63rd Annual Conference On Intellectual Property Law

Overview

The ILT’s flagship conference, the annual IP law conference brings together intellectual property lawyers from around the United States for two days to discuss emerging issues in IP law, as well as providing a comprehensive review of developments in IP law over the year.

Conference Co-Chairs

Natalie LeVeck
Senior Counsel
Google/YouTube
Addison, Texas

Stephanie Sivinski
Haynes and Boone, LLP
Dallas, Texas

Module Chairs

Schedule and Faculty

Thursday, November 13

8:50 AM - Welcome

9:00 AM - Keynote

• Speaker Invited

9:30 AM - A Year in Review at the Federal Circuit

This session will discuss noteworthy decisions issued by the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals over the past year in the areas of patent, trademark, and copyright.

• Stephanie DeBrow, Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP, Austin, TX

10:15 AM - BREAK

10:30 AM - Recent Developments at the PTAB

This presentation will cover new bases for discretionary denial developed by Acting Director Coke Stewart and legal challenges to the agency’s new rules.

• Joseph Matal, Clear IP, LLC, Washington, D.C.

11:15 AM - Alternative Venues for Resolving IP Disputes

Presenters will conduct a panel discussion on various out-of-court alternatives for resolving intellectual property disputes, including Amazon takedown proceedings, arbitration, and NAD (National Advertising Division) and NARB (National Advertising Review Board) proceedings. The panelists will lend their unique experience in these areas to an open discussion of these powerful alternatives to district court litigation.

• Thomas Ishmael, AT&T, Dallas-Fort Worth, TX
• M. Imad Khan, Winston & Strawn LLP, Houston, TX
• Tommy Martin, Baker Botts L.L.P., Washington, D.C.

12:00 – 1:00 PM - Networking Luncheon

DAY 1 AFTERNOON MODULE

Sarah Foley, Foley IP Law, PLLC, Dallas, TX
Ryan D. Gum, Senior Counsel, Chevron, Houston, TX

1:00 PM - Intellectual Property Trivia (presented by the Young Lawyers Committee of the Dallas Bar Association’s Intellectual Property Section)

2:00 PM - Adapting to Change

This session will explore the recent and anticipated changes within the IP legal industry from the in-house counsel perspective. Panelists will share insights about the impact of these changes as they discuss recent developments and considerations for navigating the anticipated changes ahead.

Moderator: Brianna Hinojosa-Smith, Assistant General Counsel – IP, ATI, Dallas, TX

Panelists:

• Debera Hepburn, Goldman Sachs, Dallas, TX
• William Rothwell, Oxy, Houston, TX
• Nick Smith, Director Legal Counsel IP, Alcon, Fort Worth, TX

3:00 PM - BREAK

3:15 PM - Lawyers Rewired: AI’s Challenge to How We Learn, Work, and Remember

As artificial intelligence reshapes the legal landscape, it’s not just the tools of the trade that are evolving—it’s the very foundation of how lawyers are trained, how they practice, and how they preserve institutional knowledge. This session brings together voices from academia, private practice, and in-house counsel to explore how AI is redefining legal education and onboarding, challenging traditional mentorship models, and shifting the value of personal experience and memory in a data-driven profession.

Moderator: Sarah Foley, Foley IP Law, PLLC, Dallas, TX

Panelists:

• Ed Cavazos, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, Austin, TX
• Megan Carpenter, Dean and Professor of Law, University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law, Concord, NH
• Lisa George, Senior Corporate Counsel, AI Legal, Salesforce, Dallas, TX

4:00 PM - Fireside Chat with the USPTO

• USPTO Speaker Invited

5:00 PM - RECESS

5:05 – 6:15 PM - Wind-Down & Connect Reception

Friday, November 14

8:00 AM - Coffee, Continental Breakfast & Connecting Time

PATENT PROSECUTION AND PATENT LITIGATION — CONCURRENT TRACKS

PATENT PROSECUTION MODULE

Chad Dougherty, Patterson + Sheridan, LLP, Houston, TX
Brandi Wickline Sarfatis, Akona IP PC, Plano, TX

8:45 AM - Building a Design Patent Addition to a Utility Patent House

This session will discuss how a design patent portfolio can be built on the foundation of your existing utility patent portfolio, maximizing the size of your patent house while complying with all zoning requirements! Relevant cases will be reviewed, including the recent 2025 Federal Circuit decision In re Floyd, and design patent filing strategies (building tips) will be shared for building bigger and better patent houses.

• Alan Herda, Haynes and Boone, LLP, Dallas, TX

9:30 AM - Updates on European Patent Law

An update on recent changes in practice from the EPO on: i) claim construction (G1/24); ii) what is considered prior art (G1/23). In the former decision, the EPO have changed their position on how they construe claims, so that they now will always take account of the description when construing claims. In the latter decision, the EPO have clarified whether there is an “on-sale” bar to patentability (moving closer to US practice).

• David Combes, Barker Brettell LLP, Birmingham, United Kingdom

10:15 AM - BREAK

10:45 AM - Harnessing AI for Patent Application Drafting

This presentation explores the practical use of AI-powered tools for drafting patent applications, examining how these technologies function, their advantages, and their limitations. Attendees will learn about both general-purpose and patent-specific AI tools, as well as strategies for effective prompt engineering.

• Shirley Fung, Akona IP PC, Plano, TX
• Vanessa Yazicigil, Akona IP PC, Plano, TX

11:30 AM - Appealing to the PTAB: Bypassing the Examiner May Be Best for Your Client

Due to the end of USPTO’s After Final Consideration Pilot Program 2.0 (AFCP 2.0), the further increase of RCE fees and the USPTO’s recent efforts to speed up appeal decisions, appealing is increasingly becoming an attractive option for dealing with prior art rejections. This session will discuss tactics for winning appeals, and arguments that the PTAB commonly finds convincing for reversing examiners.

An interactive discussion with career IP litigators answering questions on topics ranging from pre-filing due diligence, to modern discovery challenges, as well as a discussion of valuation and damages, and the role of AI in litigation.

Moderator: Elise J. Selinger, Senior Corporate Counsel, Caterpillar Inc., Irving, TX

Panelists:

• Justin Cohen, Holland & Knight LLP, Dallas, TX
• Christina Ondrick, Boies Schiller Flexner LLP, Washington, D.C.

9:30 AM - The Case for and Against Transparency in Litigation Funding

As third-party litigation funding becomes an increasingly prominent feature of the legal landscape, the debate around transparency continues to grow. Does transparency serve justice—or hinder strategic litigation? This panel will explore the key arguments for and against transparency, including concerns about fairness, judicial efficiency, ethics, and the impact on settlement dynamics. Leading voices from the legal and litigation finance communities will address current rules on disclosure, pending legislation, and the broader implications for access to justice and the adversarial process.

• Brian R. Michalek, Saul Ewing LLP, Chicago, IL
• Kirstine Rogers, Legal Director, Certum Group, Dallas, TX
• Natalie Parker, Vice President, Contingent Risk Insurance, CAC Specialty, Dallas, TX

10:15 AM - BREAK

10:45 AM - Recent Developments in Patent Damages

Recent caselaw from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on patent damages will be discussed, including the potential for increased awards based on foreign sales and the evolving standards for reasonable royalties. Other topics discussed will include developments in apportioning damages to the patented invention, the use of comparable licenses and benchmarks, survey evidence and its use in determining patent damages, and enhanced damages for willful infringement.

• Hank Spuhler, McAndrews Held & Malloy, Ltd., Chicago, IL
• Chris Scharff, McAndrews Held & Malloy, Ltd., Chicago, IL

11:30 AM - The Dramatic Rise of NPE Litigation, Current Trends, and the Critical Role of Indemnities

New defendants in NPE cases rose by almost 22% in 2024, and the rate of new NPE litigation campaigns shows no signs of slowing down in 2025. This session will explore what’s driving the significant increase in NPE litigation as well as other trends, such as who NPEs are targeting, why, and where. The panel will also discuss the critical role that defense and indemnity obligations often play in NPE litigation and how they impact litigation strategies and outcomes.

Moderator: Kelly Ransom, Kelly Hart & Hallman, Austin, TX

The presentation will cover (1) recent/ongoing litigation and disputes over the use of AI to generate content "in the style of" some artist; (2) how trademark law currently applies to artistic style (specifically, whether or when it's protected, the limits to protection, and permissible third-party uses despite protection); and (time permitting) (3) whether any changes to trademark law are due either to afford style more or less protection given current technology and practices.

• Sari Mazzurco, Assistant Professor of Law, SMU Dedman School of Law, Dallas, TX

1:20 PM - The Dawn of a New Era in College Sports

• Demi Williams Coles, Jackson Walker LLP, Dallas, TX
• Additional Panelists Invited

2:20 PM - BREAK

2:30 PM - What Can TV/Movie Lawyers Teach Us About Ethics in Negotiations?

We will look at a few clips of lawyers negotiating and lawyering in TV shows and movies. We will discuss the ethical obligations of real lawyers in similar situations and explore if the TV/movie lawyers were abiding by those obligations.

Overnight Accommodations

ILT has not arranged a hotel block for this conference, but there are numerous hotel options near The Center for American and International Law. A partial list of potential hotels or motels is included by clicking on the button below. (Note that descriptions and services may have changed for the hotels).

Download Surrounding Hotel Information

Sponsorship Opportunities

Platinum Sponsor – $4,250 (Limited Availability)

• Exclusive recognition as a sponsor of a premier event or session (e.g., Day 1 Lunch, Day 2 Lunch, Day 1 Breakfast, Day 2 Breakfast).
• Prominent signage at sponsored event/session.
• Top-tier placement of logo in the conference program, break slides, and on the conference website.
• Acknowledgment in e-marketing and social media campaigns.
• Benefits:
• 3 complimentary registrations.
• 1 exhibition table for promotional materials.
• Priority booth placement for exhibitors.

Gold Sponsor – $3,500

• General recognition as a gold sponsor.
• Prominent logo placement in the conference program, break slides, and on the website.
• Acknowledgment in e-marketing and social media campaigns.
• Benefits:
• 2 complimentary registrations.
• 1 exhibition table for promotional materials.

Silver Sponsor – $2,500

• General recognition as a conference sponsor.
• Logo displayed in the conference program, break slides, and on the website.
• Acknowledgment in e-marketing and social media campaigns.
• Benefits:
• 1 complimentary registration.

Exhibitor – $1,750 (Non-law Firms Only)

• Logo displayed in the conference program, break slides, and on the website.
• Acknowledgment in e-marketing and social media campaigns.
• Benefits:
• 1 complimentary registration.
• 1 exhibition table for promotional materials.

Custom sponsorship packages may be available if your organization has unique needs. If you’re interested in this option, please contact Vickie Adams.

Other Information

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