Agenda
Subject to change. CLE panels are designated by an asterisk after the panel title.
Sunday, Mar 22, 2026
2:00 PM ET
The Global IP Landscape
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Global IP index is a comprehensive ranking of more than 50 of the world’s economies based on intellectual property climate. Once dominate in the patent rankings, the rest of the world has caught up to the United States, as many countries understand the importance of providing strong patent protections. Despite stiff competition regarding patents,…
Mark Cohen
Peter-Anthony Pappas
Alaina van Horn
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Global IP index is a comprehensive ranking of more than 50 of the world’s economies based on intellectual property climate. Once dominate in the patent rankings, the rest of the world has caught up to the United States, as many countries understand the importance of providing strong patent protections. Despite stiff competition regarding patents,…
,3:15 PM ET
Patent Dealmaking, Monetization & Licensing: An Examination of Capital, Risk and Deal Flow
Patent transactions sit at the intersection of capital markets, litigation risk, corporate strategy, and innovation economics—yet many deals fail for a variety of reasons. This panel cuts through theory and focuses on the real mechanics driving today’s patent deal flow. Panelists will examine how patents are valued, financed, licensed, and sold across operating companies, investors, private equity, sovereign funds, and…
Louis Carbonneau
Pinar Gencer
Daniel Papst
Patent transactions sit at the intersection of capital markets, litigation risk, corporate strategy, and innovation economics—yet many deals fail for a variety of reasons. This panel cuts through theory and focuses on the real mechanics driving today’s patent deal flow. Panelists will examine how patents are valued, financed, licensed, and sold across operating companies, investors, private equity, sovereign funds, and…
,4:45 PM ET
The Economics of Patent Portfolios: Balancing Quality, Cost, and Market Coverage*
*Building a patent portfolio is ultimately an exercise in capital allocation. Every filing decision carries an opportunity cost, every jurisdiction choice reflects a market bet, and every claim drafted—or abandoned—affects long-term leverage. Yet too many portfolios are still built on volume targets, legacy practices, or fear of missing out rather than disciplined economic analysis. This panel examines how organizations can…
Dean Geibel
Sivon Kalminov
Robert Stoll
*Building a patent portfolio is ultimately an exercise in capital allocation. Every filing decision carries an opportunity cost, every jurisdiction choice reflects a market bet, and every claim drafted—or abandoned—affects long-term leverage. Yet too many portfolios are still built on volume targets, legacy practices, or fear of missing out rather than disciplined economic analysis. This panel examines how organizations can…
,6:00 PM ET
Awards Ceremony
IPWatchdog is pleased to announce that Corey Salsberg has been selected as the 2026 recipient of the Pauline Newman Award, and that Chris Israel has been selected as the 2026 recipient of the Paul Michel Award. The Pauline Newman Award, created with the blessing of Judge Newman, is given each year to recognize the unique achievements of one patent attorney…
Chris Israel
Hon. Paul R. Michel
Hon. Pauline Newman
Gene Quinn
Renée C. Quinn
Corey Salsberg
IPWatchdog is pleased to announce that Corey Salsberg has been selected as the 2026 recipient of the Pauline Newman Award, and that Chris Israel has been selected as the 2026 recipient of the Paul Michel Award. The Pauline Newman Award, created with the blessing of Judge Newman, is given each year to recognize the unique achievements of one patent attorney…
,7:00 PM ET
Opening Reception
Join us from 7:00pm to 9:00pm to network over beer, wine, cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.
Join us from 7:00pm to 9:00pm to network over beer, wine, cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.
,Monday, Mar 23, 2026
7:00 AM ET
8:00 AM ET
Contracting for AI Acquisition in a Rapid-Adoption Era
Organizations and government agencies are acquiring AI at unprecedented speed—often faster than legal, procurement, and governance frameworks can adapt. Standard software contracts are being stretched beyond their limits, leaving buyers exposed to unclear ownership of outputs, weak data rights, opaque model behavior, regulatory uncertainty, and misaligned risk allocation. This panel examines how AI acquisition contracts are being structured in practice…
Hon. Ryan T. Holte
TJ Whittle
Organizations and government agencies are acquiring AI at unprecedented speed—often faster than legal, procurement, and governance frameworks can adapt. Standard software contracts are being stretched beyond their limits, leaving buyers exposed to unclear ownership of outputs, weak data rights, opaque model behavior, regulatory uncertainty, and misaligned risk allocation. This panel examines how AI acquisition contracts are being structured in practice…
,9:15 AM ET
Securing the Innovation Pipeline: Strategies for Protecting Next Generation Therapies
For life sciences companies, the innovation pipeline is the business. As therapies grow more complex—spanning biologics, cell and gene therapies, platforms, combination products, and AI-enabled discovery—the risk profile surrounding protection, exclusivity, and value capture has never been higher. This panel examines how companies can secure next-generation therapies from discovery through commercialization by deploying integrated protection strategies that align patents, regulatory…
Joshua Schoonover
Colin Sandercock
For life sciences companies, the innovation pipeline is the business. As therapies grow more complex—spanning biologics, cell and gene therapies, platforms, combination products, and AI-enabled discovery—the risk profile surrounding protection, exclusivity, and value capture has never been higher. This panel examines how companies can secure next-generation therapies from discovery through commercialization by deploying integrated protection strategies that align patents, regulatory…
,9:15 AM ET
Global SEP Litigation and Licensing
Standard-essential patents (SEPs) sit at the intersection of innovation, competition, and global trade. As connectivity standards expand across telecommunications, IoT, automotive, and industrial systems, SEP disputes have become increasingly international, high-stakes, and strategically complex. Courts, regulators, and competition authorities around the world are trying to assert influence over how SEPs are enforced and licensed, often with conflicting approaches that create…
Ali Allawi
Shawnna Yashar
Matteo Sabattini
Standard-essential patents (SEPs) sit at the intersection of innovation, competition, and global trade. As connectivity standards expand across telecommunications, IoT, automotive, and industrial systems, SEP disputes have become increasingly international, high-stakes, and strategically complex. Courts, regulators, and competition authorities around the world are trying to assert influence over how SEPs are enforced and licensed, often with conflicting approaches that create…
,9:15 AM ET
When Obviousness Isn’t Obvious: How 103 Undermines Follow-On Innovation
Obviousness doctrine is intended to police the line between genuine innovation and routine variation. In practice, however, the application of Section 103 has increasingly drifted away from economic and technological reality—particularly in industries where progress is incremental, expensive, and risk-laden. The result is a growing disconnect between how innovation actually occurs and how follow-on inventions are evaluated for patentability. This…
Patrick Kilbride
Obviousness doctrine is intended to police the line between genuine innovation and routine variation. In practice, however, the application of Section 103 has increasingly drifted away from economic and technological reality—particularly in industries where progress is incremental, expensive, and risk-laden. The result is a growing disconnect between how innovation actually occurs and how follow-on inventions are evaluated for patentability. This…
,10:15 AM ET
10:45 AM ET
Drug Patents Explained: What the System Gets Right—and What Critics Get Wrong
Debates over drug patents are increasingly driven by slogans rather than substance. Claims of “evergreening,” “patent thickets,” and abusive exclusivity are routinely invoked to justify policy intervention, but these narratives are often completely false, rely on misrepresentations, and ignore how pharmaceutical innovation actually works. This panel takes a hard look at how drug patents function in practice, separating rhetoric from…
Emily Johnson
Joshua Ney
Corey Salsberg
Debates over drug patents are increasingly driven by slogans rather than substance. Claims of “evergreening,” “patent thickets,” and abusive exclusivity are routinely invoked to justify policy intervention, but these narratives are often completely false, rely on misrepresentations, and ignore how pharmaceutical innovation actually works. This panel takes a hard look at how drug patents function in practice, separating rhetoric from…
,10:45 AM ET
Designing a Modern Trade Secret Strategy from Policy to Practice
Trade secrets have become mission-critical assets in an economy defined by data, AI, collaboration, and rapid employee mobility. Yet many organizations still rely on outdated policies, inconsistent controls, and legal frameworks that look strong on paper but fail under real-world realities. And even when companies have thoughtfully adopted a trade secret regime the gap between the formal policy and operational…
Jeff Barron
Carole Boelitz
Mary Penn
Nikos Minas
Trade secrets have become mission-critical assets in an economy defined by data, AI, collaboration, and rapid employee mobility. Yet many organizations still rely on outdated policies, inconsistent controls, and legal frameworks that look strong on paper but fail under real-world realities. And even when companies have thoughtfully adopted a trade secret regime the gap between the formal policy and operational…
,10:45 AM ET
US Innovation and IP Enforcement: Navigating the Global Litigation Trends
U.S. innovators no longer operate in a litigation landscape bounded by domestic courts. IP enforcement has become a global enterprise, with parallel actions, cross-border remedies, and foreign courts increasingly influencing outcomes for U.S.-based companies. Decisions made abroad now directly affect leverage, valuation, risk, and potential liabilities. This panel examines how global litigation trends are reshaping IP enforcement strategy for U.S.…
Dr. Kirti Gupta
Hon. Randall R. Rader
U.S. innovators no longer operate in a litigation landscape bounded by domestic courts. IP enforcement has become a global enterprise, with parallel actions, cross-border remedies, and foreign courts increasingly influencing outcomes for U.S.-based companies. Decisions made abroad now directly affect leverage, valuation, risk, and potential liabilities. This panel examines how global litigation trends are reshaping IP enforcement strategy for U.S.…
,11:45 AM ET
12:00 PM ET
IP Blind Spots and Business Risk: Making IP Matter Across the Enterprise
IP risk rarely announces itself in advance. It emerges when products launch, deals close, employees leave, or regulators intervene—often revealing that critical decisions were made without a clear understanding of IP exposure or leverage. When IP is treated as a siloed legal function rather than a business input, blind spots form that can undermine strategy, valuation, and growth. This panel…
Leo White
Jeffery Langer
Evelyn Body
Suvashis Bhattacharya
IP risk rarely announces itself in advance. It emerges when products launch, deals close, employees leave, or regulators intervene—often revealing that critical decisions were made without a clear understanding of IP exposure or leverage. When IP is treated as a siloed legal function rather than a business input, blind spots form that can undermine strategy, valuation, and growth. This panel…
,12:00 PM ET
When Lawyers Need Help: Supporting Colleagues While Protecting Clients*
Legal practice is demanding, high-pressure, and often isolating. At times, lawyers, judges, and legal professionals may find themselves struggling — whether due to substance use, emotional distress, burnout, mental-health challenges, personal instability, a health crisis or family problems. While the causes may differ, the professional stakes are the same: competence, judgment, and ethical obligations must be preserved. This panel examines…
Will Covey
Melissa Silverstein
Legal practice is demanding, high-pressure, and often isolating. At times, lawyers, judges, and legal professionals may find themselves struggling — whether due to substance use, emotional distress, burnout, mental-health challenges, personal instability, a health crisis or family problems. While the causes may differ, the professional stakes are the same: competence, judgment, and ethical obligations must be preserved. This panel examines…
,12:00 PM ET
AI Patents Under the Microscope: Drafting and Prosecuting for the Long Game
Artificial Intelligence is the future of innovation, and may very well be the future of the U.S. economy. Yet, despite this reality, AI patents are being scrutinized more aggressively than almost any other category of invention. Eligibility challenges, heightened obviousness analysis, functional claiming concerns, and rapid technological evolution have turned AI patenting into a long-duration strategy problem rather than a…
Jonathan Hummel
Robert Plotkin
Thara Russell
Giulia Toti
Artificial Intelligence is the future of innovation, and may very well be the future of the U.S. economy. Yet, despite this reality, AI patents are being scrutinized more aggressively than almost any other category of invention. Eligibility challenges, heightened obviousness analysis, functional claiming concerns, and rapid technological evolution have turned AI patenting into a long-duration strategy problem rather than a…
,1:00 PM ET
Lunch & Keynote: Director John Squires
We are honored to have USPTO Director John Squires provide the keynote speech at IPWatchdog LIVE 2026. Director Squires’ keynote will be part of our luncheon program, with lunch beginning at 1 PM ET and the address anticipated to start at approximately 2 PM ET. About John Squires John Squires, confirmed by the United States Senate on September 18, 2025,…
John Squires
Renée C. Quinn
Gene Quinn
We are honored to have USPTO Director John Squires provide the keynote speech at IPWatchdog LIVE 2026. Director Squires’ keynote will be part of our luncheon program, with lunch beginning at 1 PM ET and the address anticipated to start at approximately 2 PM ET. About John Squires John Squires, confirmed by the United States Senate on September 18, 2025,…
,2:30 PM ET
From Discovery to Market: Operationalizing Invention Capture in Research Intensive Industries
In research-intensive organizations, valuable inventions are created every day—but too many never make it into the IP system in time, or at all. Breakdowns between research, legal, and business teams often mean discoveries are disclosed too late, incompletely, or without a clear path to protection and commercialization. The result is lost value, weakened portfolios, and missed market opportunities. This panel…
Anthony R. Prosser
Matt Beyersdorf
In research-intensive organizations, valuable inventions are created every day—but too many never make it into the IP system in time, or at all. Breakdowns between research, legal, and business teams often mean discoveries are disclosed too late, incompletely, or without a clear path to protection and commercialization. The result is lost value, weakened portfolios, and missed market opportunities. This panel…
,2:30 PM ET
Resolution Without Surrender: What Really Triggers Settlement of IP Disputes
Most IP disputes do not end with a verdict—they end with a deal. Yet settlements rarely occur because one side suddenly “changes its mind.” They happen when risk, cost, timing, and leverage finally align. Understanding what actually drives resolution is critical for parties who want outcomes that protect value rather than surrender it. This panel examines the real factors that…
Chuck Hong
Philip S. Johnson
Bukola Landis-Aina
Marie MacNichol
Most IP disputes do not end with a verdict—they end with a deal. Yet settlements rarely occur because one side suddenly “changes its mind.” They happen when risk, cost, timing, and leverage finally align. Understanding what actually drives resolution is critical for parties who want outcomes that protect value rather than surrender it. This panel examines the real factors that…
,2:30 PM ET
Patent Prosecution in a Reoriented USPTO: What Has Changed and What Matters?
The USPTO is in the midst of a meaningful reset—one that is reshaping how patent applications are examined, how discretion is exercised, and how prosecution outcomes are ultimately determined. Shifts in leadership, policy emphasis, and internal guidance are changing examiner behavior in ways that are not always visible from the outside, but have real consequences for prosecution strategy and portfolio…
Shawn Gorman
Blair Hoyt
Mark Vallone
The USPTO is in the midst of a meaningful reset—one that is reshaping how patent applications are examined, how discretion is exercised, and how prosecution outcomes are ultimately determined. Shifts in leadership, policy emphasis, and internal guidance are changing examiner behavior in ways that are not always visible from the outside, but have real consequences for prosecution strategy and portfolio…
,4:00 PM ET
Artificial Intelligence Today: Managing Risk, Access and Compliance Without Clear Industry Standards
Artificial intelligence is being deployed faster than the rules governing it are being written. In the absence of clear, uniform industry standards, organizations are making high-stakes decisions around access, control, compliance, and liability with incomplete guidance and evolving regulatory pressure. The result is uneven risk exposure, fragmented governance, and contractual and compliance frameworks that are often backward-looking. This panel examines…
Mark Liang
Jerry Ma
Tamra Tyree Moore
Dustin Raney
Artificial intelligence is being deployed faster than the rules governing it are being written. In the absence of clear, uniform industry standards, organizations are making high-stakes decisions around access, control, compliance, and liability with incomplete guidance and evolving regulatory pressure. The result is uneven risk exposure, fragmented governance, and contractual and compliance frameworks that are often backward-looking. This panel examines…
,4:00 PM ET
Managing Enterprise Risk in Life Sciences: An In-House Perspective
Life sciences companies operate in a uniquely high-risk environment where scientific uncertainty, regulatory scrutiny, IP exposure, supply-chain fragility, and litigation risk all converge. In-house teams sit at the center of this complex risk matrix, and they are forced to make real-time decisions that balance innovation speed, compliance, capital efficiency, and long-term value creation. Unfortunately, imperfect information and competing internal pressures…
Shana Cyr
Cynthia Martin
Kwame Mensah
Life sciences companies operate in a uniquely high-risk environment where scientific uncertainty, regulatory scrutiny, IP exposure, supply-chain fragility, and litigation risk all converge. In-house teams sit at the center of this complex risk matrix, and they are forced to make real-time decisions that balance innovation speed, compliance, capital efficiency, and long-term value creation. Unfortunately, imperfect information and competing internal pressures…
,4:00 PM ET
Winning ITC Strategy: A Practitioner’s Guide to 337 Litigation
Section 337 investigations at the International Trade Commission (ITC) are among the fastest-moving and highest-stakes proceedings in IP enforcement. The compressed schedule, unique remedies, and procedural intensity reward disciplined strategy and punish missteps early. Success at the ITC is rarely accidental—it is the product of front-loaded decisions that shape the case long before the hearing begins. This panel delivers a…
Libbie DiMarco
Joshua Hartman
Brian P. Johnson
Section 337 investigations at the International Trade Commission (ITC) are among the fastest-moving and highest-stakes proceedings in IP enforcement. The compressed schedule, unique remedies, and procedural intensity reward disciplined strategy and punish missteps early. Success at the ITC is rarely accidental—it is the product of front-loaded decisions that shape the case long before the hearing begins. This panel delivers a…
,5:15 PM ET
Inside the Beltway: The Future of IP Reform
IP policy in the United States is increasingly shaped by political dynamics, agency priorities, and competing economic narratives rather than technical consensus. Decisions made in Washington—often far from laboratories, startups, and courtrooms—are redefining patent rights, enforcement tools, and innovation incentives with long-term consequences for U.S. competitiveness. This panel offers a candid, inside-the-Beltway view of where IP reform is heading and…
Chris Israel
David Jones
J. John Lee
IP policy in the United States is increasingly shaped by political dynamics, agency priorities, and competing economic narratives rather than technical consensus. Decisions made in Washington—often far from laboratories, startups, and courtrooms—are redefining patent rights, enforcement tools, and innovation incentives with long-term consequences for U.S. competitiveness. This panel offers a candid, inside-the-Beltway view of where IP reform is heading and…
,5:15 PM ET
Training AI the Right Way: How Licensing Promotes Innovation, Competition & Content Creation
The debate over AI training has quickly polarized into extremes: unrestricted scraping versus rigid prohibition. Both approaches miss the point. Sustainable AI development depends on clear, enforceable licensing frameworks that respect existing IP rights while enabling innovation, competition, and a viable creative ecosystem. This panel examines why licensing is emerging as the most practical and pro-innovation solution for training AI…
Terry Hart
Jessica Richard
Laura Smalley
Jason Alan Snyder
The debate over AI training has quickly polarized into extremes: unrestricted scraping versus rigid prohibition. Both approaches miss the point. Sustainable AI development depends on clear, enforceable licensing frameworks that respect existing IP rights while enabling innovation, competition, and a viable creative ecosystem. This panel examines why licensing is emerging as the most practical and pro-innovation solution for training AI…
,5:15 PM ET
6:15 PM ET
Reception
Join us from 6:15pm to 8:30pm to network over beer, wine, cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.
Join us from 6:15pm to 8:30pm to network over beer, wine, cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.
,Tuesday, Mar 24, 2026
7:00 AM ET
8:00 AM ET
The Congressional Inventions Caucus: Bipartisan IP Education on Capitol Hill
The Congressional Inventions Caucus is a bipartisan, bicameral caucus designed to educate lawmakers about inventors, invention, IP-driven startups, and the U.S. innovation ecosystem. The goal of the Congressional Inventions Caucus is to ensure inventions and inventors are taken into account in federal innovation policy. This conversation will feature caucus cochairs, their staff, and leaders of the Congressional Inventions Project steering…
James Edwards
Congressman Kevin Kiley
The Congressional Inventions Caucus is a bipartisan, bicameral caucus designed to educate lawmakers about inventors, invention, IP-driven startups, and the U.S. innovation ecosystem. The goal of the Congressional Inventions Caucus is to ensure inventions and inventors are taken into account in federal innovation policy. This conversation will feature caucus cochairs, their staff, and leaders of the Congressional Inventions Project steering…
,9:15 AM ET
Preserving Bayh-Dole to Protect U.S. Economic and Technological Leadership
The Bayh-Dole Act is one of the most successful innovation policies in U.S. history, underpinning decades of technology transfer, startup formation, and private investment in federally funded research. Yet today, Bayh-Dole is increasingly misunderstood, politicized, and targeted for reinterpretation in ways that threaten to undermine the very incentives that made it work. This panel examines why Bayh-Dole matters now more…
Joseph Allen
Hon. Susan G. Braden
Kate Hudson
Laura Peter
The Bayh-Dole Act is one of the most successful innovation policies in U.S. history, underpinning decades of technology transfer, startup formation, and private investment in federally funded research. Yet today, Bayh-Dole is increasingly misunderstood, politicized, and targeted for reinterpretation in ways that threaten to undermine the very incentives that made it work. This panel examines why Bayh-Dole matters now more…
,9:15 AM ET
The Mechanics of Building a Patent Portfolio in the Real World
Building a patent portfolio is not an abstract exercise in claim drafting or filing volume—it is a series of practical, often constrained decisions made under real budget, timing, and business pressures. What works in theory frequently breaks down in execution, and portfolios that look impressive on paper can fail to deliver meaningful protection or leverage where it matters most. This…
Randy Canis
Matthew Cutler
Mike McLean
Building a patent portfolio is not an abstract exercise in claim drafting or filing volume—it is a series of practical, often constrained decisions made under real budget, timing, and business pressures. What works in theory frequently breaks down in execution, and portfolios that look impressive on paper can fail to deliver meaningful protection or leverage where it matters most. This…
,9:15 AM ET
Patents, Antitrust and the Future of Innovation in America
The relationship between patents and antitrust law is once again at the center of the U.S. innovation debate. Aggressive enforcement theories, shifting agency priorities, and expanding notions of competition harm are challenging long-standing assumptions about how exclusive rights and competitive markets coexist. At stake is not just legal doctrine, but the economic framework that supports investment in high-risk, high-reward innovation.…
Alden Abbott
Jonathan Barnett
Tad Lipsky
Bilal Sayyed
John Yun
The relationship between patents and antitrust law is once again at the center of the U.S. innovation debate. Aggressive enforcement theories, shifting agency priorities, and expanding notions of competition harm are challenging long-standing assumptions about how exclusive rights and competitive markets coexist. At stake is not just legal doctrine, but the economic framework that supports investment in high-risk, high-reward innovation.…
,10:15 AM ET
10:45 AM ET
Building Global Life Sciences Patent Portfolios: Strategy, Structure, and Execution
Life sciences patent portfolios are built under extreme constraints: long development timelines, regulatory uncertainty, jurisdictional complexity, and relentless cost pressure. Decisions made early—often before clinical proof—can determine whether a portfolio supports exclusivity, partnering, and valuation, or collapses under validity challenges and global enforcement friction. This panel examines how to build global life sciences patent portfolios with strategic intent and operational…
Brent R. Bellows
Steven Caltrider
Kady Bruce
Life sciences patent portfolios are built under extreme constraints: long development timelines, regulatory uncertainty, jurisdictional complexity, and relentless cost pressure. Decisions made early—often before clinical proof—can determine whether a portfolio supports exclusivity, partnering, and valuation, or collapses under validity challenges and global enforcement friction. This panel examines how to build global life sciences patent portfolios with strategic intent and operational…
,10:45 AM ET
Modern Brand Protection: Strategies to Stop Infringement in Real Time
Intrusion upon a brand does not unfold slowly or predictably. Counterfeits, impersonation, and unauthorized sales now appear instantly across marketplaces, social platforms, domain names, and digital advertising channels—often at a scale and speed that traditional enforcement tools cannot match. Waiting to act means accepting brand dilution, consumer confusion, and lost revenue as the cost of doing business. This panel examines…
Jayne Durden
William Mansfield
Intrusion upon a brand does not unfold slowly or predictably. Counterfeits, impersonation, and unauthorized sales now appear instantly across marketplaces, social platforms, domain names, and digital advertising channels—often at a scale and speed that traditional enforcement tools cannot match. Waiting to act means accepting brand dilution, consumer confusion, and lost revenue as the cost of doing business. This panel examines…
,10:45 AM ET
The Evolving Universe for Post-Grant Challenges at the USPTO
Post-grant proceedings at the USPTO are undergoing fundamental transformation from the ground up. Inter partes review, post-grant review, and ex parte reexamination now operate in a shifting landscape shaped by Director discretion, precedential PTAB decisions, court intervention, and changing policy priorities. For both petitioners and patent owners, the rules of engagement continue to evolve—often unevenly and with significant strategic consequences.…
Tim Fink
Kevin McNish
Jordan Rossen
Stephen T. Schreiner
Post-grant proceedings at the USPTO are undergoing fundamental transformation from the ground up. Inter partes review, post-grant review, and ex parte reexamination now operate in a shifting landscape shaped by Director discretion, precedential PTAB decisions, court intervention, and changing policy priorities. For both petitioners and patent owners, the rules of engagement continue to evolve—often unevenly and with significant strategic consequences.…
,11:45 AM ET
12:00 PM ET
More Than Patents: The Stories Behind the Breakthroughs
Behind every transformative technology or life-saving therapy is a human story—of curiosity, persistence, failure, and resilience. Patents capture the technical milestones, but they rarely reflect the personal journeys, risks, and motivations that drive invention and give innovation its deeper meaning. This panel puts inventors front and center to explore the stories behind the breakthroughs. Panelists will share why they chose…
Sherry Knowles
Kevin White
Behind every transformative technology or life-saving therapy is a human story—of curiosity, persistence, failure, and resilience. Patents capture the technical milestones, but they rarely reflect the personal journeys, risks, and motivations that drive invention and give innovation its deeper meaning. This panel puts inventors front and center to explore the stories behind the breakthroughs. Panelists will share why they chose…
,12:00 PM ET
IP Litigation Strategy: The Art of Winning Before Trial
Often the focus of “winning” in litigation will focus on trial strategy and tactics, but the reality is that most IP cases never reach a jury. The strategies that determine outcomes are typically only visible behind the scenes. From early case assessment and venue strategy to discovery management, claim construction, expert development, dispositive motions, and evidentiary positioning, the decisive moments…
Hon. John W. Holcomb
Often the focus of “winning” in litigation will focus on trial strategy and tactics, but the reality is that most IP cases never reach a jury. The strategies that determine outcomes are typically only visible behind the scenes. From early case assessment and venue strategy to discovery management, claim construction, expert development, dispositive motions, and evidentiary positioning, the decisive moments…
,1:00 PM ET
Lunch & Keynote
IPWatchdog is pleased to announce that Hon. David Kappos, Hon. Andrei Iancu, and Joseph Allen, will be inducted into the IPWatchdog Masters™ Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony will take place during our lunch program, with the inductions and remarks starting at approximately 1:45 PM ET. Inductees to the IPWatchdog Masters™ Hall of Fame are honored as a tribute to…
Joseph Allen
Hon. Andrei Iancu
Hon. David Kappos
Gene Quinn
Renée C. Quinn
IPWatchdog is pleased to announce that Hon. David Kappos, Hon. Andrei Iancu, and Joseph Allen, will be inducted into the IPWatchdog Masters™ Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony will take place during our lunch program, with the inductions and remarks starting at approximately 1:45 PM ET. Inductees to the IPWatchdog Masters™ Hall of Fame are honored as a tribute to…
,2:45 PM ET
The Big Tech View on Patents and the Patent Market
Large technology companies play an outsized role in shaping how patents are acquired, valued, licensed, and enforced. Their internal policies, litigation strategies, and market behavior influence not only the patent market itself, but also how startups, investors, and policymakers perceive the role of patents in the modern innovation economy. This panel examines how Big Tech views patents today—and how that…
Ola Adekunle
Russell Binns
Matthew Bathon
Large technology companies play an outsized role in shaping how patents are acquired, valued, licensed, and enforced. Their internal policies, litigation strategies, and market behavior influence not only the patent market itself, but also how startups, investors, and policymakers perceive the role of patents in the modern innovation economy. This panel examines how Big Tech views patents today—and how that…
,4:15 PM ET
Building a Better Patent System
The patent system is under sustained pressure from policy reform, litigation trends, administrative practice, and competing narratives about innovation and competition. While debate often focuses on what is broken, far less attention is paid to what a better-functioning patent system should actually look like—and how to get there without undermining the incentives that drive innovation. This panel takes a pragmatic,…
Hon. David Kappos
Hon. Andrei Iancu
Lisa Jorgenson
Hon. Paul R. Michel
The patent system is under sustained pressure from policy reform, litigation trends, administrative practice, and competing narratives about innovation and competition. While debate often focuses on what is broken, far less attention is paid to what a better-functioning patent system should actually look like—and how to get there without undermining the incentives that drive innovation. This panel takes a pragmatic,…
,5:15 PM ET
A Conversation with Coke Stewart
Gene Quinn
Coke Morgan Stewart
6:00 PM ET
