Please join us in celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the California Inventors Assistance Program (CIAP)! Created and sponsored by the US Patent & Trademark Office, CIAP is administered by California Lawyers for the Arts and provides financially under-resourced inventors pro bono legal assistance with patent registrations.
In honor of this occasion, CLA will offer a free one-hour virtual MCLE program on current issues in patent law and updates from the USPTO. Patent attorneys and CIAP Steering Committee Members Stuart Meyer, Benjamin Kimes, and Sabra-Anne Truesdale will be joined by USPTO Deputy General Counsel Will Covey in conversation about the patent pro bono program; diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility initiatives at USPTO; and more.
MCLE credit offered for California attorneys!
Date: Wednesday, October 19 2022
Time: 4PM via Zoom.
About the Speakers:
Stuart P. Meyer, Partner, Fenwick & West LLP, Moderator
Stuart, an electrical engineer turned patent lawyer, uses his technical background to provide strategic intellectual property counseling to clients, ranging from small startups to multinational public companies, throughout the lifecycle of their businesses. Stuart co-chairs Fenwick’s post-grant proceedings practice and is consistently recognized by Chambers USA as a top IP advocate. Stuart was also involved in the CIAP kick-off meeting held at Fenwick & West in 2012.
Benjamin Kimes, Partner, Lowenstein Sandler LLP
Ben counsels his clients through all stages of intellectual property development, including strategy, patent preparation, patent prosecution, and patentability. He also frequently advises parties seeking and providing open source licensing. His clients include a diverse portfolio of Fortune 100 companies, startups, and solo inventors. Along with managing the firm's patent pro bono work, Ben is a member of the steering committee for the California Inventors Assistance Program (CIAP) as well as a member of the board of directors for California Lawyers for the Arts (CLA), which administers the CIAP.
Sabra-Anne Truesdale, Associate General Counsel, Western Digital
Sabra-Anne Truesdale initiated the creation of the California Inventors Assistance Program (CIAP) while she was a patent associate at Fenwick & West. She conceived of the idea, presented it to Stuart Meyer, and helped Fenwick partner with California Lawyers for the Arts and Intel to establish CIAP in 2012. Sabra-Anne joined Western Digital in 2015 as in-house patent counsel. In 2020, she created She Invents, Western Digital’s female inventor program, and has led the program ever since. Prior to law school, Sabra-Anne earned a B.S. in Computer Science and Engineering and an M.Eng. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT.
Will Covey, Deputy General Counsel and Director for the Office of Enrollment and Discipline, USPTO
As Deputy General Counsel and Director for the Office of Enrollment and Discipline (OED), Will Covey is responsible for ensuring that the nation’s patent attorneys and agents are of good moral character and sufficiently knowledgeable to practice before the USPTO. Mr. Covey’s team of attorneys and other professionals develop and administer a registration examination designed to measure applicants' knowledge of patent law and practice. Mr. Covey has held a number of key positions in the USPTO, including acting general counsel and deputy general counsel for the Office of General Law. Mr. Covey was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in 2007.Mr. Covey received his undergraduate degree from Fordham University (Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa) and earned his J.D. from Fordham University Law School in 1991. He graduated from Harvard University's JFK School of Government (Senior Executive Fellowship) in 2005 and the U.S. Army War College with an M.S. (Strategic Studies) in 2010.
For Questions:
CALL US AT: (888) 775-8995
OR EMAIL US AT: LRIS@calawyersforthearts.org
