Patents and ERISA CLE

On June 14, 2007, the ABA Joint Committee on Employee Benefits and the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel are sponsoring a teleconference entitled Do You Have to Pay a Royalty on Your ERISA and Tax Advice?

Here is a description of the program:

The growing area of “business method” patents should be of concern to all ERISA practitioners. A recent Supreme Court decision in SKR vs. Teleflex refers to “common sense” in this developing area. Our distinguished panel will discuss the brave new world of ERISA and tax patents including the following topics:

• Overview of the Patent Process
• State Street Decision and Business Method Patents
• Tax Shelter Issues
• World of Patenting ERISA Strategies
• Where do we go from here?

• Legislative Developments

The moderator will be Stuart Lewis (Buchanan Ingersoll, PC, Washington, DC) and the panelists may include Wynn Coggins (Director of Technical Services 3600, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Washington, DC), Ellen Aprill (Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, CA), Greta Cowart (Haynes and Boone, Dallas, TX), and Robert Winters (Buchanan Ingersoll, PC, Washington, DC).