FRIDAY, JUNE 27, 2008, 10:00 a.m.

HOUSE BILL WOULD CURE ALLEGED DEFECT IN  APPOINTMENTS OF USPTO BOARD MEMBERS -- On Wednesday, House IP subcommittee chairman Howard Berman (D-CA) introduced H.R. 6362, which would require the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the Director of the USPTO, to appoint members of  the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.  Under the current statute, these appointments are made by the USPTO Director alone, but the constitutionality of this method of appointment has been questioned.  The bill also creates a retroactive defense to challenges of such judges who were appointed by the Director.

HOUSE-PASSED BILL WOULD REQUIRE FIRM TO PAY $65 MILLION FOR EXTENSION OF DRUG PATENT -- H.R. 6344, passed by the House of Representatives to allow late filings for drug patent extensions (see yesterday’s Daily News), would require a patent holder to pay $65 million for the privilege of an extension if the patent application was filed before the date of enactment of the legislation and was “a drug intended for use in humans that is in the anticoagulant class of drugs.”

HOUSE SUBCOMMITTEE APPROVES COPYRIGHT PERFORMANCE RIGHTS BILL -- Yesterday the House IP subcommittee approved H.R. 4789, to require certain radio broadcasters to pay copyright royalties, with a manager's amendment.  The bill appears to be highly controversial.

NEW IPO MEMBER -- Tim Brackett, of Reston, VA, has become an individual member of IPO.

IPO 2008 ANNUAL MEETING COMMITTEE PRESENTATIONS -- Earn up to 12-14.5 CLE credits at the IPO Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA.  Concurrent committee CLE presentations are being offered on Monday, Sept. 22.  The committees include: Asian Practice Committee; Copyright Law and Practice; IP Licensing and Litigation Committees; Patent Search Committee; Trade Secrets and Asian Practice Committees; Trademark Office Practice (US) Committee.  For more information and to register, visit www.ipo.org/am2008.