Conference Announcement: The Law and Economics of Innovation: Patents and the Commercialization of Innovation

           THE LAW AND ECONOMICS OF INNOVATION: PATENTS AND
                  THE COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATION

                        Thursday, May 15, 2008
                           8 a.m.-6:00 p.m.

                         The Hilton Arlington,
                          Arlington, Virginia

                     http://innovationforum.gmu.edu


      George Mason University School of Law and Microsoft
      Corporation announce the second in an annual series of
      conferences on the law and economics of innovation. The
      series will bring together leading academics to present and
      discuss new scholarship touching on diverse aspects of a
      key question affecting the technology industry and the
      process of innovation. Each conference will conclude with
      a roundtable discussion among top technology industry
      representatives and regulators to begin to assess the
      concrete implications of the scholarship for the
      development of innovative industries.

      This second conference in the series will address the role
      of patents in the commercialization of innovationan area
      of significant and enduring controversy. In particular, the
      conference will focus on three interrelated aspects of the
      debate over the law and economics of patents: The
      intersection of patents and antitrust, particularly in
      technology standards; the economics of the patent system
      and patent reform; and the proper understanding (and
      implications) of patents as property.


      REGISTRATION:

      Registration is free of charge but space is limited. To
      register, visit:

                     http://innovationforum.gmu.edu


      CONFERENCE PROGRAM:

      Morning Session

      8:00 am - 8:45 am     Registration & Continental Breakfast

      8:45 am - 9:00 am     Introductions

      9:00 am - 9:30 am     Keynote Address
      Richard Epstein, Professor of Law, University of Chicago
      Law School

      9:30 am - 11:00 am
      Presenters:  Panel I:  Patents in Standards

      "What's Wrong With Royalty Rates in High Technology
      Industries?"
      Damien Geradin, Professor of Competition Law and Economics,
      Tilburg University Law & Economics Center

      "Federalism, Substantive Preemption, and Limits on
      Antitrust"
      Bruce H. Kobayashi, Professor of Law, George Mason
      University School of Law

      "Patent Holdup and Oligopsonistic Collusion in Standard
      Setting Organizations"
      J. Greg Sidak, Founder, Criterion Economics, LLC

      Commenters:  George S. Cary, Partner, Cleary Gottlieb Steen
      & Hamilton
      John M. Golden, Assistant Professor of Law, University of
      Texas School of Law

      Moderator:  Joshua D. Wright, Associate Professor of Law,
      George Mason University School of Law

      11:00 am - 11:15 am   Break

      11:15 am - 12:45 pm
      Presenters:  Panel II: Patents as Property Rights

      "Removing the Property from Intellectual Property and
      (Intended?) Pernicious Impacts on Innovation and
      Competition"
      F. Scott Kieff, Professor of Law, Washington University in
      St. Louis School of Law

      "Promoting Innovation: Commercialization as Default Rule in
      Patent Law"
      Adam Mossoff, Associate Professor of Law, Michigan State
      University College of Law

      "Modularity Rules: Information Flow in Organizations,
      Property, and Intellectual Property"
      Henry E. Smith, Fred A. Johnston Professor of Property and
      Environmental Law, Yale Law School

      Commenters:  Michael A. Carrier, Professor of Law, Rutgers
      University School of Law-Camden
      Jason Mendelson, Managing Director, Foundry Group

      Moderator:  Eric R. Claeys, Associate Professor of Law,
      George Mason University School of Law

      12:45 pm - 1:45 pm    Lunch

      Afternoon Session

      1:45 pm - 3:30 pm
      Presenters:  Panel III:  The Patent System

      "Favoring Dynamic over Static Competition: Implications for
      Antitrust Analysis and Policy"
      David Teece, Thomas W. Tusher Chair in Global Business,
      Haas School of Business (U.C. Berkeley)

      "Rewarding Innovation Efficiently: The Case for Exclusive
      Rights"
      Luigi A. Franzoni, Professor of Institutional Economics,
      University of Bologna

      "Does the Outcome of Major Patent Cases Matter?"
      Scott A. Baker, Professor of Law, University of North
      Carolina School of Law

      "Patent Notice and Patent Design"
      Michael Meurer, Professor of Law, Boston University School
      of Law

      Commenters:  Scott Stern, Associate Professor, Kellogg
      School of Management (Northwestern University)
      Richard Wilder, Associate General Counsel for Intellectual
      Property Policy, Microsoft Corporation

      Moderator:  Geoffrey Manne, Academic Relations Manager for
      Law & Economics, Microsoft Corporation

      3:30 pm - 3:45 pm     Break

      3:45 pm - 5:00 pm
      Participants:  Industry Roundtable Discussion
      Roy Hoffinger, Vice President and Legal Counsel, Qualcomm
      Richard Wilder, Associate General Counsel for Intellectual
      Property Policy, Microsoft Corporation
      Other Presenters TBD

      Moderator:  Geoffrey Manne, Academic Relations Manager for
      Law & Economics, Microsoft Corporation

      5:00 pm - 6:00 pm     Reception


      LOCATION:

      Because of construction at GMUSL, the event is being held
      at:

      Hilton Arlington
      950 North Stafford Street
      Arlington, VA
      703-528-6000


      CLE CREDIT:

      Application for approval for 4.0 Virginia CLE credit hours
      (0.0 ethics) is pending with the Virginia Mandatory
      Continuing Legal Education Board.


      FURTHER INFORMATION:

      For further information, contact Kristine at:

      Email:         MAILTO:lawconf@gmu.edu
Posted 4/24/08