The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

THE WEST COAST ROAD SHOW
HOT TOPICS IN BIOTECHNOLOGY, COMPUTER PATENTS
AND PATENT LEGISLATION: A SYMPOSIUM

United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) officials will share their insights about how the USPTO can promote invention by helping inventors to obtain biotechnology and computer related patents. The symposium will inform you about current examination issues in biotechnology and computer patents. In an era of increased global harmonization, an overview of USPTO policies and new legislation, including the American Inventor Protection Act, and the roles of new genetic and information technologies will provide a context for discussion.

Topics of interest to be covered:

• Implementation of the American Inventor Protection Act (AIPA), including Patent Term Adjustment and Requests for Continuing Examination
• USPTO customer outreach and patentability in biotechnology patent examination
• Discovery genetics, including patenting of genes, gene therapy, transgenic animals, expressed sequence tags, antisense oligonucleotides and single nucleotide polymorphisms.
• Bioinformatics link genetic information, protein structure and development of new therapeutic drugs.
• Patentability and scope of protection of protein, vaccine and immunology patents.
• Application of recent changes in written description and utility guidelines
• Patentability issues pertaining to computer related inventions

Panelists include members of USPTO Technology Centers 1600 and 2700. Technology Center (TC) 1600 is responsible for examining biotechnology patent applications. Technology Center 2700 is responsible for examination of patent applications in computers, electronics and computer software technologies.

John Doll, Director of USPTO TC 1600 has been with the USPTO as a Patent Examiner and Supervisory Patent Examiner and is currently Director of Technology Center 1600.

Robert Spar is the Director of the USPTO Office of Patent Legal Administration, and has been directly involved in the implementation of the American Inventors Protection Act.

Margaret Parr has been with the USPTO for 18 years as an Examiner, Supervisor, Biotechnology Practice Specialist and is currently Support Systems Administrator for TC 1600, focusing on issues related to automated search and analysis of biological sequences.

Brian Stanton has been an Examiner, Supervisor, and is now a Practice Specialist in TC 1600, and assists customers in all areas of biotechnology patent examination and allowance.

John LeGuyader is a Supervisory Patent Examiner in TC 1600 and supervises the examination of transgenic animals and gene therapy.

Anthony Caputa is a Supervisory Patent Examiner and oversees patent examination relating to proteins, immunology and vaccines.

Jack Harvey is a Supervising Patent Examiner in TC 2700 and specializes in computer and computer software patents.

Continuing Legal Education Credit may be available in some locations.