Join us virtually or in person for a lively and thought-provoking discussion about the various aspects of design patents on Thursday, May 9, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET, at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia. Get insights from USPTO design managers, design patent practitioners, and industrial designers.
The event will feature updates from USPTO leadership and the Director of Technology Center 2900; and targeted presentations on the new Design Practitioner Bar, the Supplemental GUI examination guidelines released in late 2023, and important design-related cases from district courts, the PTAB, and the Federal Circuit. The event will also include helpful presentations on changes and anticipated changes in global design law, as well as tips and tricks for using the updated WIPO Design Database, the new Hague Application direct filing interface, and the USPTO Search Tool. Finally, we will hear an inspirational keynote from entrepreneur Joshua Thurmond, designer and inventor of the LavaBox, portable campfire.
Design Day is co-sponsored by American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA), the Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO), and the USPTO.
No CLE credit is offered for attendance.
Register to attend in-person Register to attend virtually
Agenda
(All times are Eastern Time. Agenda is subject to change.)
| Time | Topic | Presenter |
|---|---|---|
| 10:00-10:10 a.m. | Welcome/Kickoff | Lakiya Rogers, USPTO/Beth Ferrill, Finnegan LLP |
| 10:10-10:20 a.m. | Opening Remarks | Vaishali Udupa, Commissioner for Patents, USPTO |
| 10:20-10:40 a.m. | State of the Design Technology Center | Karen Young, Director, TC 2900, USPTO |
| 10:40-10:50 a.m. | Break and Interaction | |
| 10:50-11:35 a.m. | Lightning Round of Updates from the United States: | |
| New Design Practitioner Bar at USPTO | Kerith Kanaber, Dorsey & Whitney LLP | |
| Searching Designs | George Raynal, Saidman Design Law Group | |
| Bridging the Ooey-GUI Waters | Cory Schug, Womble Bond Dickinson LLP | |
| 11:35 a.m.-12:05 p.m. | The Fire Race: Sprinting to market with LavaBox Portable Campfire | Joshua Thurmond, LavaBox Portable Campfire |
| 12:05-1:10 p.m. | Lunch and Interaction | |
| 1:10-1:55 p.m. | The Design Law Treaty: Continued Steps Toward Harmonized Industrial Design Protection Worldwide | David Gerk, Office of Policy and International Affairs, USPTO Richard Stockton, Banner & Witcoff, Ltd. |
| 1:55-2:25 p.m. | Best Practices for Using the Hague System | Quan-Ling Sim, Head, Operations Service, The Hague Registry, WIPO |
| 2:25-2:45 p.m. | Design Protection in Europe: Overview of the Main Changes in Legislation | Alexandra Mayr, Team Leader, International Cooperation Service, EUIPO |
| 2:45-3:00 p.m. | Changes to Chinese Design Practice | Toby Mak, PhD, Tee & Howe Intellectual Property Attorneys |
| 3:00-3:15 p.m. | Break and Interaction | |
| 3:15-3:45 p.m. | Fireside Chat with PTAB Administrative Patent Judges | Tracy Durkin, Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox PLLC Hon. Robert Kinder, Patent Trial and Appeal Board, USPTO Hon. Rae Lynn Guest, Patent Trial and Appeal Board, USPTO |
| 3:45-4:05 p.m. | Report from the Front Line: Federal Circuit | Alaina Pak, Banner & Witcoff, Ltd. |
| 4:05-4:25 p.m. | Report from the Front Line: Patent Trial & Appeal Board | Kelly Horn, Finnegan, LLP |
| 4:25-4:45 p.m. | Report from the Front Line: District Court | Jeffrey Merrill, Booth Udall Fuller PLC |
| 4:45-5:00 p.m. | Closing | Karen Young, Director, TC 2900, USPTO |
Any legal opinions expressed at this event do not necessarily represent USPTO policy. USPTO employees are reminded that the discussions at this event are not a substitute for formal USPTO legal training, and that they are not being educated as to what the law is and how it should be applied in examination.
For more information, please email DesignDay@uspto.gov.
Accessibility accommodation
If you are an individual with a disability and would like to request a reasonable accommodation, please submit your request to the contact information listed above.