Kenneth A. Gandy

Woodard, Emhardt is excited to be participating in this year’s Midwest Intellectual Property Summit, building on the 2009 Symposium that featured a broad range of intellectual property topics.  To begin the Summit, Woodard, Emhardt patent attorney TJ Cole will offer an overview of key federal court decisions from the past 12 months.  Attendees will also enjoy an interactive question and answer session with a panel consisting of a European patent attorney, an in-house U.S. patent attorney, a European patent examiner, and Woodard, Emhardt patent attorney Ken Gandy.  Other presentations include an in-depth analysis of the state of Seventh Circuit law on product design trade dress, a presentation on the varying degrees of experience of federal judges in handling patent cases and how you can obtain and use targeted information about the judges hearing your cases, and a presentation concerning the rules for accelerated examination and best practice suggestions for implementing them and discussion regarding the differences between patent drafting for U.S. examination and patent drafting for European examination from the perspective of a European private practice patent attorney and a European Patent Office examiner working in the Vaccines and Antibodies art area.  This event presents an unparalleled opportunity to gain insights into European Patent Office practice directly from an EPO representative and to hear from other patent practitioners concerning their best practice suggestions, particularly as they relate to the pitfall-laden transition of a U.S. application to fit European standards. Click here for more information on the Summit.

The Midwest Intellectual Property Symposium was held November 19 & 20 at the University Hotel and Conference Center in Indianapolis, IN.  The event was sponsored by the Indiana Continuing Legal Education Foundation and featured presentations by speakers in a variety of intellectual property areas, including patent prosecution, trademark prosecution, biotechnology practice, intellectual property litigation, and ethics.  Woodard Emhardt Trial Practice Group Co-Chair, Holiday W. Banta, served as moderator for the event.  In addition, the following Woodard Emhardt attorneys were featured among the presenters and panelists (click on the topic titles to access presentation materials):

T.J. Cole
Hot Topics in Patent Law

Thomas Q. Henry
Top Patent Prosecutors Roundtable:  Prosecution and Client Management Tips from Indianapolis’ Leading Practitioners

Charles P. Schmal
Current Topics Concerning Corporate Ownership and Licensing of Intellectual Property

Kenneth A. Gandy (material preparation), Gilbert T. Voy (Eli Lilly & Co., presenter)
Patenting Therapeutic and Diagnostics Medical Methods Around the World:  Practices and Pitfalls in Divergent Systems

James R. Blaufuss
Hot Topics in Trademark Law – Part 1
Hot Topics in Trademark Law – Part 2

Daniel J. Lueders
‘You Really Should Settle This Case’ – Do the Courts Practice What They Preach?

The Symposium was a huge success, with over one hundred faculty, attorneys, and IP professionals from around the world in attendance.  Special thanks go out to all of the individuals involved who helped with organizing and presenting at the event.

Related Links:
Midwest Intellectual Property Symposium, Nov. 19-20, 2009

Many of Woodard, Emhardt’s attorneys serve the Intellectual Property community in Indiana by teaching courses at Indiana law schools.  This fall, partners Charles P. Schmal and Charles R. Reeves are serving as adjunct law professors at Indiana University School of Law – Indianapolis, teaching a course in International Protection of Intellectual Property.  Also this fall, partner Christopher A. Brown is teaching a course in Patent Law at Indiana University School of Law – Indianapolis.  Partners Kenneth A. Gandy and Daniel J. Lueders regularly serve as adjunct law professors at Indiana University Maurer School of Law, with Mr. Gandy teaching a course in Patent Prosecution and Mr. Lueders teaching a course in Patent Litigation.  Additionally, partner Troy J. Cole regularly teaches a course in Patent Prosecution at Indiana University School of Law – Indianapolis.