Agenda
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Day 1
June 3, 2025
Networking Breakfast and Registration
Lisa JakobExecutive Director, Intellectual PropertyMerck
Lisa PensabenePartnerO'Melveny & Myers LLP
Vanessa BaileyHead of Patent Public PolicyAmazon
As the political landscape shifts, so do the policies that shape IP, innovation and the role women play in this field. This session will explore how a second Trump administration will impact IP law, the advancement of technology, key legislative efforts such as the PREVAIL Act, PERA, and RESTORE. Join this critical discussion on what’s ahead and how women in IP can adapt, advocate, and lead in this new political atmosphere.
- How will the policies of Trump 2.0 impact technological advancements and the IP protections afforded to these technologies?
- How will changes at the PTO affect the patenting of innovative technologies and influence America’s race to obtain/retain the top spot as technological leader?
- Anticipating change at the U.S. Copyright Office
- Assessing the impact of AI on copyrights
- Status report on the future of:
- the PREVAIL Act
- PERA
- RESTORE
Coffee Break
Hon. Kathi VidalPartnerWinston & Strawn LLP(Former Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property & Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office)
Hon. Teresa ReaConsultant Rea Consulting LLC
(Former Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Former Acting Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office)
Ceyda MaisamiAssociate General Counsel, IPHP
Two former USPTO directors will come together to share their insights on innovation, policy, and progress.
Networking Luncheon
Juanita BrooksPrincipalFish & Richardson
Ching-Lee FukudaPartnerSidley Austin LLP
Elizabeth MannoPartnerVenable
Women IP attorneys continue to drive progress creating more professional opportunities for themselves and the next generation. This panel will examine the current role of women attorneys in the IP field and how to foster new avenues of professional development, advancement, and acceptance.
- Navigating legal and policy changes influencing opportunities for women IP attorneys
- Championing mentorship and sponsorship to establish meaningful relationships that support career growth for current and future women leaders
- Examining data-driven models that promote fair and equal advancement opportunities
- Prioritizing merit-based principles by implementing steps to foster the role of women in your organization through recognizing and developing talent for better decision-making, enhanced innovation, problem-solving, and business outcomes
Dorothy AuthPartnerDavis Graham & Stubbs LLP
Heather J. KliebensteinPartnerMerchant & Gould
AI is transforming industries and redefining the way we work and live. From streamlining processes to new innovations, AI is emerging as a new and iconoclastic tool as well as a challenge for IP protections. During this interactive session we will have an open forum to explore how IP can help guide the use of AI responsibly while being effective.
Networking Break
Ceyda MaisamiAssociate General Counsel, IPHP
Honeah MangioneSenior Counsel - Brand Trust, Privacy, and SafetyBuzzfeed
Laure SawayaOf CounselPryor Cashman
Rachel CohenPartnerLatham & Watkins LLP
- Protecting AI-generated works with IP in the most cost-effective way
- When to use patents, copyright, trademarks or trade secrets—or a combination or all four—to protect AI inventions
- Understanding the current laws and limitations of IP for AI inventions
- Developing IP strategies for protecting AI-generated innovations such as algorithms and datasets
- Ensuring control over software codes
- Analyzing the effects on content creation
- Examining recent and pending case law addressing AI inventions
Kristine MbadughaVP, Business DevelopmentDream Chasers Records
Alanna MouldsSenior Director, Business & Legal AffairsUniversal Music Group
Jane Marie RussellSenior Legal CounselOpenText
Azra HadzimehmedovicPartnerTensegrity Law Group LLP
Not all career trajectories look the same or have the same path. Gain new insights by listening to women IP attorneys with different backgrounds and learn how they navigated a career that fulfilled their definitions of success in either traditional or non-traditional sense. During this session, each panelist will share their unique perspective on the follow:
- Exploring how women are shaping new definitions of success in the IP field, focusing on leadership and work-life balance
- Leveraging diverse skills and experiences from outside the traditional legal or technical fields
- Navigating gender-related obstacles in the IP industry and strategies to break through these barriers
- Understanding importance of how women in IP can support each other’s growth through mentorship and sponsorship
- Actionable advice for women starting or advancing their careers in IP, especially those who may be considering less conventional paths
Evi ChristouAttorneyBanner Witcoff
Sarah SmithCorporate Counsel, AmericasLansweeper
As digital technology and AI continue to evolve, the risk of trade secret exposure has never been greater. This session will explore best practices for protecting proprietary information from the dangers of an increasingly open and connected world. Attendees will gain insights into:
- Implementing best practices to protect trade secrets in today’s expanded digital landscape
- Protecting trade secrets from the threats posed by AI and its rapid proliferation
- Reviewing recent regulations affecting the trade secret landscape (AI Act, DTSA, etc.)
- Mitigating risk to your company by safeguarding sensitive information shared with external entities
Michelle O’BrienPartnerThe Marbury Law Group, PLLC
During this interactive session, participants will explore strategies for building a strong professional network to optimize their career growth.
- Best practices for building a strong network
- Addressing LinkedIn dos and don’ts
- Tips for requesting and integrating impactful referrals into your career journey
Day 1 Adjourns
Day 2
June 4, 2025
Networking Breakfast and Registration
Hon. Kathleen O’Malley Kate O’Malley LLC Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (ret.)
Carol Pitzel CruzPartnerKnobbe Martens
Hon. Kathi VidalPartnerWinston & Strawn LLP(Former Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property & Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office)
Christine MorganPartnerReed Smith
Join our esteemed panelists for an in-depth discussion and analysis of high-profile IP cases that should be on the radar of every IP attorney. Our speakers will break down key takeaways, discuss emerging trends, and explore how these decisions may influence IP litigation strategies, patent prosecution, and IP enforcement moving forward. Key takeaways will include:
- Navigating the latest developments in copyright law and understanding what recent rulings mean for the protection of source code
- Analyzing how courts are shaping the patent landscape, including key decisions on patent eligibility and enforcement
- Implementing best practices for trade secret protection based on recent litigation and emerging legal trends
- Strengthening brand protection strategies by examining the impact of recent trademark disputes and rulings
Karalyn MildorfPartnerClifford Chance US LLP
Julia RoweVice PresidentCharles River Associates
Gail ZarickFormer IP CounselIBM
The recent social media app controversy has brought questions of cryptology and algorithms and IP protections to the national security front, highlighting the role of CFIUS (Committee for Foreign Investments) in all exports including IP protected tech exports. This panel will provide a CFIUS 101 that is essential for every IP lawyer’s knowledge arsenal.
- What is CFIUS? Understanding how it works and its evolving role in national security
- CFIUS lessons learned from TikTok: cryptology, algorithms, and IP protection
- Understanding when and how CFIUS reviews deals involving IP assets
- Identifying transactions that may trigger CFIUS reviews
- Assessing when to proactively request a CFIUS review
- Identifying and mitigating national security risks related to IP through strategies for structuring deals and safeguarding sensitive technology in cross-board transactions
- What every IP attorney needs to know about the Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act
Coffee Break
Shruti ChopraCounselLinklaters LLP
Jennifer ChungVP, Counsel Simon & Schuster
Danielle ElySenior Director, Digital Legal AffairsWarner Chappell Music
Pallavi SethPrincipalThe Brattle Group
Megan K. BanniganPartnerDebevoise & Plimpton LLP
As technology evolves and creativity takes on new forms which often impede upon the role of copyrights… the question remains the same, who owns this? With the dawn of AI—the question of ownership comes into focus as the metes and bounds of the fair use doctrine also come under scrutiny. This session will tackle the complexities of modern copyright law cross industries and provide insights into:
- Devising practical strategies for enforcing copyrights across industries in today’s world
- Sharing best practices for IP professionals in monitoring and protecting digital content rights
- Understanding the evolving role of fair use in the digital age: balancing creativity and protection
- Considering the ethics of AI-generated works
- Exploring the protections copyrights afford to AI algorithms
- Examining recent and pending court cases exploring fair use regarding copyrights and AI generated content
- Thomson Reuters et al. v. ROSS Intelligence
- Concord Music et al. v. Anthropic
- The New York Times Co. v. Microsoft et al.
- Navigating copyright infringement in the age of global digital content distribution
- Addressing the complexities of licensing agreements for digital media and AI-created works
- How copyright laws are adapting to new forms of content creation, such as live streaming, podcasts, social media and other user-generated content
- Tackling international copyright law challenges in a borderless digital world
Networking Luncheon
Julie BookbinderShareholderGreenberg Traurig, LLP
Min Y. RyooLegal Counsel iCapital
Susan McGahanAssistant Vice President and Senior Legal CounselAT&T
As AI transforms industries and data becomes the backbone of innovation, intellectual property (IP) is now deeply intertwined with the evolving landscape of AI and data. Join the conversation to explore how emerging technologies and regulations are shaping the future of IP and data management. This discussion serves as a guide for women leaders to leverage AI and data strategically while navigating the complexities of IP law and data protection. Key insights include:
- Navigating the Intersection of AI, Data, and IP: Discuss the similarities and differences in the treatment of data and IP in various legal and business contexts, and explore how AI-driven innovation is reshaping intellectual property strategies and creating new challenges in data protection
- Leveraging IP Protections for Data: Discussing how IP principles have been applied for different types and uses of data
- Protecting IP Assets Amid Privacy Regulations: Learning actionable strategies to shield intellectual property while adhering to global data privacy laws
- Ensuring Proprietary Database and Dataset Security: Understanding the critical importance of safeguarding proprietary datasets in the age of large-scale data analytics
- Balancing Data Rights and Restrictions During Transactions: Striking the balance for both (i) obtaining sufficient data rights while also avoiding prolonged negotiations, and (ii) ensuring adequate protections for IP and data without demanding overly broad and impractical measures that could jeopardize the business needs
- Protecting Data During Discovery in Litigation: Ensuring safeguards are in place before disclosing data in any judicial proceedings
Christine Baylet BergeronLegal DirectorShipt
Alexandra LewisAssociated General Counsel (Senior), IP ProductMeta
Katherine HelmIntellectual Property and Litigation PartnerDechert LLP
Josephine YoungPartnerGroombridge, Wu, Baughman & Stone LLP
IP plays a critical role in driving innovation, protecting assets, and shaping business strategy, yet it is often overlooked in key decision-making processes. This session will explore how IP professionals as well as women can position themselves as essential strategic partners. Attendees will gain actionable insights on how to demonstrate IPs impact, gain leadership buy-in, and ensure that IP remains a core consideration in business strategy. Topics of discussion include:
- Articulating to leadership the value of IP as a strategic partner across all business units and functions
- Shifting perceptions of legal as a department of “no” to a solutions-driven ally
- Fostering cross-functional collaboration and building trust through open communication
- Leveraging training to educate stakeholders
- Demonstrating your impact by gaining confidence, earning respect, and cultivating collaborative partnerships
Networking Refreshment Break
Sharon LeePartnerSidley
Nicole MastrangeloIP CounselBroad Institute of MIT and Harvard
Kim YoungbergGeneral CounselThe Paley Center for Media
This session will provide actionable advice for women advancing in IP law careers at different stages (early, mid, senior) and will address challenges such as self-advocating, workplace biases and strategic career planning.
- Understanding why the nature of IP requires specific goal setting for career advancement
- Degrees required
- Technological background
- Having an honest conversation with yourself on realistic goal setting
- Redefining success for your career path by balancing personal and professional goals
- Assessing the right work environment that will allow you to achieve your goals
- Identifying what hard and soft skills you need to get your dream IP job or promotion
- Examining interim steps
- Devising your career advancement strategy: appreciating how actions such as writing articles and joining committees will help push your career forward at any stage
- Navigating difficult conversations around promotions and compensation
- Advocating for yourself using results driven outcomes
- Preparing for your next transition