LES Washington D.C. Chapter Event By Raymond Van Dyke, LES Washington D.C. Chapter Chair
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n October 2, 2019, the Greater Washington, D.C. Chapter had an event in Montgomery County, Maryland featuring Henry Wixon, Chief Counsel at NIST, the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Henry spoke at length about NIST’s objectives under the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 with respect to inventions made under cooperative research and development agreements. He discussed the Bayh-Dole Act of 1980 with respect to rights in inventions made with federal funding. He also spoke about NIST’s current goals, set forth in a green paper, regarding steps to modernize the U.S. system of technology transfer and innovation for the 21st century. The event was the first of this sort, and despite being early in morning—8 to 9 a.m.—was well attended. It was a combined effort of the LES Wash. D.C. Chapter, the Maryland State Bar Association IP Section, the Patent Lawyers Club of Washington, D.C., and
Left to right, Emily Billig, Chair of the MSBA IP Section; Michael Greenberg, former Chair of the BAMC IP Section; Henry Wixon, the speaker; Raymond Van Dyke, LES Washington D.C. Chapter Chair; and Thomas Wiesman, who serves on the Advisory Council for the LES DC Chapter.
the Bar Association of Montgomery County IP Section. The event was sponsored in part by Shulman Rogers and held at their offices.
Washington D.C. Event
On October 26, 2019, a delegation of Japanese judges from the Japan Patent Office (JPO) and senior officers of the Japanese Patent Attorneys Association (JPAA) met with LES leaders in Washington, D.C. The group included Bob Held, LES PastPresident; Gary Fedorochko, LES President; Gillian Fenton, LES President-Elect; John Paul, LESI President-Elect; Raymond Van Dyke, LES Washington, D.C. Chair; and Steve Holzen and Thomas Wiesman, who both serve on the Advisory Council for the LES D.C. Chapter. This event was the result of a request by the JPAA and JPO to meet with other groups in D.C. Raymond Van Dyke coordinated the event.
Henry Wixon spoke about NIST’s objectives under the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 at the chapter event.
LES Orange County: The Microsemi Story: Growth, Success, And Acquisition Insights From A $10 Billion Deal, One Of OC’s Largest Microsemi Story: Growth, Success, and Acquisition Inthe former CEO and GC of Microsemi, which was acquired last “ hesights From a $10 Billion Deal, One of OC’s Largest” was year for $10 billion. This team performed over 30 acquisitions and
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16 | LES Viewpoints
the topic of the LES Orange County lunch on October 3, held at the Knobbe Martens offices in Irvine, California.
The speakers were James J. Peterson, former Chairman and CEO, Microsemi Corporation and David Goren, former General Counsel, Microsemi Corporation. Almost 50 attendees learned about the factors contributing to the success of a Southern California semiconductor giant. Paul Conover, LES Orange County Chapter Chair said, “It was great. We heard from
emphasized the importance of managing IP well and treating staff and employees with care, as the secrets of their success.” Sponsored by Knobbe Martens.
