Competition Law and Patent Assertions with keynote address by FTC Chairwoman Ramirez

Patent assertion entities, commonly referred to as patent trolls, have received a lot of attention recently. In the last five years, lawsuits by patent assertion entities have increased more than 250% and now account for more than 60% of all patent litigation.

The White House just issued a series executive orders and proposals in an effort to curb the growing troll problem and protect competition and innovation. Congress is also considering legislation to provide additional relief. What is often overlooked, however, is the power our nation’s antitrust regulators already have to combat some of these identified problems.

The Computer & Communications Industry Association and The American Antitrust Institute invite you to panel discussion to examine the unique role these competition watchdogs can play in combating the growing problems in our patent system.

Our panel of antitrust, industry, and justice experts will feature:

• Ed Black, President and CEO, Computer & Communications Industry Association
• Michael Carrier, Professor, Rutgers School of Law
• Bert Foer, President, The American Antitrust Institute
• Lisa Kimmel, Attorney Advisor, Office of Chairwoman Ramirez, Federal Trade
• Commission
• Francis Marshall, Special Counsel for Intellectual Property, Legal Policy Section, Department of Justice, Antitrust Division
• Paul Saraceni, Senior Vice President and Chief Intellectual Property Officer, RPX Corporation