Will SCOTUS rulings on software patents help or hurt innovation? Penn event Feb. 19

Recent Supreme Court rulings on software patents have bulldozed bridges between software companies and patents. Why? Because those bridges harbor patent trolls (non-practicing entities) who buy up patents for the sole purpose of bullying businesses who, you know, actually need them.
It’s worth asking, then, whether or not SCOTUS has muted innovation in software by tearing down those bridges. Has there been, or will there be, collateral damage that impacts the sustainability of business models that do not rely on patents?
Penn Law’s Detkin IP and Technology Clinic, the Penn Center for Innovation and the MCIT program at CIS want you to know the facts.
For free.
Penn has corralled a dais of local law and software professionals for a panel discussion on Thursday, Feb. 19 that will prompt these questions and more. Moderated by Technical.ly Editor-in-Chief Zack Seward, the panel will boast the likes of:

• Michael Dunham, Partner at BakerHostetler LLP
• Haig Farris, Chairman of D-Wave
• Dan Slawe, Corporate Counsel at SAP

The event, called “Are Software Patents Critical to Innovation?“, has been organized with the intention of educating business owners on how to leverage what’s going on in the legal world in a way that supports their business models.
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“You’ve got to be smart about it from the beginning or else you’ll run into problems along the way,” said Laurie Actman, Penn Center for Innovation COO.
“When you’re trying to get investors, they’ll look at how your IP is protected,” Actman said. “In some cases, that’s less of a factor than getting to market first, and in other cases that’s not true. It strengthens your market position.”
The panel discussion will be taking place in Penn Law’s Silverman Hall (Room 240B) from 6:00-8:00 p.m.
“I think this is a great way to understand the environment for growing a software business related to commercial strategy,” Actman told us.