Mind The Gap: IP Protection for Software After Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank International

Cosponsored by the Boston Patent Law Association

This practical panel discussion will focus on the challenges facing software developers, both small and large, after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank International. The entire spectrum of intellectual property protection available for software will be addressed. Not only will the panel address the current state of patent protection for software and where it is headed, but we will also learn about ways to leverage copyright, trade secrets, and licensing restrictions to protect software. This event is ideal for anyone interested in learning more about the options available for IP protection for software.

The event is free of charge. Light refreshments will be served. 

Robert Plotkin
Blueshift IP

Attorney Robert Plotkin has been a leader in obtaining software patents for clients for two decades, and consistently obtains software patents for clients even after the Alice Supreme Court decision stopped most companies from obtaining software patents.

He is the patent faculty member of the leading continuing legal education conference for intellectual property lawyers in Massachusetts—the MCLE Annual Intellectual Property Law Conference.  He has taught numerous courses on patents to attorneys through the Practising Law Institute (PLI), designed and taught an advanced course on “Software and the Law” at the Boston University School of law for six years, and is a contributor to the leading patent law blog, IPWatchdog.

Robert is the author of the book The Genie In The Machine: How Computer-Automated Inventing Is Revolutionizing Law and Business.

Richard Green
McCarter & English

Rich Green is a partner of McCarter & English who provides legal and business counsel to Global 2000 corporations, Wall Street banks, emerging companies and individual inventors in matters involving the sourcing, commercialization, use and protection of intellectual property, technology and technology-enabled products and services around the world.  In addition to transactions, disputes and rights registration, Rich assists clients in operational, governance and compliance matters with a particular emphasis on privacy and data security in regulated industries including the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards and SSAE-16 and AT 101 requirements.

Eric Osterberg
Osterberg LLC

Eric Osterberg is the founder of Osterberg LLC. Eric has litigated a wide range of cases in federal courts across the country on issues of concern to intellectual property owners and users. His clients include copyright, patent and trademark owners and users in a variety of industries, software providers and licensees, music publishers, songwriters, collective licensing societies, record companies, print publishers and authors, motion picture studios, television and motion picture producers, advertising agencies, Internet service and telecommunications providers, and clothing designers and manufacturers.  He has helped a number of those clients establish a social media presence and formulate policies relating to their use of social media.  His transactional expertise includes negotiating and drafting  copyright and software licenses, and vendor agreements, particularly with respect to software and website development.

Eric is a frequent lecturer and has published numerous articles on copyright law.  He is co-author of Substantial Similarity In Copyright Law, a treatise devoted to the analysis of the ways in which courts compare works in copyright infringement cases. He is part of the group that drafted the ABA model jury instructions for copyright infringement cases (published spring 2008).