64th Annual Conference On Intellectual Property Law
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Plano, Texas, USA
Registrar: +1.972.244.3404
ILT: +1.972.244.3437
E-Mail: ilt@cailaw.org
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
Addison, Texas
Megan LaDriere White
Baker Botts L.L.P.
Dallas, Texas
Module Chairs
- Niky R. Bagley, Toyota Motor North America, Inc.
- Tyler Boyce, King & Spalding LLP
- Josue Caballero, Samsung Electronics America
- Brad Y. Chin, Duane Morris LLP
- Matthew Chuning, ONEOK, Inc.
- Tara Clothier, EssilorLuxottica
- Kandace D. Walter, Walter Legal PLLC
- Vlada Wendel, Caldwell Cassady & Curry P.C.
Registration Rates
Early registration pricing is available through October 13, 2026.
- $695/$745 - Regular Registration Fee
- $0 - ILT Advisory Board Members (Advisory Board Members will be emailed a special registration link. Email ilt@cailaw.org with questions.)
- $545/$595 - ILT Supporting or Sustaining Member Employee
- $545/$595 – ILT Young Technology Professionals Committee Member
- $545/$595 – Full-Time Government or Non-Profit Employee
- $250 - Full-time U.S. Law Professor
- $125 - Full-time U.S. Law Student
Schedule and Faculty
Thursday, November 5
7:45 AM Women in IP Breakfast — Transformative Technologies and Our Professional Responsibility
Join our presenters for a conversation on how transformative and advanced technologies are testing our legal system and the delivery of legal services. Drawing on themes from Not Built for You — a work of serial nonfiction about how the development of artificial intelligence has carried externalized costs — human lives and creative work converted into training material without consent, compensation, or obligation — and why our existing legal frameworks have failed to register those costs. Together, Kate and Sabrina will explore what these technologies demand of us as lawyers: our professional responsibility to our clients, the next generation, and the community.
- Kathryne (Kate) M. Morris, Carrington Coleman Sloman & Blumenthal, LLP; Author of Not Built for You: Artificial Intelligence, Concentrated Power and the Fight For What Money Cannot Buy, Dallas, TX
- Sabrina Thomas, CEO & CLO, Duke Motorsports, Inc.; Principal, Amos James Strategies LLC, Garland, TX
This session will be available for TX CLE only - Registrants will need to sign the sign-in sheet to receive credit.
8:50 AM - Welcome
9:00 AM - Patent Law Developments 2026
New technologies and litigator strategies continue to generate law for both courts and the PTO. This year the Federal Circuit and Supreme Court have given new guidance on validity, standing, infringement, remedies, claim construction, ethics and patent office procedures.
- Michael Hawes, Baker Botts L.L.P., Houston, TX
- Steve Maule, Baker Botts L.L.P., Houston, TX
10:00 AM - Trademark and Copyright Update
This session will recap some of the most interesting and consequential trademark and copyright decisions of the past year.
- David Diamond, Richard Law Group, Dallas, TX
10:30 AM - BREAK
11:00 AM - Tales from the Sidelines: An In-House Lawyer on Protecting One of the Biggest Brands in Sports
The star on the helmet is one of the most recognized sports marks in the world. It is also one of the most infringed. Join us as Kaleisha Stuart, Deputy General Counsel of the Dallas Cowboys, sits down for a conversation about counterfeiters, influencers, sponsors, and what it really means to protect America's Team.
Interviewer: Natalie LeVeck, Senior Counsel, Google, Addison, TX
Interviewee: Kaleisha Stuart, Deputy General Counsel, Dallas Cowboys, Frisco, TX
12:00 PM - Networking Luncheon
DAY 1 AFTERNOON MODULE
Niky R. Bagley, Managing Counsel, Toyota Motor North America, Plano, TX
Kandace D. Walter, Walter Legal PLLC, Richardson, TX
1:30 PM - The Cognitive Science of Persuasive Writing and the Risk of AI-Injected Errors in Your IP Practice
Judges, examiners, PTAB panels, and opposing counsel often read on autopilot until something forces them to stop and think harder. This session explains the underlying research in cognitive science, then applies it to persuasive legal writing across IP practice, from patent prosecution and appeal briefs to litigation and post-grant filings. It then tackles a distinctly modern risk: while LLM hallucinations are well known, AI-injected fluency errors are not. Because AI-drafted language is fluent by design, its errors are especially difficult to catch under standard reading habits. The session closes on the professional responsibility stakes. Competence now includes understanding how these tools fail, and every signature on a filed paper certifies a reasonable inquiry — fluency is no defense. Attendees will leave with practical techniques for writing more persuasively and for building a review process that catches what fluency hides.
- Srini Chakravarthi, Ph.D., SlaterMatsil, LLP, Dallas, TX
2:15 PM - Gray Market Goods in the age of Kirtsaeng: First Sale, Material Differences, and Modern Enforcement Strategy
- Joshua Newcomer, McKool Smith PC, Houston, TX
3:00 PM - BREAK
3:15 PM - Design Patents are Having a Moment: Prosecution and Litigation after LKQ
Design patents are drawing new attention from prosecutors and litigators alike. This session examines the state of design patent practice since the en banc Federal Circuit overruled the Rosen-Durling test in LKQ v. GM, including how the Patent Office and the courts are applying the Graham factors to design claims. Panelists will examine how the shift is reshaping prosecution strategy, enforcement tools, and invalidity defenses in litigation.
- Patrick Colsher, Reichman Jorgensen Lehman & Feldberg LLP, New York, NY
- Ariane Mann, Ahmad, Zavitsanos & Mensing, Dallas, TX
4:00 PM - Intellectual Property Trivia
Presented by the Young Lawyers Committee of the Dallas Bar Association’s Intellectual Property Section
5:00 PM - RECESS
5:05 – 6:30 PM - Wind-Down & Connect Reception
Friday, November 6
PATENT PROSECUTION AND PATENT LITIGATION — CONCURRENT TRACKS
PATENT PROSECUTION MODULE
Brad Y. Chin, Duane Morris LLP, Washington, D.C.
Tara Clothier, Associate General Counsel – IP North America, EssilorLuxottica, Dallas, TX
8:45 AM - Global Patent Prosecution Strategies: European and Chinese Patent Practice & Law Updates
- Sameer Gokhale, Oblon, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt, Alexandria, VA
- Ina Schreiber, Plasseraud IP, Paris, France
- Stephen Yang, IP March, Beijing, China
10:15 AM - BREAK
10:45 AM - Post-Grant Proceedings at the USPTO: New Rules, New Risks, and What Practitioners Need to Know
This panel will focus on trends emerging from the new rules and decisions issued by the USPTO for post-grant proceedings (EPRs, IPRs, PGRs) over the past year. Further, the panel will discuss practical considerations and strategies for practitioners filing EPRs at the CRU, and deciding whether, when and what to file at the PTAB.
- Christopher “Kit” L. Crumbley, Bracewell LLP, Houston, TX
- Chris Tyson, Duane Morris LLP, Washington, D.C.
11:30 AM Navigating the USPTO Guidelines Regarding AI Usage
AI tools have changed the workflow for many patent practitioners. This session will explore a practitioner’s professional obligations to their clients and to the USPTO with respect to AI tools, including considerations regarding export regulations, USPTO Electronic Systems’ policies, confidentiality, and competent, diligent, and accurate representation.
- Sujohn Das, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, Houston, TX
- Thomas Wade Orsak, Ph.D., Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP, Austin, TX
PATENT LITIGATION MODULE
Josue Caballero, Senior Legal Counsel, Samsung Electronics America, Plano, TX
Vlada Wendel, Caldwell Cassady & Curry P.C., Dallas, TX
8:45 AM - When IPR Isn’t a Sure Thing: PTAB Discretionary Denials and the New Parallel-Forum Playbook
IPR Petitioners of late often find themselves unwelcome at the PTAB; not because validity challenges are weak, but because the current administration, as a policy, has chosen to bestow a measure of certainty on patents that have inspired commercial investment or gone unchallenged for a period of years. Opinions vary on the wisdom and effects of that policy, but this session will focus on ways to navigate its reality. Post-Grant Review (PGR) is still favored, the USPTO remains notably more receptive to Ex Parte Reexamination (EPR) requests, and Inter Partes Review (IPR) is sometimes still the most-powerful option. But the decision tree bears poisonous fruit, so this session will offer suggestions for navigating an uncertain landscape, whether as a petitioner or patent owner.
- Eagle Robinson, Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP, Austin, TX
9:30 AM - Managing Multi-Jurisdictional Litigation: In-House Perspective
This session will explore the increasingly global and complex landscape of patent licensing and dispute resolution. The discussion will address the challenges of managing patent disputes across multiple jurisdictions, navigating differing legal and regulatory frameworks, and developing effective strategies for global licensing negotiations and enforcement. Topics will include evolving approaches to remedies and injunctions, standard-essential patent (SEP) and FRAND frameworks, the strategic considerations raised by parallel proceedings, and the interplay between litigation and commercial licensing. The session will also examine the growing opportunities presented by arbitration as a potentially more efficient forum for resolving complex cross-border patent and licensing disputes.
- Sadaf Abdullah, Sr. Director of Licensing, InterDigital, Inc., Plano, TX
10:15 AM - BREAK
10:45 AM - AI in Patent Litigation: Tool, Evidence, or Liability?
Practical issues involving AI-assisted review, hallucinated citations, privilege, discovery, expert analysis, and preservation of evolving models.
- Ricardo Bonilla, Fish & Richardson P.C., Dallas, TX
11:30 AM - Venue on the Move: Transfer Practice in Texas Patent Litigation
The presenter will discuss trends in transfer decisions in the WDTX, as well as explain how different judges and courts apply transfer law differently in Texas.
- Peter Tong, Russ August & Kabat, Dallas, TX
DAY 2 AFTERNOON MODULE
Tyler Boyce, King & Spalding LLP, Houston, TX
Matthew Chuning, Senior Attorney, ONEOK, Inc., Tulsa, OK
12:15 PM - Networking Luncheon
1:00 PM - Rethinking the Structure of PTAB Review
This session examines the structural vulnerability of PTAB proceedings to due process challenge, connecting these concerns to current USPTO centralization of institution decisions. We will consider how separating petition screening from merits adjudication could strengthen impartiality while preserving the efficiency and expertise of administrative patent review.
- Saurabh Vishnubhakat, Professor, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, New York, NY
1:45 PM - Director Squires Plays the Final Boss: Inside the Nintendo ‘Subcharacter’ Patent Reexamination
In November 2025, USPTO Director John Squires took the rare step of personally ordering an ex parte reexamination of Nintendo's newly granted "summon subcharacter" patent — the first director-initiated order of its kind in over a decade. This session digs into why Squires acted and how uncommon director-led reexaminations really are in practice. Using this Nintendo/Pokémon-adjacent dispute as a jumping-off point, we'll also survey broader trends in reexamination practice worth knowing for prosecution and post-grant strategy.
- Tom Cecil, Cecil Law PLLC, Dallas, TX
2:30 PM - New Technology, Same Concerns: The Intersection of AI, Ethics, and IP
This panel will discuss the overlap between AI usage, legal ethics rules, and IP matters. We will highlight recent court rulings addressing AI usage and the unique interactions with privilege and confidentiality. Further, the panel will discuss emerging trends in IP law that are being driven by AI.
- Ahtoosa Amini Dale, King & Spalding LLP, Dallas, TX
- Kyle Dockendorf, King & Spalding LLP, Dallas, TX
3:30 PM - ADJOURN
MCLE Credit
This program is approved by the State Bar of Texas for a total of 11.25 hours, of which 1.0 credit hours will apply to ethics/professional responsibility credit. Texas Course ID Number: 174338374.
This online program has not been approved for MCLE credit in any other jurisdictions. If requested by attendees, CAIL will request accreditation in California, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Virginia. Accreditation has not been sought or approved in these jurisdictions at this time. MCLE credit will not be requested in any other jurisdiction.
Although attendees may be able to request MCLE credit directly in additional jurisdictions, the rules vary in each jurisdiction. Certain programs, subjects, and formats may not receive credit in certain jurisdictions and there may be specific rules regarding who may earn credit or the maximum number of credit hours that may be earned with specific formats. Please review the MCLE regulations and rules of your jurisdiction and contact your regulatory entity if you have specific questions about the jurisdiction’s MCLE rules.
Overnight Accommodations
Numerous options are available near The Center for American and International Law (5201 Democracy Drive Plano, TX 75024). A partial list of potential hotels is included in the document. Rates show estimated price of accommodation Wednesday, November 4 – Friday, November 6 (standard king). Note that services and rates may have changed.
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.
Early Bird Discount: A discount is available for sponsors who commit and pay for their sponsorship prior to July 1.
For more information about sponsorship opportunities, please contact Licia Maria Hogarth, Sponsorship Director, at 972.244.3424 or lhogarth@cailaw.org.
Custom sponsorship packages may be available if your organization has unique needs. If you’re interested in this option, please let us know.
Other Information
Photo/Audio/Video Release
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Press Policy
All ILT conferences are held under the Chatham House Rule. Participants, including journalists, are free to use any information received, but comments may not be attributed to any speaker or participant identified by name or affiliation.
Nondiscriminatory Policy
The Center for American and International Law does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other protected status in educational activities, scholarship programs or admissions.
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