Engineering an IP Portfolio

Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - 11:00 am11:45 am

Matthew Horton, Arnold & Porter

Abstract: 

A strong IP portfolio can be a powerful asset to a company. Of course, it provides economic value to the company or inventors. But a well-orchestrated IP portfolio development effort can also stimulate inventiveness and problem-solving, foster a culture of innovation, and enhance the prestige of the company.

This talk will focus on the ways that engineers can help capture IP value for their organizations. Engineers play a crucial role in the development of a robust IP portfolio. Streamlining communication between the legal and engineering teams and the processes for developing and capturing new developments gives the company a valuable advantage in achieving this goal. This talk will discuss strategies on improving these communication lines, and advise engineers on how to take a more active role in the development of the company's IP portfolio.

In addition, the talk will touch on broad strokes of IP law, glaring issues relevant to the computing industry, like what is “patent-eligible subject matter” after the Supreme Court’s Alice decision, and how Oracle v. Google is affecting the ability to copyright software code. We will also address practical applications and consideration of various portfolio development strategies in the day-to-day setting, such as whether a company should pursue an IP program when the company is primarily an open source shop and how that could be accomplished.

Matthew Horton, Arnold & Porter

Matt Horton counsels clients on strategic intellectual property portfolio development, focusing on business-oriented and industry-oriented portfolio strategies. Matt also supports IP litigation and cybersecurity efforts. He has extensive information technology and cybersecurity experience, serving as a systems engineer and cybersecurity engineer on teams responsible for federal network infrastructures. Matt holds an LLM in Intellectual Property from The George Washington University Law School, and a JD from Tulane University. He also has a Masters in Computer & Information Technology from the University of Pennsylvania, and a BS in Information Technology from George Mason University, with a concentration in Networking and Cybersecurity.

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BibTeX
@conference {221768,
author = {Matthew Horton},
title = {Engineering an {IP} Portfolio},
year = {2018},
address = {Nashville, TN},
publisher = {USENIX Association},
month = oct
}

Presentation Video 

Presentation Audio