Program Description: Last month the White House announced a new initiative to combat so-called “patent trolls.” Quoting the President as saying they “are just trying to essentially leverage and hijack somebody else’s idea and see if they can extort some money,” they estimate the direct cost of patent trolls were $29 billion in 2011.

However, some experts assert these companies – more formally known as “patent assertion entities” – have a leveling effect, allowing smaller and newer innovators to find commercial access, financing, and indeed assert legitimate patent rights against more established companies.

What role do these specialized entities play in innovation and competition? Do they hold up the flow of new technology or do they provide a useful right-of-way?

Join us for a discussion of these and related issues beginning at noon. Hill Country Barbeque will be served. Please RSVP as space is limited.

Panelists:  

Logan M. Breed, Partner, Hogan Lovells

Philip Johnson, Senior Vice President & Chief Intellectual Property Counsel, Johnson & Johnson, Legal Department

Lisa Kimmel, Attorney Advisor, Office of Chairwoman Ramirez, Federal Trade Commission

Moderator:

Satya P. Thallam, Assistant Director, Research, Law & Economics Center

For More Information, Contact: Congressional Civil Justice Caucus Academy
703.993.9964
CCJCA@gmu.edu