Emerging Technology Forum Software Patent Quagmire? April 24, 2013

Software patents and patent litigation are increasingly of concern to companies, investors, and service providers. Amazon, Apple, Google, IBM, Microsoft and Samsung, are engaged in gigantic software patent battles for tablets, smart phones, cloud computing and more.

All of this turmoil raises important questions. Will there be major changes in rules for patent litigation and at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office? What is the bottom-line impact on the state of software innovation and the business of new software startups? What is the difference between using copyright and patents for protecting software IP? How are companies and investors dealing with these costly and contentious concerns?

Join the Emerging Technology Forum as it explores these questions and issues in a provocative evening panel discussion on the future of software IP. Our expert panel will discuss the key issues at the heart of these battles and the implications for investors, entrepreneur, startups and our economy.

Moderator:
Eric Goldman, Professor of Law, Santa Clara University

Panelists:
Carl Hewitt, Board Chair, iRobust
Robert Merges, Professor of Law, UC Berkeley
Tim Porter, Patent Counsel, Google
Pamela Samuelson, Professor of Law, UC Berkeley

Official Website: http://vctaskforce.com/content/view/1084/