Defining 'Patenable': A Discussion of Bilski and Business Method Patents

Posted on January 11, 2010 by R. David Donoghue

Tomorrow, January 12, at noon, I will be participating in a panel discussion of the Bilski case as we await the Supreme Court's decision that could significantly change patentability of business method and potentially software patents.  Here is Northwestern's description of the panel:

Currently pending in the Supreme Court, the Bilski case stands to redefine the boundaries of what is patentable and has captured the attention of major software and technology giants like Microsoft and Google.  Practicing IP attorneys will discuss the potential ramifications of this case on patent law and the issues presented by patenting abstract business practices and innovations.
 

Joining me on the panel will be:
 

  • Andrea Augustine from Foley & Lardner; and
     
  • Thomas Donovan from Barnes & Thornburg.

The panel is open to the public, so please join us January 12 at noon in Northwestern Law's Room RB140.

 

Tags: , , , , , , ,
  • Email This
  • Print
  • Trackbacks
  • Share Link

James R. Sweeney -- 1928-2008

Posted on July 18, 2008 by R. David Donoghue

James Sweeney, a prominent member of Chicago's IP bar, passed away last week -- click here for the Sun Time's obituary.  Sweeney graduated from Northwestern Law in 1956, after serving in the U.S. Navy aboard a submarine from 1950-1953.  He practiced law most recently with Barnes & Thornburg.  In 2000, at the request of the State Department, he traveled through Malaysia with his wife speaking about IP counterfeiting and piracy.  Sweeney also organized and directed John Marshall's Center for Intellectual Property Law:

The John Marshall Law School hired Mr. Sweeney in 1998 to run its Center for Intellectual Property Law because of his extensive background and his many contacts, said John E. Corkery, dean of the school. Mr. Sweeney retired in 2003.

"Jim was a big, gregarious fellow and he knew many, many people in the legal profession and particularly in intellectual property," Corkery said. "It was hard to walk down the street with Jim Sweeney and not have him say hello to someone he knew.

                                                                        * * *

"He organized and directed the program and hired the practicing lawyers who would come to the law school and teach for us."

 

Tags: , , , ,
  • Email This
  • Print
  • Trackbacks
  • Share Link