Overview of the Patent Pro Bono Program and Ethical Issues in Representing Pro Bono Clients at Silicon Valley USPTO

***This event has been cancelled.  We apologize for any inconvenience.***

 

The California Lawyers for the Arts will host a session about the Patent Pro Bono Program at the Silicon Valley USPTO from 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM (PT) on Tuesday, July 26, 2016.  One (1) hour of California MCLE Ethics will be available.

Managed by regional intellectual property law organizations across the United States, the Patent Pro Bono Program endeavors to match under-resourced independent inventors and small businesses with volunteer registered patent practitioners who provide patent preparation and prosecution services on a pro bono basis.  The Program provides patent practitioners the opportunity to serve eligible inventors in their area of expertise because only a patent practitioner registered before the USPTO can help an under-resourced inventor file and prosecute a patent before the USPTO.  Therefore, the goals of the program are to:

  • Promote small business growth and development,
  • Help ensure that no deserving invention lacks patent protection because of a lack of money for IP counsel, and
  • Provide patent attorneys and opportunity to serve in their area of expertise.

The presentation reviews ethical considerations in the representation of clients, pro bono, by addressing topics such as conflicts and unbundled patent prosecution services.  The presentation also provides an overview of some relevant ethics cases.

Come and learn more about how you can help under-resourced inventors and small businesses in California through the California Inventors Assistance Program!  www.calawyersforthearts.org/CIAP (external link). 

This event is intended for IP attorneys, paralegals, and practitioners who use or would like to know more about the Patent Pro Bono Program. 

One (1) hour of California MCLE Ethics will be available.  The event is free and open to the public with limited space, please register here with the California Lawyers for the Arts (external link).  

Please note that the Silicon Valley USPTO is a federal facility.  Attendees are required to present a valid form of government-issued identification (driver license or passport) and may be subject to security screening.

Presenter:  James M. Silbermann is a staff attorney in the Office of Enrollment & Discipline at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).  Mr. Silbermann joined the Office of Enrollment & Discipline in 2005.  In the Office of Enrollment & Discipline he focuses on enrollment and discipline matters and also supervises the USPTO Law School Clinical Certification Program.
 
Mr. Silbermann began his professional career as a patent examiner with the USPTO.  Mr. Silbermann worked at the law firm of Dickstein Shapiro Morin & Oshinsky LLP in Washington, D.C. and the Washington office of Foley & Lardner LLP, where he specialized in intellectual property acquisitions, client consultation, patent litigation and patent prosecution.
 
Mr. Silbermann received his B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park in 1989, and his J.D. degree, magna cum laude, from the Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law, in 1996, where he was an editor of the Journal of Contemporary Health Law and Policy.  He is a member of the Virginia and District of Columbia Bars.

 

Patent Pro Bono Program Roadshow in California

The California Lawyers for the Arts is hosting Patent Pro Bono Program sessions in San Jose, Los Angeles and San Diego.  For more information including registration instructions, please visit the below external websites. 

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