Design Patent Links - Nov. 4, 2013

We are less than three weeks away from the second major design patent conference of 2013! On Friday, November 22, Suffolk Law School will be hosting a design patent conference titled “Design Patents : Modernizing an Old Property Interest.” The conference promises to be an insightful follow-up to the design patent conference hosted by Stanford Law School back in April. You can see the full details for the event here. The topics that will be discussed during the conference include design patent scope, design patent litigation, design patent damages, and Hague Treaty rulemaking. The confirmed speakers and panelists thus far include Chris Carani , Perry Saidman, and David Gerk and Brian Hanlon, both from the U.S. P.T.O. Attorney Michael T. Zeller, who represented Samsung in the Apple v. Samsung case will also be participating.

This conference should be another great opportunity to discuss contemporary issues in design patent law and to hear from some of the preeminent experts in the design patent space. The Ordinary Observer is planning to attend and will provide detailed coverage. If you are interested in attending, please sign up here.

For those interested in discussing the conference on Twitter, the organizers are encouraging the public to use the hash tag #designpatentlaw.

In other design patent news, Fanny Siu and Alison Wong of Bird & Bird have penned an informative article on the ease of seeking design patent protection in China.

Tracy-Gene G. Durkin and David K.S. Cornwell of Sterne Kessler Goldstein & Fox have offered an informative summary of the Federal Circuit’s recent design patent decision in Spencer v. Taco Bell Corp. The decision provides further insights into the Federal Circuit’s thinking on the written description requirement for design patents in the wake of the decision in In re Daniels just a few short months ago.

Over at The Faculty Lounge, Sarah Burstein has posted an article about the double standards for utility patent prosecutors and design patent prosecutors. Did you know that design patent prosecutors can qualify for the position with an art degree?

As always, we will be on the lookout for more design patent news!