The Semi Interesting Podcast with Nathaniel Lucek and Elizabeth Morris

All Episodes (15)

From new to old

From new to old From old to new

1. 

   1. Patent Trolls in the World of Semiconductors

   Business executives and patent practitioners tend to have similar negative feelings around patent trolls and their letters offering to license sometimes dubious IP. These patent troll entities tend to file a large volume of nuisance lawsuits, which increases legal costs for companies. No industry is immune and these lawsuits impact companies at all levels of semiconductor manufacturing. But besides their ultimate goal of making money using their collection of patents, how do these patent trolls

   Apr 11,2024 24:27
2. 

   2. Changes to Filing US Patent Applications: The USPTO’s DOCX Program

   The process to file US patent applications online has been almost the same for the past 10-15 years. That filing process finally changed in January 2024 when the USPTO started requiring new U.S. nonprovisional patent applications be uploaded as DOCX files to avoid a surcharge. The DOCX requirement, which was postponed repeatedly, caused an uproar in certain corners of the U.S. IP world. But what does the DOCX requirement cover and what will the impact be? Nathaniel and Elizabeth are joined by Jo

   Mar 28,2024 40:06
3. 

   3. IMEC: How Did Belgium End Up as a Semiconductor Research Powerhouse?

   Belgium is known for many products: chocolate, beer, waffles, and many others.  Folks in the semiconductor industry also recognize that it is a leader in semiconductor research.  But why is that?  How did such a small country position itself to have an outsized role in this industry?  To answer these questions, Nathaniel Lucek and Elizabeth Morris were joined by John Baekelmans, a former VP at IMEC and currently Science and Technology Counselor at Flanders Investment and Trade.  John shared the

   Dec 14,2023 37:17
4. 

   4. Another Option to Protect Spares: Design Patents for Consumable Parts

   The spares business is an essential revenue stream for semiconductor capital equipment manufacturers. While these components typically are not easy to protect with a utility patent application, many of them are ideal for design patent protection. Nathaniel Lucek and Elizabeth Morris were joined by Charles Rauch, head of the design patent practice at Hodgson Russ LLP, to talk about the benefits of design patent protection. Charlie explained how design patents can be used to protect components lik

   Nov 30,2023 41:12
5. 

   5. Artificial Intelligence at Work: How Policies Can Save Your IP

   Applications for artificial intelligence at work seem boundless. AI could even write this episode summary (it didn’t, but maybe it should have). However, using AI carries risks to intellectual property protection, confidentiality, and bias. Look no further than the chip manufacturer that shared confidential information with ChatGPT to find a fix. On this episode, Nathaniel Lucek and Elizabeth Morris spoke with Hodgson Russ LLP attorney Rosellen Marohn about these risks and policies that companie

   Oct 23,2023 42:50
6. 

   6. Borrowing Tools from Project Management to Build Your In-House Legal Department

   Project management and team building are vital when running an in-house legal team. Sadly, those are not skills that are tested on the bar exam. In this episode, Nathaniel and Elizabeth are joined by Sean Blixseth, Managing Senior Counsel at Panasonic to learn about best practices when inserting legal into a product team. They discussed the importance of living in the business, embracing project management, and borrowing engineering tools to optimize your legal function – including the idea of h

   Sep 14,2023 29:52
7. 

   7. Increasing Invention Disclosures from Underrepresented Inventors: The “She Invents” Program at Western Digital

   Companies in the semiconductor industry need to gather invention disclosures from all corners of the company to help maintain a competitive advantage. Yet studies have shown that participation among different groups of inventors can be uneven, which leads to underrepresentation by certain groups. For example, the USPTO has shown that women are 20% of the technical workforce, but only 10% of inventors. On this episode, we are joined by Sabra Truesdale to learn about the “She Invents” program at W

   Aug 14,2023 37:31
8. 

   8. Trade Secrets Theft and Your Dirty Laundry

   Trade secrets represent an astronomical amount of the intellectual property in the semiconductor industry.  But how do you protect these trade secrets and keep them safe?  And what happens when you detect that your trade secrets may not be secure?  Nathaniel Lucek and Elizabeth Morris are joined by Melissa Subjeck and Lura Bechtel from Hodgson Russ LLP to discuss trade secret protection and options to detect theft.  They also explain what happens during an investigation for trade secret theft –

   Jul 06,2023 32:13
9. 

   9. Artificial Intelligence and the Law: Rise of the Machine Inventor

   We know that the advance of artificial intelligence absolutely will not stop (it was in a movie).  To assess where AI may go with respect to law, Nathaniel Lucek and Elizabeth Morris spoke with David Sanker, Ph.D., who works on patent matters related to machine learning.  The group discussed patent inventorship with AI, patentability of machine learning, AI assistance with patent drafting and patent examination, and machine learning algorithms for job candidate interviews.

   May 11,2023 36:36
10. 

    10. Unitary Patent and Unified Patent Court: What Patent Law Changes in Europe Mean for Semiconductor Innovation

    After years of waiting, Europe is finally experiencing big changes with its Unitary Patent (UP) and new Unified Patent Court (UPC). The UPC will be open for business in June 2023 and will dramatically change how patents are litigated in Europe. The cost structure and benefits for a UP are already being analyzed for pending patent applications in Europe. But what does this mean for semiconductor innovation? Nathaniel Lucek and Elizabeth Morris are joined by Paul Keane, a European Patent Attorney

    Apr 13,2023 35:34
11. 

    11. Working with University Researchers: Best Practices For University Tech Licensing

    Universities have some of the foremost technical experts on the planet. So how can companies best use this brainpower? And what are the universities hoping to receive in return? In this episode of The Semi Interesting Podcast, Hodgson Russ LLP Partner Nathaniel Lucek and Pure Storage’s Legal Director of IP & Product Elizabeth Morris explore university tech licensing with Cheryl Junker, Associate Director for IP Transactions at Dartmouth College. They will discuss a university’s objectives when e

    Mar 09,2023 35:17
12. 

    12. Designing a Patent Strategy for Enforcement

    For such an unassuming document, patents can be hugely important. Whether you’re an inventor who just developed the next “latest and greatest” idea, or a company that helps those inventors get their product out in to distribution, patenting is an important part of the process. It can literally make or break your opportunities for growth and business.In this episode of The Semi Interesting Podcast, Hodgson Russ LLP Partner Nathaniel Lucek and Pure Storage’s Legal Director of IP & Product Elizabet

    Feb 09,2023 20:42
13. 

    13. Inventing isn’t just for people with PhD’s

    In Episode Two of “The Semi Interesting Podcast,” we’re talking about one of the toughest issues facing any company – pulling in quality talent, and retaining it. In an industry as small (literally and figuratively) as that of semiconductors, that task can be daunting, to say the least. As difficult as it is to cultivate new talent, it’s equally as tough for those with talent to navigate the intellectual property patenting process. In this episode, Nathaniel Lucek and Elizabeth Morris take a loo

    Jan 12,2023 16:43
14. 

    14. Generating Engagement with Inventors

    You’ve probably heard the saying, “It’s hard to find good help these days.” No matter what industry you’re working in, that saying almost always rings true. But once you do manage to find that good help – or inventors, in the case of the semiconductor industry – how do you retain it? Enter, the Semi Interesting Podcast Episode One. In the premiere episode, Hodgson Russ LLP Partner Nathaniel Lucek and Pure Storage’s Legal Director of IP & Product Elizabeth Morris take a look at strategies on how

    Jan 12,2023 20:07
15. 

    15. Semi Interesting Podcast TRAILER

    We are launching a brand new podcast here at Hodgson Russ LLP – “The Semi Interesting Podcast.”Don’t let the name fool you! The podcast is about semiconductors – see what we did there? – and it’s extremely interesting! Hosts Nathaniel Lucek and Elizabeth Morris offer a unique perspective on issues facing the industry. Join them and find out why the semi conductor industry is far more than semi-interesting!*This podcast does not provide legal advice.

    Jan 06,2023 01:13