The first-ever mid-year LES meeting featuring presentations by Judge James F. Holderman and former USPTO Commissioner David Kappos, will also be the first to provide six industry tracks that can be tailored by attendees to suit their interests.

Optimized for customization, the March LES meeting will take place in New York and give those LES members and non-members alike the opportunity to take part in a single sector program or to combine aspects of one or more sectors with broad networking options.

Participants will be able to spend the entire conference, March 26th and 27th at New York’s Crowne Plaza Times Square, focused solely in their sector of interest (Life Sciences; High Technology; Industry University Government Interface; Chemicals, Energy, Environmental and Materials; Consumer Products; or Legal) and then enjoy engaging with larger audiences at the evening networking events.

For those interested in the views from the bench, the general program features David Kappos, Judge Holderman, and a panel of District Court judges, to share their views on what’s working and what’s not in today’s IP judicial system.

Meeting highlights include:

• Workshop tracks for each LES Sector with the topics and speakers chosen by each sector
• Confirmed speakers including licensing executives from: GE, Pfizer, National Institutes of Health, Columbia University and more.
• Topics that range from “Green Energy” to “Initiatives to Accelerate Early-Stage Technologies from the Lab to the Market”
• Keynote Luncheon Speaker: James F. Holderman, Senior United States District Judge for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois speaking about “Remedies in Patent Infringement Litigation”
• A “Mock Mediation of a Patent Licensing Dispute,” conducted by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
• A District Court Judges’ Panel offering “Judicial Insight Into Patent Infringement Litigation” that will also answer audience questions.

LES also will include optional education workshops on Tuesday afternoon for people who want to get a head start on the meeting.

Those who are in the New York area can drop in on Monday afternoon for the annual LES Foundation International Graduate Student Business Plan Competition, to see a glimpse of the future of the IP profession.  Teams from around the world present their IP-based business plan to a panel of internationally recognized judges.  All of the students are able to stay for the entire meeting to benefit from some of the networking opportunities and feedback on the ideas.

The Foundation provides mentors and coaches to help the teams round out their presentations, business and technology plans as they compete for over $100,000 in awards and in-kind prizes donated by LES members.

Illustration source: lesusacanada.org