BLOOMBERG BNA WEBINAR EVENT: The Impact of Non-Practicing Entities on U.S. Companies: A Discussion of the GAO Report

Wednesday, April 10, 2013
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM ET

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is about to release a Congressionally-mandated report on the role and impact of non-practicing entities (NPEs) and patent assertion entities (PAEs) on the United States economy. It is widely expected that this report will shape future patent legislation and inform the courts of the costs and benefits of the actions of various classes of NPEs and PAEs.

The report was mandated because of assertions by some that NPEs engage in conduct which is harmful to the U.S. economy or businesses operating within that economy. The faculty for this program will address the realities of NPE patent litigation and how that litigation differs from litigation between competitors or by a patent holder that is in business, the concerns which actuated the request for the report, the remedies proposed in the report, the pros and cons and effect of those proposed remedies, and whether the proposed remedies adequately account for the fact that the terms NPE and PAE cover a wide swath of businesses with greatly differing business models and characteristics.

Educational Objectives:

Understand the public policy issues relating to the role of NPEs and PAEs as they affect the U.S. economy.
Distinguish among the different types of NPEs and PAEs.
Gain insight into the overall strategy of a particular adversary.
Understand the settlement dynamics of NPE litigation versus other forms of patent litigation.

Who would benefit most from attending the program?

Patent litigators, including both plaintiffs and defendants; persons interested in patent public policy; individuals involved in managing and leveraging patent portfolios or managing in-house intellectual property litigation.
Program Level: Intermediate. (While this program is not intended for a patent litigation novice, the faculty will provide some basic background on patent litigation as they discuss the issues.)

Credit Available: This program is CLE-credit eligible.