For more than two centuries, Americans have been the beneficiaries of an economic system that is the envy of the world, and the U.S. patent system has served as an important cornerstone in that American entrepreneurs, one after another for generations, have invented and patented new products and services, and have created new companies to commercialize their inventions for the benefit of everyone in this country, and indeed the world. Unfortunately, now our patent system may no longer be providing the protection and incentives necessary to entice investors and entrepreneurs to assume the enormous risks that inhere in the creation of many new technologies and new companies. In the last eight years the U.S. patent system has been piece-meal transformed by well -intended patent reform initiatives. Unfortunately, these changes in aggregate have also led to significant unintended consequences. A decline in the reliability of patents is contributing to a waning of entrepreneurial energy and a decline in the risk tolerance of American investors and entrepreneurs.  As a result, investment capital is moving increasingly to products and services with shorter time horizons and lower risk. This shift has profound implications for the long-term U.S. economy, as China, Korea, Germany and other countries expand the role that patents play in their economies with ambitious plans to displace American dominance of technology in the years to come.

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​This program will explore the direct and essential role that strong and enforceable ‘good patents’ play in allowing investors and entrepreneurs to justify the high levels of risk that drive innovation.  Our speakers will suggest changes that need to be implemented immediately if America is to maintain the    technological dominance that we have enjoyed since the early 1900s.  The program will target U.S policy makers, press, CEOs, economists, investors, IP-professionals, and the general public in plain language directed to all who play a part in forming and executing governmental policies that have a critical impact on our economic future.  This event is a must-attend for anyone who wants to put Americans back to work and to provide inventors, entrepreneurs and those that fund them the fair opportunity to succeed in an ever more competitive global landscape.