Summer Patent Seminar
June 2-20, 2025
Pre-Registration for the 2025 program is now open!
Who Should Attend?
- In-house counsel, technical advisors, and IP coordinators looking for a comprehensive overview of U.S. patent practice.
- Patent attorneys and agents from abroad who are interested in developing a thorough understanding of U.S. patent practice.
For over 40 years, BSKB has provided participants of our summer seminar with a comprehensive overview of U.S. patent law. The Summer Patent Seminar (SPS) focuses primarily on the practical problems encountered in obtaining valid and enforceable U.S. patents, as well as enforcement of patent rights after grant. The seminar encompasses lectures provided by experienced practitioners who encourage questions and discussions in the class.
General Information
Lectures are held at The Archer Hotel - Falls Church, in the metropolitan Washington, DC area. Classes are held from 9:30 am - 4:00 pm daily. Detailed class schedules will be issued before the start of the seminar.
Registrations are encouraged by March 31st and are due by April 30th, 2025. The fee for the 2025 Summer Patent Seminar is $3,750. Discounts for In-House Counsel are available. Payment is accepted through a wire transfer, check, or credit card. If a participant pays using a non-US credit card, an 8% transaction fee will be added to the final bill.
The seminar fee includes the lecture materials, lunches, and many social events (an additional fee may be required for any guests to attend the social events). These activities include at least a welcoming reception, a two-day trip outside the Washington, DC area, and a closing banquet. These events provide an excellent opportunity to get acquainted with the other participants in the seminar and the members of BSKB. Also, if English is not your first language, the events provide a great opportunity to practice speaking English. We think these events are an important part of the seminar and we encourage all members to participate.
Please contact us with any questions at clientrelations@bskb.com.
Topics Covered
Filing and Prosecuting Patent Applications Strategies, formal requirements and timelines for filing and prosecuting patent applications in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
Statutory Subject Matter The various types of inventions that can and cannot be protected by United States patents, with an introduction to issues unique to computer, Internet, business method, biotechnology, design and plant patents.
Prior Art and Obviousness Detailed discussion of prior art under the various sections of 35 U.S.C. § 102, as well as the types of prior art that can be used in making obviousness rejections. Practical suggestions will be given concerning how to overcome prior art rejections.
Duty of Disclosure The duty of disclosure requirements and consequences of failing to comply with this duty. Practical suggestions will be given and detailed procedural requirements will be explained.
Benefit of Earlier Filed Applications/Continuing Patent Application Filing Strategies Discussion of use of foreign, U.S. provisional, PCT, continuation, divisional and Continuation-In-Part (CIP) applications.
Post Grant Patent Procedures Discussion of strategies used by patent owners and competitors to strengthen, modify or attack granted patents in proceedings before the USPTO. These proceedings include ex parte reexamination, reissue patent applications, post-grant review, inter partes review and supplemental examination, as well as other useful proceedings and strategies.
Literal Patent Claim Scope Interpretation and Infringement Examination of the tools used to interpret the literal scope of a patent claim based on the most relevant U.S. court decisions. Addresses claim interpretation and literal infringement and gives special consideration to “product-by-process” and “means-plus-function” claim language.
Doctrine of Equivalents and Prosecution History Estoppel Analysis of the “doctrine of equivalents” under U.S. case law, including its potential benefit to patent claim scope. Includes discussion of limitations on this doctrine, including “prosecution history estoppel” and the “all elements rule.”
Litigation Issues Examination of various strategies involved in litigation before a U.S. court from the perspective of both a patent owner and competitor. Pre-litigation strategies, such as sending or responding to a “warning letter” and “discovery,” trial procedures and remedies, such as infringement damages and injunctions, are addressed.