From the USPTO.GOV site: Silicon Valley Director Michelle Lee thought you and others you know may be interested in the next Software Partnership Roundtable at UC Berkeley School of Law on October 17, 2013.   You can read more or go here directly.

 

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is pleased to announce the next Software Partnership Meeting on October 17, 2013, at U.C. Berkeley School of Law, Berkeley, CA 94720, from 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.  Members of the public are invited to attend.  The Partnership Meeting is an opportunity to bring stakeholders together to share ideas, experiences and insights and to provide a forum for an informal discussion of many topics specific to the software community.

The meeting topics will include:

  • Feedback from the USPTO on the Software Partnership roundtables held in the Silicon Valley and New York City this past February;
  • A summary of the written comments received in response to the Federal Register notice announcing the Software Partnership (78 Fed. Reg. 292 (03 Jan 2013));
  • An overview of the White House Task Force on High-Tech Patent Issues executive actions;
  • Proposed next steps by the USPTO in response to the public feedback and comments from the February roundtables and written comments, as well as an update on the USPTO’s efforts on the White House executive actions; and
  • An interactive discussion session on tightening functional claiming by improving claim clarity by exploring the feasibility of using glossaries in patent applications, as one possible strategy, and the possibility of evaluating the use of glossaries through a pilot examination program.

Input and ideas from the public will be solicited.  While public attendees will have the opportunity to provide their individual input, group consensus advice will not be sought.

DATE AND LOCATION:  The Partnership Meeting will be held on Thursday, October 17, 2013, from 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. at the U.C. Berkeley School of Law, Booth Auditorium, Berkeley, CA 94720.  Parking and Transportation information can be obtained at:  http://pt.berkeley.edu/park/visitor/campus