The American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) and U.S. Patent and Trademark Office will be co-hosting a series of cross-country roadshows in August in Santa Clara, CA (August 24); Dallas, TX (August 26); and Alexandria, VA (August 28).  The Santa Clara roadshow is being co-sponsored by the High Tech Law Institute of Santa Clara Law and the Dallas roadshow is being co-sponsored by the IP Section of the Dallas Bar Association.  The full-day program will focus on enhancing patent quality (morning session) and conducting AIA trials (afternoon session) with numerous speakers from the USPTO and private practice.  The program for the roadshows includes presentations on the following topics:

Part I.  Patent Quality Initiative, Version 2.0:  What it Means to You

• The USPTO's Enhanced Patent Quality Initiative
• Achieving Clarity of Record; Best Practices for Drafting Quality Patent Applications
• Improving Patent Quality Through Remote Examiner Interviews
• The PTO's New Quality Metrics

• Lunch and Keynote Speaker: Russ Slifer, Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce and Deputy Director, USPTO

Part II.  Trials at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board:  New Rules, Hot Issues and a Live Hearing

• State of the Board
• Proposed Rule Changes at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board
• The Bar's Response to Proposed Rule Changes; Audience Questions and Feedback
• Hot Issues in PTAB Trials: Coordination of District Court and PTAB; Appeals to the Federal Circuit; Any Changes Imposed by Patent Reform; Other Issues
• Introduction to Live Hearing
• Live PTAB Hearing

The registration fee for the program is $225 (AIPLA member rate), $375 (non-member rate), $35 (student rate), or $95 (government rate).  Those interested in registering for the program, can do so here.