Patent Reform Coordinator for USPTO to Speak at ACI Conference

Dec. 20, 2012 - PRLog -- Dec. 20, 2012 - New York, NY –  Ms. Gongola’s keynote, opening the first day of the conference, will cover the effect of recent and soon-to-be implemented sections of the America Invents Act (AIA) on patent prosecution.  

“This keynote speech will be sure to get the conference off to a great start,” said ACI division manager Stephanie Butler. “So far response to this event has been extremely positive, and [Gongola]’s involvement is sure to increase interest in it even more,” she added.  According to Butler, the rest of the conference’s faculty is very highly regarded as well.  As Butler put it, “with twelve senior in-house experts representing close to a dozen different companies, attendees will have the opportunity to benchmark their own organizations’ response to the AIA against those of peer institutions, and this level of involvement from industry is helping to drive interest in the conference.”

In addition, the Guide to Patent Reform’s faculty includes an Administrative Patent Judge, Thomas Giannetti, whose own speech will discuss the newly created opposition practices that will be administered by the USPTO.  “The AIA completely changed opposition practice in the U.S., and the fact that someone who will be adjudicating these cases will be available to address attendees’ concerns about administration of inter partes review and post-grant review directly just really makes this conference a unique opportunity for patent attorneys and agents,” Butler said.  She also mentioned that attendees will be able to receive CLE credits. “It’s a great bonus for attendees – they can satisfy these requirements and stay on the cutting edge in patent practice, all in just two days.”  Currently, bookings are well ahead of last year’s interation. “We’ve instructed our sales and marketing staff to warn those interested that they might not be able to reserve a seat if they don’t do so soon.”  The Comprehensive Guide to Patent Reform is on January 23 – 24, 2013 in New York, NY, and registration can be achieved by calling 888-224-2480 or at www.americanconference.com/patentreform.