May 2017 Meeting Recap

The last Inn meeting of the 2016-2017 year was the Annual Dinner Meeting, which this year was at Carluccio’s restaurant in Old Town Alexandria, one block from the waterfront.

A reception with hors d’oeuvres and drinks began at 6:00 p.m., followed eventually by dinner. Retired Law Professor John F. Witherspoon gave a tribute to Judge Giles S. Rich. Incoming President John Williamson thanked the members of the Inn for entrusting the responsibility of being the Inn’s new President to him.

Please see the attachment for a full meeting recap.

April 2017 Meeting Recap

The last substantive Inn meeting of the 2016-2017 year was held in the courthouse of the Alexandria Division of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on Tuesday, April 11, 2017.

The title of the program was, “Literal Claiming and Strict Indefiniteness v. Narrowing Construction to Preserve Validity: A Debate Between Professor Joshua Sarnoff and Professor John Duffy”. The speakers included:

• Professor Joshua Sarnoff
• Professor John Duffy
• Moderated by Chico Gholtz

Please see the attachment for a full meeting recap.

February 2017 Meeting Recap

The second Inn meeting of the 2017 calendar year was in the auditorium under the atrium in the Madison Building in the headquarters of the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, on Wednesday, February 15, 2017.

The program was entitled "Intellectual Property and the Federal Government: Get to Know the Roles and Responsibilities of the Many Federal Government Agencies Involved in the Development, Protection, and Enforcement of U.S. Intellectual Property Laws" and was led by Mr. Robert Burns. The speakers included:

• Brian Lally from the U.S. Department of Energy, Assistant General Counsel for Tech Transfer and Intellectual Property
• Martin Dvorscak of NASA

Please see the attachment for a full meeting recap.

January 2017 Meeting Recap

The first Inn meeting of the 2017 calendar year was a joint meeting with the Northern Virginia Chapter of the Federal Bar Association with a panel including:

• The Honorable John F. Anderson, United States Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of Virginia
• John M. Williamson, of Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP
• Stephen Cobb, former Senior Advisor to the USPTO
• Mary C. Zinsner, of Troutman Sanders LLP
• Moderated by Charles B. Molster III, of the Law Office of Charles B. Molster III PLLC.

The program was titled "Trade Secrets: The Ins and Outs of Trade Secret Protection, including a Comprehensive Review of the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016".

Please see the attachment for a full meeting recap.

December 2016 Holiday Party

The final Inn meeting of the 2016 calendar year was the Holiday Party, which was a joint meeting with the Giles S. Rich American Inn of Court in the Dolley Madison House adjacent to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, on Tuesday, December 13, 2016.

Please see the attachment for a full meeting recap.

November 2016 Meeting Recap

The third Inn meeting of the 2016-2017 year was a joint meeting with the Giles S. Rich American Inn of Court at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, on Thursday, November 17, 2016. The Program was titled “Beyond the Bench: Retired Judges Reflect on their Careers, Accomplishments, and Changes in the American Judicial System". The discussion panelist included:

• The Honorable Judge Paul R. Michel
• The Honorable Judge Rod McKelvie
• The Honorable Judge John C. Lifland

Please see the attachment for a full meeting recap.

October 2016 Meeting Recap

The second Inn meeting of the 2016-2017 year again took place in the auditorium below the atrium in the Madison Building, at the headquarters of the United States Patent & Trademark Office, on Thursday, October 13, 2016.

The formal program was titled "Patent Valuations and the Impact of Claim Drafting" and was presented by Stephen A. Holzen, Certified Licensing Professional, Certified Valuation Analyst, and Director of the Dispute Advisory & Forensic Services Group of Stout Risius Ross, Inc.

Please see the attachment for a full meeting recap.

September 2016 Meeting Recap

The first Inn meeting of the 2016-2017 year was held in the auditorium below the atrium in the Madison Building at the headquarters of the United States Patent & Trademark Office on Monday, September 19, 2016. The September meeting included a New Member Orientation along with a formal program titled "Supreme Court on Patent Law".

Please see the attachment for a full meeting recap.