Are you a Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) practitioner? Would you like to learn more about ex parte appeal proceedings? Would you like to meet and learn directly from PTAB judges? Attend an ex parte appeal roadshow!
The PTAB is holding in-person training focused on ex parte appeal proceedings from December 2023 through May 2024 in cities across the country. PTAB judges will teach all sessions, which is a rare and unique opportunity.
The roadshow is free. Click on the date below to register at a city near you. CLE credit is pending per state where the roadshows are being held.
Roadshow stops
| Date | Time | City | U.S. Patent and Trademark Resource Center (PTRC) Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday, December 7, 2023 |
All events will be held 1-5 p.m. (local time) Networking reception | Los Angeles | Los Angeles Public Library 630 W. Fifth St. Los Angeles, CA 90071 |
| Thursday, February 1, 2024 | Austin | University of Texas School of Law 727 E Dean Keeton St. Austin, TX 78705 | |
| Thursday, February 29, 2024 | Atlanta | Emory Law School 1301 Clifton Rd. Atlanta, GA 30322 | |
| Thursday, April 4, 2024 | Indianapolis | Indianapolis Central Public Library 40 East Saint Clair St. Indianapolis, IN 46204 | |
| Thursday, May 2, 2024 | Philadelphia | Free Library of Philadelphia Parkway Central Library 1901 Vine St., BRIC, Ground Floor Philadelphia, PA 19103 |
What you'll learn
PTAB judges will teach all sessions and share best practices for how to succeed in an appeal. Attendees will learn tips for more efficiently filing an appeal brief, making more persuasive written arguments, and presenting an effective oral argument before a judge panel.
Check out the presentation materials
| Local time | Topic — Description |
|---|---|
| 1 p.m. | Welcome — Gain exposures to the local services available at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Resource Center to aid with securing a patent. |
| 1:05 - 1:30 p.m. | Fireside chat — Meet a PTAB executive leader and listen to their experience in deciding appeals and receive the latest updates on new PTAB developments, including PTAB programs to develop the next generation of practitioners and to aid inventors. |
| 1:30 - 2:15 p.m. | Filing the Appeal Brief — Learn about your options after receiving a final rejection and considerations such as cost, timing, and outcome for filing an appeal of the final rejection to the PTAB. Also, learn the steps in the appeal process and how to correct any defects. |
| 2:15 - 3:15 p.m. | Written advocacy in briefing — Discuss, via numerous examples, how to effectively argue against the examiner’s final rejection in your written opening and reply briefs. |
| 3:15 - 3:30 p.m. | BREAK |
| 3:30 - 4:10 p.m. | Oral advocacy in hearings — Receive an overview of tips for making persuasive oral arguments and watch a mock argument demonstration where various argumentation techniques are evaluated by the judge panel for effectiveness. |
| 4:10 - 4:25 p.m. | Options after a Board Decision — Hear about the options available to an appellant following an adverse Board Decision. |
| 4:25 - 4:55 p.m. | Practice Makes Perfect: an exercise — Pull together all takeaways from the previous sessions and apply these takeaways to a hypothetical for reinforcement. |
| 4:55 - 5 p.m. | USPTO resources and closing — Wrap up by noting many UPSTO resources available to help with succeeding in an ex parte appeal. |
| 5 - 6 p.m. | Networking reception — Engage individually with PTAB judges and other PTAB practitioners to build your networks and stay connected. |
Why attend a roadshow?
After attending a roadshow, you will walk away feeling more comfortable in advising your client about whether to file an appeal. You also will have confidence in filing an appeal and persuading the PTAB—both in writing and orally—on the merits of your case. And you will gain behind-the-scenes perspectives about what PTAB judges expect and have seen in winning appeals.
The upsides to your practice are big and the risks are low, so register to attend today!!