• Networking opportunity.
• Learn what “work-life balance” means for women leaders in different sectors.
• Tips on overcoming challenges.

Panelists:
Evelyn Chen, Senior Counsel, Ericsson
Carolyn Fries, Director, Doolittle Institute
Amy Wilson, PhD, JD, Corporate Attorney IP, Legal, Astellas US LLC

IP and technology are a key component in both High Tech and Life Sciences acquisitions, and are the focus of careful technological and legal due diligence. And yet, financial considerations such as those related to valuation and taxation can often make or break a deal. This cross-sector panel of corporate buyers, taxation and valuation experts, will explore issues related to taxation and valuation and how they impact the structure, pricing and reporting of M&A deals.

Moderator:
Nick Baciu, Director, Ocean Tomo

Panelists:|
Oren Ben Dor, Director, Global Tax Planning and M&A, Microsoft
Efrat Kasznik, President, Foresight Valuation Group

The CFIUS laws give the US Treasury and Commerce Departments oversight responsibility over foreign acquisition/majority investment of US corporations by foreign entities and now include Emerging and Foundational Technologies. The treatment of these technologies will drive the work of licensing professionals engaged in tech transfer and the development and sale of products in international trade. The panel of corporate licensing professionals, senior legal counsel for foreign trade matters, and regulators will discuss the laws, recent changes and the likely impact on product sales, tech transfer and licensing.

Moderator:
Amir Ghavi, Vice Chair, LES High Tech Sector, Autos and Aerospace

Panelists:
Ivan W. Bilaniuk, Partner, Dinsmore and Shohl, LLP
John Carney, MBA, CLP, Managing Director, China IP Exchange, LLC
Michael Gershberg, Partner, Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver and Jacobson, LLP
Theresa Olson, Assistant General Counsel, Infineon

The reimbursement landscape is constantly evolving and there are many open questions now that therapeutics have the ability to cure in minimal doses rather than chronic administration. In such situations, the costs may be all up front for a patient, to the tune of $100K-$1MM+. Cost models are changing from emerging technologies, such as gene therapy, to existing therapeutics, such as insulin. In either case, reimbursement battles fester. Join this panel of experts as they discuss the effects of therapeutics reimbursement on valuation and deal-making in pre-commercial stages.

Moderator:
Michael Perham, Director, Innovations and External Relations, HHMI/Janelia Research Campus

Panelists:
Elizabeth Halpern, Hogan Lovells
Sarah Pitluck, Head, Global Pricing and Reimbursement, Spark Therapeutics

Having open communication and clear expectations can help avoid souring the relationship between the parties and can help avoid costly litigation. This practical session will present best practices and tools for protecting trade secrets for both Licensor and Licensee during the life of a license and once a license ends.

Moderator:
Nicki Kennedy, Partner, Kilpatrick, Townshend & Stockton

Panelists:
Kathy Carleton, Intellectual Property Counsel, W.L. Gore and Assoc.
Eric Gottschling, Director, Commercialization & Licensing, Delphi Technologies, Inc.
Oliver Laing, IP Solicitor, Partner, Potter Clarkson

The LES Deals of Distinction Award is an annual industry sector award program of LES (U.S.A. & Canada), which aspires to recognize worthy licensing deals and promote creative and innovative solutions to business issues involving contracts.

Moderator:
Stephen Kabakoff, Finnegan

This panel will explore the issues that are often characterized as “deal breakers” in the negotiation of a license or other major life sciences partnering transaction. Learn from a group of experienced negotiators why certain provisions rise to the level of deal breaker for a partner, strategies for positioning issues as deal breakers and responding to such an issue, and creative solutions that the panel has employed for resolving these issues in negotiations.

Moderator:
Cullen Taylor, Partner, Hogan Lovells

Panelists:
Seema Basu, Market Sector Leader, Partners HealthCare Innovation
Tom Kennedy, Gilead Sciences

This informative panel will discuss the emergence of  LES’s Standards Initiative, a voluntary consensus-based professional practices in various areas of licensing and Intellectual Capital Management, and its impact on the business environment. Takeaways will include background on the impetus to create these standards, current developments, and the outlook for the future, including the certification process.

Moderator:
Bill Elkington, Collins Aerospace

Panelists:
Evelyn Chen, Senior Counsel, Ericsson
Chief Judge (Retired) Paul Michel, US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
David Rikkers, Senior IP Counsel, Raytheon, Integrated Defense Systems

Senior patent licensing executives from industry, service providers, aggregators and academia will discuss latest developments in bulk patent cross-licensing arrangements and markets, including alternatives to conventional monetization, patent mining, and commercialization. The panel will explore previously tried bulk licensing models and pros and cons of current and new licensing models.

Moderator:
Lawrence Hadley, Partner, Glaser Weil

Panelists:
Bill Berlinger, Manager of Tech Licensing, Catepillar Inc.
Ray Millien, VP and Global Chief IP Counsel, Volvo Car Group

Seasoned IP professionals working in China will provide attendees with insight into the latest changes in the intellectual property law and landscape, as well as legal issues affecting licensing in China.

Moderator:
Zhen (Katie) Feng, Partner, Hogan Lovells

Panelist:
John Carney, Managing Director, China IP Exchange, LLC
Huimin Gong, China EMS Program Manager, Delphi Automotive Systems
Justin X. Zhou, Director, Licensing, GE Company

Recent litigation involving FRAND issues suggest that damages issues are still open for debate. Rulings against Qualcomm by China, Korea, and Taiwan resulted in fines and mandated changes in their respective countries and call into question Qualcomm’s practices. This turmoil has come to a head in the form of a lawsuit by the United States FTC, and a lawsuit by Apple that has ballooned into multiple suits and counter-suits in the United States and internationally. The panel will discuss recent developments in the SEP/FRAND arena with a focus on the Qualcomm rulings.

Moderator:
Justin Lewis, Managing Director, Ocean Tomo LLC

Panelist:
Kim Chotkowski, Vice President, Head of Licensing Strategy and Operations, Interdigital Inc.

This panel will address recent trade secret cases and significant issues and accusations of fraud, along with the US government’s current stance on trade secrets. We will expand the discussion to real life examples of issues that face licensing executives along the lines of the recent cases and discuss possible outcomes. Bring your questions for a lively discussion of how such issues arise and how to handle them. Also pick up some CLE credits in ethics.

Moderator:
Danielle J Healey , Senior Principal, Fish and Richardson, PC

Panelist:
Robert Jung, Director, Intellectual Property and Licensing, Sion Power

The LES Deals of Distinction Award is an annual industry sector award program of LES (U.S.A. & Canada), which aspires to recognize worthy licensing deals and promote creative and innovative solutions to business issues involving contracts.

Moderator:
Eric Victory, Vice President, Partnering & Strategy,
AstraZeneca

New this year – a dedicated networking time with a variety of structured and informal options over coffee. Twenty-five round table topics will be discussed, ranging from 5G to CRISPR to Hemp Licensing and more. One-to-one appointments will be available. Talk with exhibitors providing business solutions. And make new connections in the comfortable lounge areas.

Although “failure” has a negative connotation, it is typically a necessary stepping stone to success. Thomas Edison is said to have remarked, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” And, in a different realm, Babe Ruth claimed that every strike brought him closer to the next home run. The benefits of failure were not known only to the heroes of yore. Silicon Valley investors are said to laud failure as a mean of honing the successful entrepreneurs. This panel discussion will revolve around stories of failure from Arizona-based CEOs and founders, and how they ultimate resulted in success (or not!).

Moderators:
Gary Naumann, Hahnco Professor of Entrepreneurship, Arizona State University
David Powsner, Partner, Nutter, McClennen & Fish, LLP

Panelists:
James Goulka, Chairman and Managing Director, Arizona Tech Investors
Steve Leibsohn, Managing Member, Wetzel’s Pretzel
Craig Weiss, Co-Founder and CEO, Retainer Club

In this inaugural State of the Sectors event, attendees will have the opportunity to impact the future direction of LES content. The leadership of the High Tech and Life Sciences Sectors will share observations on the pulse of IP and technology developments in their respective sectors. The audience will then be invited to actively participate in the creation of a State of the Sectors Report that will later be shared with the larger LES and LESI membership. The audience will then help to identify additional content areas for the coming year.

Moderator:
Michael Fluhler, Fishman Stewart PLLC

Panelists:
Lalit Gaur, Global Head, Business Development & Licensing, Vetoquinol USA
Dana Matzen, Ph.D.,Vice President, Business and Corporate Development, IntelGenx
Sanjay Prasad, Principal, Prasad IP, PC

This workshop will identify and discuss the Top 10 court decisions since the last LES annual meeting affecting licensing. Learn how these cases impact the way we draft and negotiate patent and technology license agreements.

Speaker
Russell Levine, P.C., Partner, Kirkland and Ellis LLP

This panel will address recent decisions and trends in damages law and the extent to which they are influencing patent licensing negotiations, both in industry and university licensing. This panel will also offer strategies and best practices for patent license negotiations. Among the topics the panel will discuss are, i) what is hot and trending in reasonable royalty rate calculations (including the use of LES surveys), ii) best practices for licensing negotiations (including whether and how to initiate such negotiations pre-suit), and iii) what role the injunctive threat plays in current licensing discussions.

Moderator:
Kevin Schubert, Associate, McKool Smith

Panelists:
Eric Castlen, Associate Director, Commercialization and Licensing, University of Kentucky
Michael J Lasinski, Managing Director and CEO, 284 Partners, LLC
Ian D. MacKinnon, Technology Business Development Executive, IBM
Keith Walker, Director, Intellectual Property Licensing, IGT

Universities are increasingly encouraging the formation of companies which develop products based on technologies that are created by university researchers. Successfully developing products and building companies is extraordinarily challenging. Accordingly, campuses have been fostering innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems that support their entrepreneurs and startups. As part of a university’s ecosystem, tech transfer offices can and should be highly supportive of startups that license their university’s IP rights. This session discusses 12 licensing practices that tech transfer offices can follow to support their early stage startups, for both early stage and mature startups.

Moderator:
Mike Cohen, MBA, Director, Innovation EcoSystem Development, UC Berkeley Office of Technology Licensing

Panelists:
James R. Freedman, MBA, Associate Director, Technology Licensing Office, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Richard Friedman, Counsel, DLA, Piper
Rahki Gibbons, Director, Licensing Tech Launch, University of Arizona
Charlie Lewis, Senior Vice President of Venture Development, Skysong Innovations, Arizona State University

Partnership Intermediary Agreements (PIAs) have been a tool available for over two decades but have only recently found broad adoption by the US federal government. Over the past few years, more and more organizations see the value of having an “outside the fence” organization who acts as a neutral facilitator in terms of tech transfer, tech transition and innovation and collaboration. This panel will bring in a mix of PIA government partners, PIA director, and a successful PIA user to discuss what a PIA is, what can they do for you, and how can you work within your organization to establish one.

Moderator:
Scott Swanson, Technology Transfer Program Manager, Doolittle Institute

Panelists:
Parminder Devsi, Founder and CEO, Robodub Inc.
Carolyn Fries, Director, Doolittle Institute

Successful IP transactions are only possible when they are supported by well managed IP operations teams. Join this panel to learn from top IP operations leaders as they discuss best practices, including the development of the IP Core Competency model from Corporate Legal Operations Consortium (CLOC). Topics of interest to licensing professionals include: best practices for managing people, technology, processes, and data in a mature IP operations departments; how in-house IP operations departments should best manage transactions, licensing enforcement, and monetization; and how improvements in technology and business models within IP operations can drive IP value.

Moderator:
Sam Wiley, Intellectual Property Solutions Architect, CPA Global

Panelists:
Melanie Carmosino, Director of IP Operations, Microsoft
Brent Harris, Head of Global IP Operations, Roche
Stephanie Sanders, Global Patent Operations Chief, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP
David Zamora, Patent Attorney, Lewis Roca Rothberger Christie

Drug development and approval take an enormous amount of time, money and effort. Alternatively, drug repurposing is one of the quickest ways to transition a drug from bench to bedside. However, there are still challenges (such as IP issues, failures in clinical trials, etc.) that need to be addressed before one can successfully get a repurposed drug approved. This session will address the challenges that are faced by TTOs and companies when dealing with repurposed drugs and how these can be overcome. It will reveal what companies look for when evaluating a repurposed drug. And it will discuss how repurposed drugs can be monetized.

Moderator:
Bonnie Wolfe, Licensing Associate, Life Sciences, USC Stevens Center for Innovation

Panelists:
Ami Gadhia, JD, LLM, C.L.P, NIH, Technology Transfer and Patent Specialist, Office of Strategic Alliances, National Center for Advancing Transitional Sciences
Paul A. Stewart, Managing Director, PASCO Ventures LLC
Richard Timmer, PhD. , Patent Agent, Thomas Horstenmeyer LLP

Alternative dispute resolution clauses enable confidential, cost-effective and expedited resolution of license disputes. Knowing how to draft an ADR clause can mean the difference between success and failure for your company or client. Boilerplate ADR clauses may not maximize the probability of success and may hinder it. You will learn how to revamp your company’s license agreement arbitration and ADR approaches to make the most of arbitration and mediation. Armed with your improved ADR clauses, our distinguished faculty will provide practice tips for achieving favorable early settlements in mediation and winning in arbitration.

Moderator:
Paul Burns, Partner/Attorney/Arbitrator/Mediator, Propcopio, Cory, Hargreaves and Savitch, LLP

This session will give a brief update on the standards currently in development.  The panel will also address the importance of getting involved in standards development, the benefits of havings standards in place, what is at risk when you don’t get involved in the standards development process, the difference between standards and guidelines between standards and guidelines or best practices.  This should be an interactive and fun session!

Moderator:
Julia Klaren, Intellectual Property Manager, Rockwell Collins

Panelists:
Jeff Bartholomew, Shareholder, Robinson Waters & O’Dorisio, PC
Aaric Eisenstein, Vice President, Licensing Strategy, Personalized Media Communications LLC
Ron Laurie, Founder, Inflexion Point Strategy

The Patent Trial Appeal Board (PTAB) has had a fundamental impact on U.S. patents since it became operational in September 2012. Patent valuations have gone down, uncertainty has risen, and predictability of patent rights has eroded. Yet, some of the worse “bad patents” have been appropriately invalidated.

However, questions still arise as to whether valid patents are sometimes wrongly cancelled and patent owners harassed by abusive or repetitive petitions, despite many recent improvements in the IPR process.

This unique panel will have a frank dialogue on what the PTAB is doing correctly, where it needs to improve, and possible solutions to systemic issues.

Moderator: 
Rob Sterne, Founding Director, Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox, P.L.L.C.

Speakers:
Judge Paul Michel, Chief Judge (Retired)
Chief APJ Scott R. Boalick, PTAB, US Patent and Trade Office

Don your favorite Hawaiian shirt or hula skirt for the industry sector margarita competition! No one will go thirsty at this desert oasis under the palm trees. Luau props will be provided.

Intellectual property management is a non-trivial enterprise as anyone who has experienced disagreements in these spaces can confirm. There are times when the right thing to do is to release software or specifications into the open, public record and other times when a patent or a copyright is protective even if no licensing is intended. The role of standards can be a powerful tool for interoperability but can also be used to inhibit competition. This talk explores the historical effect of open release on the Internet and World Wide Web systems. I will touch on the effect of copyright and patent on long term preservation of digital content.

Keynote Speaker
Vint Cerf, Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist, Google

One measure of value of a new BD deal is whether the financial metrics were achieved. However, there are other considerations that impact value to the organization that aren’t necessarily measured by NPV. After the deal is closed, the hallway conversations talk up a “good deal” or “bad deal” when most employees have no idea whether the project met the financial expectations at the time the transaction was executed. This session will address the questions – what are the tangible and intangible metrics that impact the true value of a deal? What are some common themes of good deals and bad deals?

Moderator:
Derek Hicks, Pfizer Inc.

Technical standards for information and communication technology have achieved wide adoption and have contributed to substantial social welfare. Sharing of knowledge through standards development and access to IP through FRAND licensing practices have guaranteed adoption by implementers and fair return on investment for innovators. Meanwhile, the evolution of life sciences into a mature, collaboration-based industry has resulted in a growing trend of knowledge and IP sharing, and a need by the industry to efficiently access that body of knowledge. This panel will use CRISPR technology as an example of how the two industries can learn from one another, comparing licensing strategies and practices, and identifying areas of potential cross-pollination.

Moderator:
Matteo Sabattini, Director, IP Policy, Ericsson

Panelists:
Mihaela Bojin, Senior Licensing Associate, University of Iowa Research Foundation
John Kolakowski, Senior IPR Licensing/Litigation Counsel, Nokia
Nate Kurtis, Director, Strategic Transactions, Broad Institute
Adam Mosoff, Professor of Law, George Mason University, Antonin Scalia Law School

From the varied perspectives of large pharma in-licensing, small biotech out-licensing, and transactions in high tech, this practical session will reveal experiences and lessons learned on due diligence in IP transactions. Which issues should you investigate as you prepare for an IP transaction? What are some problem-solving approaches to use when you discover deleterious information? What are some of the common pitfalls for the wary during a deal, and when should you resolve them? You will leave this session well prepared for your next IP transaction.

Moderator:
Gwilym Attwell, Patent Attorney, Fish and Richardson

Panelists:
Satoshi Matsuo, General Manager, IP Business Platform Department, IP Division, Hitachi
Barbara McClung, Chief Legal Counsel, Caribou Biosciences Inc.
Amy E Wilson, PhD, JD, Sr. Corporate Attorney IP, Legal, Astellas US LLC

Recent decisions by the courts and the Patent and Trademark Appeals Board (PTAB) have made it increasingly difficult to patent inventions in the life sciences sector, such as diagnostic tests, methods of treatment, genomics and nature-derived products. The panel will review the evolution and current state of the law and suggest strategies to obtain meaningful patent protection for inventions in these rapidly evolving areas of medical technology in the US and abroad.

Moderator:
Warren Woessner, Principal, Schwegman, Lundberg and Woessner

Panelists:
Paul Cole, Partner, Lucas and Co.
Denise Kettelberger, Senior Counsel, Dicke, Billig and Czaja LLC
Kevin Noonan, JD, PhD., Partner, McDonnell, Beohren, Hubert and Berghof, LLC

An expert panel of seasoned patent monetization veterans will review recent, cutting-edge developments in the business and law of IP monetization. For example, new/evolving industry trends (e.g., patent monetization developments for autonomous cars, the reemergence of patent pools, etc.), blockbuster disputes with broad impact (e.g., huge ongoing RAND and antitrust disputes in the wireless industry, etc.), case law developments (e.g., Supreme Court and Federal Circuit), international developments (e.g., the rise of injunctions in Germany and China, and the continuing shift of patent litigation to those jurisdictions), and more. Also, how is convergence affecting IP monetization, and how should companies be adjusting their strategies/tactics accordingly?

Moderator:
Joseph Yang, Tech & IP Transactions Attorney, PatentEsque Law Group, LLP.

Panelist:

Nicholas M. Dudziak, Senior Director, Licensing & Strategy, Via Licensing Corporation
Sarah Guichard, Lead Patent Counsel for Transactions, Google
Kent Richardson, CEO, Richardson Oliver Insights LLC

Instructor:
Brian O’Shaughnessy, Dinsmore Shohl

Seasoned business development professionals representing large, global life science organizations across various segments will elucidate the complexities and pitfalls of deal making with global organizations. How does the legal and regulatory climate affect the deal? What considerations should you make concerning the business and cultural environments you are working with? How can you navigate the many complexities of making global deals today, while turning challenges into advantages?

Moderator:
Lalit Gaur, Global Head, Business Development & Licensing, Vetoquinol USA

Panelists:
James A McCarthy, CLP, CorpDev Ventures
John McCracken, Vice President, Alliances, Pfizer
Gayatri Varma, Ph.D., Director, Partnering and Strategy, Astra Zeneca

This panel will provide first-hand perspectives about the use of patent analytics data, how it can optimize and is further revolutionizing licensing transactions across a variety of fields. Discussions will include the use of patent analytics data to gain sustainable competitive advantages in the market, as well as innovative developments in patent metrics and benchmarking and their significance in determining a given patent’s utility for an organization.

Moderator:
Merri Moken, Partner, Holland and Knight

Panelists:
Jennifer Dyer, Executive Director, USC Stevens Center for Innovation, University of Southern California
Nishant Jaiswal, Senior Counsel, IP Licensing, Hewlett Packard
Ryan Liebengood, Director, Global IP and Licensing, ASM International
Tejas Shah, Associate Director, Pellegrino and Associates LLC

Wrap up the meeting with a toast to old and new friends, and a sneak preview of next year’s Annual Meeting in Philadelphia.