IP², an initiative of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, last week hosted a more than 60 IP scholars, economists and practitioners to hear and challenge research about “Building and Innovation Economy – The Mechanics of the Patent System.” 

Hoover IP² is a working group on intellectual property, innovation and prosperity. Its goals are to build a network of scholars from a variety of academic disciplines, to undertake research based on evidence and reason, and to disseminate the research results. Conferences, such as this, that include economists, legal experts, political scientists, and practitioners and that present original research, help achieve these goals.

Lively Discourse

Presenters, discussants and moderators participated in the sessions, to which I was invited to attend, in a room with two tiers of circular seating. The setting encourages discourse, as well as abundant audience questions in the true spirit of peer-review.

Presenting participants included:  Jay P. Kesan (University of Illinois College of Law), F. Scott Kieff (ITC Commissioner, formerly of George Washington University School of Law and a former Senior Hoover Fellow), Colleen Chien (Santa Clara University College of Law) and Bo Heiden (the Center for IP Studies in Gothenburg, Sweden), James Pooley (former World IP Organization head), Damon Mateo (formerly IP executive with H-P and PARC), and IP² Steering Committee Chair, Stephen Haber (Stanford School of Humanities and Sciences and a Hoover Fellow).

For the agenda and presenters, go here.

Audience participants included Irv Rappaport (formerly Chief Patent Counsel at Apple and National Semiconductor, and an expert witness), Ron Laurie (a director of WiLAN and former partner in the Palo Alto office of Paul Weiss), Suzanne Harrison (The Gathering 2.0) and Dr. Ron Katznelson (an inventor, patent analyst and scholar).

Sharing Ideas

Lively discussion and cordial debate ensued. Opinions were divided on some topics, such as patent assertion entities (PAEs) and the value of standards essential patents (SEPs). However, all of those present had an opportunity to have their perspective heard and responded to.

Hoover IP²’s goals are to:

• Build a dense network of scholars, from a variety of academic disciplines, who are engaged in research on the US patent system
• Analyze the implications that may be drawn from those research results
• Publish the resulting scholarship in peer-reviewed venues
• Disseminate that scholarship to the larger public

More the this lively interaction is needed, and Pfizer and Qualcomm are to be commended for their lead support. For more information about Hoover IP² or past programs, go here.

Image source: hooverip2.org