In recent years, some commentators have suggested that today’s U.S. patent law works erratically, sometimes producing irrational, unfair and unacceptable results. Opinions were expressed that Congress should act to reform a system that is now granting seemingly low quality patents and permits patentees’ unfair use of their patent power to suppress innovation. According to some scholars, observers and media elements, the U.S. patent system is “broken” and there is much to be fixed. Now that patent reform inquiries have resumed in the 110th Congress, this panel of intellectual property experts will address issues that appear to form the underlying factual predicates for the “broken” patent system pronouncements and the proposed U.S. patent reforms. Panelists will present papers contributing to the critical examination of data, evidence and trends in the U.S. patent system. Information on patent applications, grants, adjudication and enforcement will be presented. Research questioning the factual basis and assumptions used by the critics of the U.S. patent system will be presented. While discussing areas that require improvements, panelists will emphasize areas where the U.S. patent system operates properly and is in no need of repair. PRESENTING PANELSITS: F. Scott Kieff, JD., Associate Professor, Washington University School of Law, and Research Fellow, Stanford University’s Hoover Institution; John Howells, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Aarhus School of Business, Denmark; Patrick A. Doody, JD., Partner, Goodwin | Procter LLP,Washington, D.C.; Lawrence B. Ebert, Ph.D., J.D., Principal, ipABC; Stephen T. Schreiner, JD., Partner, Goodwin | Procter LLP,Washington, D.C.; and Ron D. Katznelson, Ph.D., formerly Chairman & CTO, Broadband Innovations, Inc.