Events

Abstract

Patent protection for inventions is a valuable component of business strategy for startups and established companies alike. This workshop covers the basics of U.S. patent law, including the patent application process, prosecution, litigation, and licensing. We will identify key issues that inventors should be aware of as they navigate the patenting process, discuss what recent developments in patent law mean for inventors, and draw examples ranging from the computer software to the pharmaceutical industries. Undergraduates, graduate students, post-docs, faculty, and industry professionals in science, engineering, medicine, business, and law are welcome.

Biography

Stephen M. Hou (侯明昌) has practiced patent prosecution for law firms in Boston and San Francisco, and is registered to practice before the US Patent & Trademark Office. He has been involved in three award-winning startup companies, serving as co-founder, chief engineer, and software engineer. Stephen received his law degree from the New York University School of Law, where he was an InSITE Fellow, advising startup companies and venture capitalists on patents, technology, and entrepreneurship. Stephen graduated Phi Beta Kappa with two undergraduate degrees in physics and electrical engineering (EE) and two graduate degrees in EE, all from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he was a microsystems engineer and instructor, earning the President Paul E. Gray Award for Excellence in Research and the Goodwin Medal, MIT's highest honor for excellence in teaching by a graduate student.