Who’s That Under the Bridge? Patents, Trolls, and the Price of Innovation

About this event

⚖️ What do inventors actually get in exchange for telling the world their secrets?

Patents reflect a bargain between inventors and society. In exchange for publicly explaining how their inventions work, inventors receive a time-limited right to prevent others from making, using, or selling those inventions. The system is meant to encourage investment in new technology while ensuring patent rights eventually expire, so inventions become available for everyone to use.

In this talk, intellectual property attorney John Steger explains the origins of the U.S. patent system, what can and cannot be patented, and how someone actually obtains one. He also examines how patent lawsuits unfold, why even questionable cases can be extraordinarily expensive to fight, and how the rise of so-called patent trolls has reshaped the landscape.

Ultimately, Steger asks a bigger question: is the modern patent system still encouraging innovation and serving the public interest it was designed to protect? 📜

🕰 Event Details

​​​What should I expect?

7:00-7:35 --> arrival & chats

7:35-8:20 --> lecture

8:20-9:00 --> q&a and more chatting!

​​​Who's invited?

Anyone with an interest in learning new things, meeting new people, and doing fun things on weeknights! Lots of people came solo to our last event, so don't be afraid to do the same—you’ll meet some awesome people!

​​​What about parking?

The...

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