Protecting U.S. Intellectual Property & Innovation Leadership
American innovation leadership rests on a foundation of rewarding breakthroughs through patents and intellectual property protections. The protections provide the incentives that encourage innovators to invest in R&D and create new technologies while also allowing U.S. innovators and companies to lead in setting global technology standards. Now, facing threats to our national security and economic prosperity, it is more important than ever to ensure U.S. technology leadership, protect our vital intellectual property, and set the standards for future critical technologies.
Join us for a discussion on how we can avoid policies that would weaken intellectual property protections, disincentivize investment in R&D, and weaken the ability of U.S. innovators to drive important global technology standards, putting at risk the United States’ tech leadership position.
Featuring
Laurie Self
Senior Vice President & Counsel, Government Affairs, Qualcomm
Laurie Self is Vice President and Counsel of Government Affairs at Qualcomm Incorporated, where she specializes in U.S. patent policy matters at the federal and state level. Based in Washington, D.C., Ms. Self also supports Qualcomm’s government affairs initiatives to promote strong intellectual property rights in emerging markets. Ms. Self’s particular focus is to ensure that U.S. intellectual property laws and policies provide the necessary protections and incentives to support the Company’s R&D-driven business model. Prior to her arrival at Qualcomm in July 2012, Ms. Self was a partner at the law firm Covington & Burling where she chaired the firm’s intellectual property practice group.
David Kappos
Partner, Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, Former Under Secretary of Commerce and Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
David Kappos is a partner at Cravath and leader in the field of intellectual property, including IP management and strategy, the development of global IP norms, laws and practices and the commercialization and enforcement of innovation-based assets. From 2009 to 2013, Mr. Kappos served as Under Secretary of Commerce and Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, where he advised the President on IP policy matters. He was instrumental in achieving the passage and implementation of the 2011 Leahy-Smith America Invents Act. From 2003 to 2009, he served as IBM’s chief intellectual property lawyer.