Software patents are coming under increasing scrutiny as technology companies, the USPTO, and courts push back against attempts to prosecute or assert patents that broadly cover a software function. Join Jeff Barron of Barnes & Thornburg LLP for a one-hour CLE that addresses this trend, and which also explores alternative forms of protection for software. This CLE covers:

• Current and emerging trends in how companies are challenging the validity and scope of software patents under 35 U.S.C. § 101 and § 112, ¶ 6 (112/f)

• The advantages and disadvantages of seeking copyright or trade secret protection in place of – or in addition to – patent protection

• The impact of the new federal Defend Trade Secrets Act on the protection of software