Award  |  06/13/2026

PatCon Extraordinary Achievement Award for Dietmar Harhoff

At the 14th Annual Patent Conference (PatCon), held on 10 and 11 April 2026 at the University of Kansas School of Law (KU Law), Dietmar Harhoff was honored with the PatCon Extraordinary Achievement Award for his sustained, extraordinary contributions to scholarship on the patent system.

Four men in suits standing side by side, one holding an award plaque
Dietmar Harhoff and Organizers of the 14th Patent Conference. Photo: © KU Law

The Patent Conference (PatCon) is the world’s largest annual conference for patent scholars. The conference is jointly hosted by KU Law, Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, the University of San Diego School of Law, and Boston College Law School.


This interdisciplinary forum enables researchers from law, economics, business administration, public health, the history and philosophy of science, engineering, and other disciplines to share their findings. In addition, PatCon is distinguished by its commitment to involving judges, staff from the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and representatives from industry in order to promote the application of scholarly insights in broader practice.