Boston–The Birthplace Of Innovation–To Host Annual Meeting

By Linda Corcoran

Michael Fluhler Meeting Chair

Hear ye! Hear ye! LES (U.S.A. and Canada) will take Boston by land, air and sea as legal, technology, financial, and business professionals from across the nation gather for the 2018 Annual Meeting, October 14-17. The meeting theme, "Birthplace of Innovation," refers to this historic city, sometimes called "The Cradle of Liberty" or "The City on a Hill." Since its origin, creativity and ingenuity have made Boston their home. The region is noted for its institutions of higher learning,  such as Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). While Biotechs, the likes of Amgen, Biogen and Novartis, also have a heavy footprint in Boston, as does much of the modern tech world.

Boston provides a hotbed of innovation for the LES 2018 Annual Meeting, which will celebrate licensing and examine its current trends and evolving best practices. The meeting will offer perspectives from the world's leading IP authorities across industry sectors.

Leading the charge for the opening plenary session will be Dr. Walter G. Copan, Intellectual Property and National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) Director and Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology. Andrei Iancu, United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Director and Under Secretary of Commerce, will join Dr. Copan in an informal, conversational "fireside chat." Dr. Copan will draw on insights from his distinguished and diverse career as a science and technology executive in large and small corporations, U.S. Government, nonprofit, and other public-sector settings. Mr. Iancu, in addition to his role at the USPTO, serves as the principal advisor to the Secretary of Commerce on domestic and international intellectual property policy matters. Their joint conversation promises to be transparent and lively.

Another meeting highlight will occur at the Tuesday Chairman's Luncheon, when Deepak Malhotra, Eli Goldston Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School, takes center stage. Mr. Malhotra brings knowledge garnered from his teaching, research and advisory work that focuses on negotiation, dealmaking and conflict resolution.

In addition to networking opportunities and plenary sessions, there are educational course offerings, including a CLP Exam Review course, which many registrants will find of great value.

The Boston Marriot Copley Place will provide this year's Annual Meeting venue. Room reservations can be made directly with the hotel; discounted rates are available through September 27, 2018.

Meeting information and registration can be found at lesmeetings.org. Make plans now to meet in Boston, where invention and innovation have flourished since the birth of our nation.