18th Annual Independent Inventors Conference, Oct. 11-12, 2013

Please note: Due to funding issues from the government shutdown, the 18th Annual Independent Inventors Conference will not be held at this time. The USPTO plans to reschedule the conference. See more at http://www.uspto.gov/inventors/events/Alexandria_Main.jsp .

Original message: The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will hold the 18th Annual Independent Inventors Conference on October 11-12, 2013 at its headquarters in Alexandria, VA. Co-hosted by Sodexo®, the conference will provide inventors and innovators with education from intellectual property experts in their respective fields and practical advice from successful inventors.

Conference highlights will include presentations, workshops, and one-on-one advisory sessions conducted by senior USPTO officials and others who will inform and answer questions about patents and trademarks. There is a pre-conference workshop on October 10, 2013 from 5-7 p.m.

Keynote presenters include:

• Teresa Stanek Rea, Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Acting Director of the USPTO
• Peggy Focarino, Commissioner for Patents, USPTO
• Lori Greiner, Inventor and entrepreneur, host of the QVC show “Clever and Unique Creations,” and cast member of ABC’s “Shark Tank”
• Woody Norris, Serial inventor of electronics, tools, and cutting-edge sonic equipment

Space is limited, so register early. Registration is now open. A registration fee of $90 per person includes all sessions and presentations, refreshments, lunch (Friday and Saturday) and a networking session on Friday evening. For additional information, visit www.uspto.gov/inventors/events/Alexandria_Main.jsp or 866-767-3848.

Texas Regional Independent Inventors Conference

The Texas Regional Independent Inventors Conference is coming to Austin on September 14-15, 2012. Sponsored by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Invent Now®, and the University of Texas (UT) at Austin, the conference will be held in UT's Thompson Conference Center, 2405 Robert Dedman Drive (for directions see http://www.utexas.edu/ce/tcc/attend/maps-directions/). Presentations and workshops will be conducted by senior USPTO officials, Supervisory Patent Examiners, and Trademark staff attorneys. A limited number of one-on-one advisory sessions will also be available, with guaranteed slots for the first 20 registrants. Presenters include:

• Robert Metcalfe, 2007 National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductee
• Karen C. Parker, Director and International Trade Specialist, Austin U.S. Export Assistance Center
• John Calvert, Acting Associate Commissioner for the Office of Innovation Development
• Elizabeth Dougherty, Director of Inventor Education, Outreach and Recognition, Office of Innovation Development
• Darnell Jayne, Supervisory Patent Examiner, Technology Center 3600
• Catherine Cain, Trademark Staff Attorney

Afternoon breakout sessions will focus on the America Invents Act (AIA), patent and trademark basics, searching sessions for patents and trademarks, and advanced patent prosecution. A networking reception will be held on Friday evening, September 14.

To register, access http://www.invent.org/iic/. To view the agenda, speakers, topics, lodging, and directions, access the USPTO's conference page.

Inventors Conference Online

For those who cannot attend in person the 2008 United States Patent and Trademark Office's Independent Inventors Conference this Friday and Saturday (Aug. 8-9, 2008), the general sessions will be webcast live. Log on to the USPTO's website, www.uspto.gov at 8 a.m. on Friday and follow the viewing instructions.

Speakers at the general session include John Doll, Commissioner for Patents; Thom Ruhe, Director of Entrepreneurship for the Kauffman Foundation; inventor Julia Rhodes, President of Kleen Slate Concepts; and Louis Foreman, creator and producer of Everyday Edisons, an Emmy Award winning PBS series.

(A video of the session is now available at https://uspto.connectsolutions.com/conceptprotection/ [Adobe Acrobat Connect Presentation].)