European Patent Practice
November 24, 2020, at 12 pm- 1 pm
Description:
The US Bar-EPO Liaison Council consists of representatives of IP special-interest groups (e.g., AIPLA and IPO) and IP sections of State Bar associations. Daniel Staley and Brian Lefort are currently the Colorado Bar Association’s representatives to the Liaison Council, which was created as a forum to facilitate exchange with US patent applicants, who traditionally have been the largest group of applicants from any single country. The Liaison Council brings together US stakeholders and European Patent Office (EPO) officials for an annual meeting to discuss contemporary issues in the patent system and to address questions of mutual interest. For the EPO, it is also a valuable opportunity to present recent developments at the EPO and gather feedback from US users.
If you are a US patent attorney wishing to learn more about the current state of the EPO, including the impacts of COVID-19 and particularly oral proceedings, report on the status of the Unitary Patent / Unified Patent Court, the EPO’s approach to inventorship with respect to artificial intelligence, the issue currently before the Technical Boards of Appeal to clarify the extent to which computer-implemented inventions can be patented at the EPO, and a key decision by the EPO Board of Appeals regarding plants and animals, don't miss this session. The panel discussion will include Daniel Staley and Brian Lefort and Ryan Duebner.
Panelists:
Daniel A. Staley—
With nearly 20 years of engineering and intellectual property experience Daniel is the primary IP attorney, having global responsibilities, for Caterpillar’s Industrial Power Systems Division. He specializes in U.S. and foreign intellectual property matters. Prior to Caterpillar, Daniel worked at a national U.S. law firm and received his J.D. from Denver University Strum College of Law and a B.Sc. degree in mechanical and civil engineering from Colorado School of Mines before completing an executive education program at Harvard Business School on Strategic Financial Analysis for Business Evaluation.
Brian D. Lefort—
Brian is a partner in Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath’s worldwide intellectual property practice. Brian is a dual qualified U.S. attorney and English solicitor, as well as being able to practice before both the USPTO and EPO, thereby providing clients a unique trans-Atlantic perspective and delivering value-added service. He provides multijurisdictional counsel and strategies relating to intellectual property portfolios, transactions, and disputes, including proceedings before the USPTO and oppositions at the EPO. Brian works with a range of clients—from emerging companies to established businesses—in a variety of industries, with particular experience in the software and medical technology space.
Ryan L. Duebner—
Ryan is a member of Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath’s intellectual property group. His practice focuses on developing and managing cost-effective global IP strategies and portfolios, performing freedom-to-operate investigations, providing risk assessment and design-around counseling, preparing domestic and international patent applications, prosecuting domestic and international patent applications, and providing patent litigation support. He also has experience drafting licensing agreements, joint-development agreements, and other IP-related agreements. Ryan is a graduate of University of Minnesota Law School and University of Wisconsin-Madison.