Date: August 6, 2007

Presenter: David Milligan, Blackwell Sanders

The guest speaker for this meeting was David Milligan from Blackwell Sanders. Mr. Milligan provided an overview regarding patents, copyright and intellectual property in reference to technology companies and their processes. This valuable topic had not been covered for several years at ITC.

Beyond learning the basic differences between the three topics, there is a great value in the potential business applications. These topics are important because of the rapid nature of technology innovation, the ability to use patents and IP to balkanize against competition, and the various strategic tools that may be employed to further develop the company. There are numerous examples of start-ups getting an edge with a patent or an entrenched incumbent keeping innovators at bay with the same. Understanding these rules and legal strategies are very important to technology businesses.