IPWatchdog

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte brought together leaders from government, academia, industry, and the defense community for its 2026 Invention of the Year Awards, an evening that showcased the university’s growing role as a national engine of innovation, commercialization, and technological impact.

IPWatchdog is happy to announce several leadership promotions to support its continued growth and strategic expansion. Renée C. Quinn has been named President, Katarzyna Kryca has been promoted to Senior Vice President, and Morgan Connell has been promoted to Director of Programs and Strategic Partnerships. Founder Gene Quinn will continue to serve as Chief Executive Officer.

Thank you for inviting Senator Tillis’ office to participate in this listening session. Panelists were asked to address an issue impacting drug affordability and accessibility. I appreciate the opportunity to share some thoughts. America’s robust intellectual property framework, most notably our patent system, is essential to fostering investments in pharmaceutical innovation and to ensuring accessibility of those medicines to benefit patients and society, both in the short and long terms. Concerns regarding drug affordability are important – as are the efforts to strengthen the patent system to ensure continued innovation now and well into the future.

The year 2022 brought a lot for IPWatchdog to be grateful for. It was the first year that IPWatchdog held “LIVE” programs in its brand new headquarters office, which opened in October in Ashburn, Virginia! We also hosted numerous webinars to bring in top minds from around the world, who discussed the gamut of IP law and practice topics. However, after COVID shutdowns and restrictions, we were especially excited to be able to open our doors and welcome in person conversation and networking with top thought leaders in the industry. As we look forward to what 2023 brings, let’s reflect on some memories from our in-person programs in 2022. We look forward to seeing you in 2023. Cheers to the New Year!

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced today that certain intellectual property (IP)-related transactions are now authorized in Russia, following publication by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of General License No. 31. The authorized transactions include the filing and prosecution of any application to obtain a patent, trademark, or copyright, as well as renewal and maintenance fees.