Feb 25/Columbia, MO - Evolving the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and its Patent Law

The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit is approaching its 30th anniversary as the focal point of patent law policy in the United States. Many praise the Court for its role in unifying and strengthening patent law doctrine. Others challenge the Court's formalism and argue that a doctrine-specific solitary circuit leads to systematic failures in the development of the law.
In many ways, the Court is operating in a power vacuum, with the U.S. Patent Office denied authority to substantively develop the law and Congress regularly withholding its guidance. Over the past few years, the Supreme Court has taken a more active role in deciding patent cases, but will that increased interest alter the jurisprudence of the Federal Circuit beyond the doctrinal holdings of the High Court?
This year's Missouri Law Review Symposium will explore the ongoing role for the Federal Circuit as a developer of patent law policy, the structure of the Court and its jurisprudential approach, the role of the Court relative to other potential policymaking bodies, and the Court's impact on innovation and in shaping the practice of law.

Title
Evolving the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and its Patent Law JurisprudenceMissouri Law Review Symposium
February 25, 2011
John K Hulston Hall
MU School of Law
203 Hulston Hall, Columbia, MO 65211
(573) 882-6487


There is no fee for the symposium. The panels are open to the public, but registration is requested by Friday, February 18, 2011. To register, please click here.

Continuing Legal Education CreditThis symposium is approved for 6.3 hours of mandatory continuing legal education credit in the state of Missouri.

Registrationhttp://law.missouri.edu/faculty/symposium/2011/register.html

Brochure:http://law.missouri.edu/faculty/symposium/2011/brochure11.pdf

About the Missouri Law ReviewUniversity of Missouri School of Law students lead many successful organizations and law journals, including the Missouri Law Review. The law review, an entirely student-run journal, is one of the oldest legal publications west of the Mississippi River. The articles featured in this year's symposium will appear in volume 76, issue 3, in summer 2011. Domestic subscriptions are available for $40; international subscriptions are $45. To view recent issues or request a subscription, please see law.missouri.edu/lawreview or call 573-882-7055.

MORE:
http://law.missouri.edu/faculty/symposium/2011/

And a tip o' the hat to PatentlyO, for alerting me to this event:
http://www.patentlyo.com/patent/2011/02/patently-o-bits-bytes.html