Patents and other forms of intellectual property aim "to promote the progress of science and useful arts." Achieving this purpose depends on policies that concern the nature of patentable discoveries, the scope and duration of patent rights, and the methods for acquiring and enforcing those rights. Though such policies have changed over time in response to changes in science, technology, and economic organization, there is growing concern that the U.S. patent system is nonetheless failing to keep pace with rapid advances in information technology and biotechnology. At the same time, our patent regime is also facing a separate set of challenges that arise from the growth of litigation in the United States and abroad, the globalization of commerce, and multiplying conflicts among nations' patent policies. This conference will explore the problems of the patent system and proposals for improving it.