October 1, 2008 - (ATLANTA) - Intellectual Property (IP) experts from the business, legal and product development worlds will gather on October 28-29 at Georgia State University in Atlanta to discuss emerging best practices and ideas at the second annual Corporate Intellectual Property Institute at the Georgia State University Student Center.

Sponsored by Georgia State's College of Law and the J. Mack Robinson College of Business, the event will feature two full days of speakers, interactive panel discussions, and networking and will cover topics including technology transfer, brand licensing, open innovation, legal strategy and patent reform.

Executives from more than 20 commercial enterprises with top-tier intellectual asset management will present at the event, including IP professionals from AT&T Intellectual Property, Caterpillar, The Coca-Cola Company, CompuCredit, FedEx, Georgia-Pacific, Hooters of America, IBM, Microsoft, Motorola, Newell-Rubbermaid and UPS.

"The Corporate Intellectual Property Institute will provide a forum for IP professionals from around the world to recalibrate their best practices to the current business climate," explained Scott Frank, president of AT&T Intellectual Property and a founder of the College of Law's Intellectual Property Advisory Board.

Topics covered during the event will include IP quality assessment and valuation, licensing for maximum value and defending corporate portfolios. "With the theme of Offense-Defense-Strategy, the Corporate IP Institute also will offer CLE credits," added Institute Chair Chason Carroll, Director of Intellectual Property at CompuCredit. "We encourage lawyers to take advantage of this opportunity for continuing education credits."

IP Institute co-organizer Perry Binder will be a panelist on Domain Names, Cybersquatting, and Protection for Your Brand on the Internet.  "Our panels will cover everyday issues facing IP counsel and businesspeople," offered Binder, an assistant professor of legal studies in Robinson's Department of Risk Management and Insurance.  "We will pose practical, real world dilemmas, along with takeaway solutions for participants."

Heads of both Georgia State University colleges involved believe that the partnership is advantageous for IP professionals nationwide.

"The College of Business is extremely pleased to collaborate with the College of Law in developing the Corporate Intellectual Property Institute, Corporate IP Roundtables and the IP Legends Award event," commented H. Fenwick Huss, dean of the Robinson College of Business. "These initiatives will assist the business community in maximizing the value of their intellectual property assets and will honor those who have made exemplary contributions to IP development."

College of Law Dean Steven Kaminshine said he is delighted with this linkage between the law school's intellectual property initiative and the College of Business. "These events all serve to demonstrate the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration between law and business," Kaminshine said. "Effective lawyering requires practitioners to appreciate the context within which the law operates, and the Corporate IP Institute is an important example that highlights this truth."

For additional details, information and to register for the event, visit the 2008 Corporate IP Institute.