Webinar: Subject matter eligibility for software inventions at the USPTO

Venue

Online

Description

This webinar is for epi members & epi students only!

This is the third part of a webinar series on US law. The focus will be subject matter eligibility or so-called 101 objections for software inventions. We will explore the evolution of the legal framework from the seminal decision in Alice Corp Pty v CLS Bank Int’l in 2014 to the more positive memoranda issued in 2025. The webinar will cover practical suggestions to address 101 objections and in particular will review when a Subject Matter Eligibility Declaration (SMED) may be useful.

The webinar is moderated by Julia Gwilt and presented by:

Phil Mazoki who practices in patent prosecution, IP strategy, and portfolio management in the electrical engineering and software fields, including technologies such as simulation, 3D modeling, cybersecurity, machine learning, the Internet of Things (IoT), and electro-mechanical systems. He has extensive experience building patent portfolios for modeling and simulation technologies across industries, as well as for cybersecurity innovations. Philip also assists clients with trademark prosecution and supports patent and trademark litigation matters.

Keith Wood, a seasoned intellectual property practitioner with more than 25 years of experience in U.S. and international patent law. His practice focuses on patent prosecution, post-grant proceedings, and strategic intellectual property counseling, with particular emphasis on Inter Partes Review (IPR) proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He has experience across a broad range of technologies, including semiconductor manufacturing, graphene-based materials, microfluidics, medical devices, optics, sensor systems, and clean energy. Keith advises start-ups, universities, and multinational companies on building and managing patent portfolios aligned with long-term research, development, and commercialization strategies.

Target group

Level of expertise
Intermediate / advanced level

Medium
Online training

Technical requirements
In order to attend the on-line course participants need a computer with an internet browser and a high-speed broadband internet connection. For the webinar, epi uses Zoom. Security settings on local Firewalls need to be checked. In order to make full use of the webinar session, we recommend to use headsets.

To access to the webinar a link will be send out directly by Zoom shortly before the webinar.

Application and use of personal data

Please do not use capital letters when filling the online registration form. Please indicate only personal email addresses.

By registering for this event, you accept that all your personal data may be used by the epi and authorised third parties (e.g. EPO) to the extent necessary to provide services or content you have requested. Please note our leaflet on privacy policy regarding the processing of your personal data.  

Please note our "privacy policy" regarding the processing of your personal data.

Working language

• English

Contact

For further information, please contact Barbara Riffert ([email protected]).

Minimum number of participants

20*
*If the minimum number of participants was not reached by the registration deadline, the event will be cancelled. In this case the epi will inform you immediately.

Registration deadline

Registration is open until 13.05.2026 The order of receipt by epi will determine the attendance in case of over-subscription.

Group of participants

This event is only for epi Members and epi Students.