I have to believe this year’s Phil Kaufman Award presentation and dinner was unlike any other. Recipient Wally Rhines was treated to a gentle roasting by Intel’s former chairman of the board Craig Barrett, which he responded to in kind when accepting the award. A tribute video and a humorous “day in the life” video shown as part of the formal evening activities can be found on the EDAC website: www.edac.org

The 2015 Phil Kaufman Award presentation and dinner sponsored by EDAC and CEDA November 12 began with music and networking.

Wally Rhines, chairman and CEO of Mentor Graphics, (third from left) accepts the 2015 Phil Kaufman Award from (from left to right): Lip-Bu Tan, president and CEO of Cadence and co-chair of the EDA Consortium; Shishpal Rawat of Intel and president elect of the IEEE Council on Electronic Design Automation (CEDA); and Craig Barrett, former chairman of the board of Intel.

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As several of our industry watchers have written, the EDA Consortium’s first in a series of patent panels held in late October was a success on all counts. We had a great turnout and many attendees arrived with well-thought-out questions not all we were able to get to, unfortunately. I commend Steve Pollock, head of the Emerging Companies Committee, for organizing “Patents and Patent Litigation: Develop, Strengthen, and Protect Your Intellectual Property.” I would also like to thank Salumeh Loesch of Klarquist who pulled together the panel of patent attorneys and moderated the discussion. It was a lively, engaged group.

From left to right: San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, Steve Pollock, EDAC’s Emerging Companies Committee chair, and EDAC’s Executive Director Bob Smith at the EDAC “Patents and Patent Litigation –– Develop, Strengthen, and Protect Your Intellectual Property” panel October 29.

We’re especially grateful to Samuel Liccardo, San Jose’s mayor, and John Cabeca, director of the newly opened Silicon Valley Office of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), for making time to join us. The mayor reiterated the importance of technology and innovation to the Silicon Valley region, while John gave us a detailed overview of the office’s functions and participated in the Q&A session.

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