v. Ashcroft (2003), Golan v. Holder (2012) and Petrella versus Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (2014). This Wednesday, the Copyright Office will celebrate Justice Ginsburg’s contributions to the field of copyright, both in their views of the Supreme Court and in their patronage of the arts, especially opera. Speakers at the event include Carla Hayden, Librarian of Congress; Shira Perlmutter, Copyright Register; Paul Goldstein, Stella W., and Ira S. Lillick Professor of Law at Stanford Law School; Jane Ginsburg, Morton L. Janklow Professor of Literary and Artistic Property Law, Columbia Law School; Julie Cohen and Betsy West, co-directors and co-producers, RBG; and Derrick Wang, composer and librettist, Scalia / Ginsburg.

The Stimson Center

Bringing the back end to the fore: A look into the future nuclear fleet

Online video webinar on Wednesday at 1:00 p.m.

The state of nuclear technology is so advanced that designs have been developed for so-called Generation IV nuclear reactors that are expected to be implemented sometime in the 2020s. However, most nuclear power plants operating in the US and other countries use Generation II reactors. Advanced nuclear reactors have standardized designs to improve licensing, longer life, greater efficiency in power generation, and increased protection against events leading to meltdowns or releases lead to radioactive waste. This event will include a presentation of a recently published working paper on Improvements in Next Generation Nuclear Reactors by Rowen Price, Research Assistant, Nuclear Safeguards Program and Partnerships in Proliferation Prevention Program, Stimson Center. Other speakers at the event include James Casterton, Nonresident Fellow, Nuclear Safeguards Program; Andrew Worrall, associate director, Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear, and division director, Oak Ridge National Laboratory; and Dr. Cindy Vestergaard, Senior Fellow and Director, Nuclear Safeguards Program and Blockchain in Practice Program, Stimson Center.

US Patent and Trademark Office

Meet the Patent Experts: Grade Three

Online video webinar on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m.

This class and interactive question-and-answer session, coordinated by the Texas Regional Office of the USPTO, is the third in a five-part series of workshops on key aspects of filing patent applications with the Agency. This class particularly focuses on key aspects of non-preliminary applications.

US Patent and Trademark Office

Did you know @USPTO – February Issue: Patenting Food

Online video webinar on Wednesday at 3 p.m.

What is the landscape of intellectual property rights around innovative food recipes or food technologies? This event seeks to provide guidance on how to patent food technologies and best practices for filing patent applications in this area, with input from Larry Tarazano, Regulatory Patent Examiner, USPTO.

Thursday February 18th

The Aspen Institute

Aspen Tech Policy Hub 2021 Recruiting Webinar # 3

Online video webinar on Thursday at 12:00 p.m.

Since the Aspen Tech Policy Hub incubator program began, the Aspen Institute has worked with 57 technologists to develop innovative projects on technology platforms that deliver societal benefits. The Aspen Tech Policy Hub is currently accepting applications for full-time or part-time scholarship programs that focus on addressing government technology challenges for the coming summer and fall. Interested applicants can learn more about the application process in this webinar on Thursday.

US Patent and Trademark Office

Find out more about the latest developments for ex-party appeals

Online video webinar on Thursday at 12:00 p.m.

This Thursday at 12:00 noon, the USPTO will host its latest PTAB (Patent Trial and Appeal Board) chat to receive a public update on the latest developments related to ex parte appeals from patent applicants to the PTAB regarding the denial dispute from agencies.

US Patent and Trademark Office

Copyright Basics and Considerations for Entrepreneurs and Small Businesses

Online video webinar on Thursday at 1:00 p.m.

Organized by the USPTO Office of Political and International Affairs (OPIA) Global Intellectual Property Academy, this webinar is designed to teach entrepreneurs and small business owners the fundamentals of copyright protection and how protecting and enforcing this IP right will do business can succeed. The speakers for this event will be provided by the USPTO’s OPIA and the US Copyright Office.

Hudson Institute

Patent Litigation in China: Navigating a Changing Environment

Online video webinar on Thursday at 6 p.m.

The Chinese government only started patent protection for new technologies in the mid-1980s, making it one of the youngest patent systems in the world. Many business interests wish to travel to China for access to that country’s massive consumer class, and the rapid changes in the country’s patent system over the past few decades have increased the complexity of doing business in China, although recent changes have generally made patent holders opposed to parties that violated the law, preferred. This event will include a discussion with a panel that includes Mark Cohen, Distinguished Senior Fellow, University of California, Berkeley & Director, Berkeley Center for Law & Technology, Asia Intellectual Property Project; Vivienne Bath, Professor of Chinese International and Business Law, University of Sydney; Er Jing, founder of GEN Law Firm and Executive Director of Beijing Zhongguancun Research Institute for Intellectual Property Strategy; and moderated by Urška Petrov? i ?, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute.

The Aspen Institute

Going Viral: Original Stories of Passion in the Sciences

Online video webinar on Thursday at 8:00 p.m.

This event is the first in a two-part series that explores the personal passions that have led scientists to their endeavors and that drive them further in their own research projects. This event has a special focus on the life of Dr. Nathan Wolfe, an American virologist whose life is the subject of a new play called The Catastrophist. Introductory remarks on this event will be given by Lauren Gunderson, Playwright, The Catastrophist. The speakers at this event include Dr. Wolfe Dr. med. Nahid Bhadelia, Medical Director, Special Pathogens Unit, Boston Medical Center, and Associate Professor, Department of Infectious Diseases, Boston University School of Medicine; Namandjé N. Bumpus, Ph.D., EK Marshall, and Thomas H. Maren Professor and Director, Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences, Johns Hopkins University; Benhur Lee, MD, professor of microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine on Mount Sinai; and Nita Madhav, MPH, CEO of Metabiota.

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