Day 1
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Mark Lemley | Stanford Law School Mark Lemley is the William H. Neukom Professor of Law at Stanford Law School and the Director of the Stanford Program in Law, Science and Technology. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research and is affiliated faculty in the Symbolic Systems program. He teaches intellectual property, patent law, trademark law, antitrust, the law of robotics and AI, video game law, and remedies. He is the author of 11 books and 218 articles, including the two-volume treatise IP and Antitrust. His works have been cited 350 times by courts, including 19 times by the United States Supreme Court, and more than 45,000 times in books and academic articles, making him the most-cited scholar in IP law and one of the ten most cited legal scholars of all time. He has published 9 of the 100 most-cited law review articles of the last twenty years, more than any other scholar, and was the third most cited legal scholar in the world from 2016-2020. His articles have appeared in 24 of the top 25 law reviews and in top journals in other fields, including Nature Biotechnology, the American Economic Review, the Review of Economics and Statistics, and the Harvard Business Review, and in multiple peer- reviewed and specialty journals. They have been reprinted throughout the world and translated into Chinese, Danish, Japanese, Korean, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish. He has taught IP law to judges at numerous Federal Judicial Center and ABA programs, has testified eight times before Congress, and has filed more than 75 amicus briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court and other courts. |
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Steve Carlson | Robins Kaplan Steven C. Carlson is an intellectual property litigator who draws upon national and international experience to assist clients with a wide range of legal disputes, including patent litigation, trade secret matters, and copyright disputes. Armed with a keen understanding of the technology that powers his clients’ businesses, Mr. Carlson works closely with technology companies to protect and promote their unique interests. Mr. Carlson is a first-chair courtroom litigator whose professional experience covers a wide range of technologies, including medical devices, semiconductors, chemistry, machine learning, genomics, telecommunications, and robotics. He practices in state and federal courts around the country and recently argued at the Federal Circuit, winning the vacatur of a preliminary injunction. |
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Ryan Dykal | Boies Schiller Ryan is a nationally recognized trial lawyer who focuses on high-stakes intellectual property disputes. Clients praise his “exceptional commitment and ability to understand our technology and patents” while noting that he “cared as much about our case as we did.” Ryan often resolves cases before trial, but excels in the courtroom. One judge commented, following a nine-figure jury verdict for his client, that Ryan and his team were “at the very pinnacle” of the profession, “as good, if not the best, that I’ve had the privilege of having in my court.” As co-leader of the firm’s patent litigation practice, Ryan regularly represents both plaintiffs and defendants in “bet the company” litigation. For plaintiffs, he has secured well over $1 billion in verdicts and settlements, and he has defeated hundreds of millions in claims for his defense clients. |
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Courtney Quish | Fortress Ms. Quish is a Managing Director based in Menlo Park for the Fortress Credit Funds Business where she heads Asset Management for Fortress’s Intellectual Property Finance Group. In this role, she provides counsel and advice to portfolio companies that are engaged in monetization efforts. Ms. Quish has 20 years of experience assessing and monetizing patent assets. Prior to joining Fortress in 2018, Ms. Quish held the position of Vice President of Patent Strategy and M&A at Rovi Corporation, a TiVo Company where she was responsible for leading patent acquisitions and patent-heavy corporate acquisitions as well as designing and implementing IP monetization strategies. Prior to joining Rovi, Ms. Quish was a Member of Mintz Levin’s patent litigation practice where she spent the majority of her time representing patent owners in licensing and litigation matters including litigation in U.S. district courts and the International Trade Commission. |
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Leslie Spencer | Desmarais Leslie Spencer is a trial litigator with over 20 years of experience handling patent infringement disputes. She represents clients in federal court as well as the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). Ms. Spencer is a registered patent attorney whose matters cover a range of technologies, including computer software (including artificial intelligence and blockchain), data encryption and security, network communications, semiconductor design and manufacturing, automotive systems, Fintech, medical devices and healthcare information technology. She also advises clients on intellectual property strategy, asset protection and transactions. Ms. Spencer was part of the Desmarais trial team that secured a jury verdict of noninfringement for a leading high-tech company that eliminated $361 million in patent damages claims in a lawsuit brought by a non-practicing entity. |
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Yar Chaikovsky | White & Case Yar R. Chaikovsky is widely recognized as a leading intellectual property trial lawyer. Based in Silicon Valley, Yar is Chair of the Firm’s Global Intellectual Property practice group and a partner in the Global Technology Industry Group. Yar focuses his practices on all forms of technology commercial litigation, including patent, trade secret, copyright, and other complex commercial disputes involving technology. Yar brings decades of experience as lead trial counsel for many preeminent global technology companies in their most important, high-stakes disputes. He is recognized by both clients and leading legal rankings publications as one of the top intellectual property trial lawyers in the nation. Yar has a strong track record appearing before the U.S. District Courts, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, agencies such as the International Trade Commission and PTAB, and foreign tribunals. His success has led him to be accepted as a fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America where membership is limited to one-third of one percent of lawyers licensed to practice in each jurisdiction. |
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Camilla Hrdy | Rutgers Law School Camilla A. Hrdy is an Associate Professor of Law at Rutgers Law, an Affiliated Fellow at the Yale Law School Information Society Project, and a member of the Sedona Conference Working Group on Trade Secrets. Before joining Rutgers Law, Professor Hrdy was Professor of Intellectual Property Law at University of Akron School of Law. At Akron Law, she was a five-time recipient of the Akron Law Thomas G. Byers Outstanding Faculty Publication Award. Professor Hrdy’s primary teaching areas are Intellectual Property Law, Trademark Law, Trade Secret Law, Patent Law, Contract Law, and Civil Procedure. Professor Hrdy’s research focuses on IP law, trade secrets, non-competes, confidentiality agreements and terms of use, patents, innovation, artificial intelligence, technological unemployment, innovation clusters, federalism, science fiction and future studies, and the relationship between innovation and human well-being. Her articles have appeared in law reviews such as Yale Law Journal, Stanford Law Review, Berkeley Technology Law Journal, Fordham Law Review, American Law Review, Boston College Law Review, Florida Law Review, Colorado Law Review, Wisconsin Law Review, Lewis & Clark Law Review, Columbia Journal of Law & The Arts, and Michigan Technology Law Review. |
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Rajiv Patel | Fenwick Rajiv has more than 25 years of experience in Silicon Valley advising companies on setting holistic business-focused intellectual property (IP) strategies. In providing guidance, Rajiv starts with understanding a company’s business strategy relative to its industry and long-term direction. With that foundational insight, Rajiv works with the company to identify key innovations that drive its business strategy and helps to frame an appropriate IP strategy so his client can articulate a sound IP story to customers, investors and potential acquirers. Rajiv has advised technology and life sciences companies at all stages of growth – from just-founded startups to mature companies seeking to establish, redirect or reset their IP strategy. He developed early IP strategies and patent portfolios for companies such as Airship, Bloomcloud360, Druva, GoPro, Groq, Material Security, Merck, reMarkable, Synopsys, Twitter, Valimail and Venmo. |
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Thomas Sprankling | WilmerHale Thomas Sprankling is a Partner in WilmerHale’s Appellate and Supreme Court Litigation Practice, resident in the Palo Alto Office. His practice focuses on briefing complex legal issues in appellate and trial courts, with a particular focus on matters involving intellectual property and technology. He also handles a wide range of appellate matters arising out of the western United States, on issues spanning breach-of-contract disputes to federal preemption. Mr. Sprankling has presented oral argument in the Ninth Circuit and the California Court of Appeal on multiple occasions, as well as in California’s state and federal trial courts. Mr. Sprankling has presented oral argument in front of—and filed over two dozen briefs in—the Federal Circuit, where he was a member of WilmerHale teams that secured a ruling vacating a $2.75 billion patent judgment in 2022 and a ruling vacating a $500 million award in 2023. He has also filed briefs in more than 20 U.S. Supreme Court cases—at the petition stage, on the merits, and as an amicus—on topics ranging from patent law to immigration law to constitutional law. In 2022 alone, he filed two amicus briefs as counsel of record (on behalf of climate change scientists in one case and legal scholars in another) that were both cited in the ultimate decisions. |
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Sarah Guske | Morgan Lewis Sarah Guske is a first-chair trial lawyer who counsels technology clients and other Fortune 500 companies in patent litigation in US district courts and the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and in Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) trials. In her practice, focused on high-stakes competitor litigation, she leverages her technical background in electrical engineering and physics and her trial experience to serve clients in the San Francisco Bay Area of California and beyond in the United States. Companies in the technology and telecommunications industries seek out Sarah for her decades of experience litigating patent disputes to develop robust litigation strategies, mitigate risk, and safeguard their innovations. Her strategic use of inter partes reviews (IPRs) and trial experience has helped clients avoid potential legal liabilities. Sarah recognizes that litigation can interfere with a client’s focus on its core business. Whether it is a client’s first litigation, first bet-the-company matter, or one of many legal battles the company is facing, Sarah takes the time to thoroughly understand each client’s short- and long-term goals to design strategies that support the client’s business strategy. |
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Matthias Kamber | Paul Hastings Matthias Kamber is a partner in the Intellectual Property practice of Paul Hastings and is based in the firm’s San Francisco office. Matthias focuses on litigating intellectual property cases and has tried approximately ten jury and bench trials. In particular, Matthias has handled patent cases involving internet advertising and telephones, smartphones and microprocessors throughout the country and before the U.S. International Trade Commission. Matthias has also handled trade secret, copyright and trademark matters, as well as commercial, employment and antitrust matters. Regardless of the type of case or technology, he focuses on identifying key issues early, setting a targeted legal strategy and balancing corporate objectives. This approach has resulted in favorable pre-trial dispositions, successfully negotiated resolutions and victories both at trial and on appeal. It has also earned him numerous public recognitions. |
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Mike Powell | Quinn Emanuel Before joining the firm in 2006, Mike was an intellectual property litigator in the Silicon Valley offices of Weil Gotshal & Manges and Thoits Love Hershberger & McLean. Mike was elevated to partner in January 2012 and his practice focuses on patent infringement and related high-technology and complex commercial litigation. Mike has considerable experience as lead and co-lead counsel in both state and federal courts as well as in AAA and ICDR arbitrations. He has represented plaintiffs and defendants in a wide range of legal disciplines including patent infringement, trade secret and idea misappropriation, copyright infringement, breach of fiduciary duty, unfair competition, and breach of license and other contract actions. Mike has litigated cases involving lithium-ion batteries, live and video-on-demand streaming, nanotechnologies, bioinformatics, health analytics, thermal deformation, chemical vapor and atomic layer deposition, semiconductor fabrication and design, and more.
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Bijal Vakil | Skadden Mr. Vakil represents publicly traded and venture-backed companies and has extensive experience in high-stakes intellectual property and technology litigation. He is an invaluable partner to major Silicon Valley and international technology companies and relentlessly works to protect intellectual property and foster success for those at the forefront of technological innovation. Mr. Vakil has worked on matters across a broad spectrum of sectors, including computer software, AI, fintech, blockchain, semiconductors, drones, e-commerce, social media, payments, autonomous vehicles, consumer electronics, telecommunications, video games, medical devices and cryptocurrency. Prior to joining Skadden, he founded and served as co-chair of the Global Technology Industry Group of another global law firm, where he worked on more than 500 patent, copyright, trade secret and trademark disputes. |
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Jane Bu | Via Licensing Alliance As the Chief Licensing Officer at Via Licensing Alliance, Jane Bu is a pivotal member of the executive team. Her deep expertise in intellectual property strategy and multi-party licensing programs is widely recognized within the industry, and she is a frequent speaker at international IP events. Prior to joining Via, Ms. Bu held several in-house and private practice roles, including research associate at Neurocrine Biosciences from 2000 to 2002, IP associate at McDermott Will and Emery and Ropes & Gray between 2005 and 2010, senior associate at Alston & Bird LLP from 2010 to 2012, and principal attorney at her own in-house legal consulting firm between 2012 and 2014. |
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Rajvinder Jagdev | Powell Gilbert Rajvinder advises clients on a range of IP matters, particularly in the electronics, telecommunications and computer software sectors. Rajvinder is an experienced IP litigator who specialises in advising clients in complex patent disputes, particularly in the electronics, telecommunications, and software sectors. His technical background in computer science and electronics allows him to analyse highly complex patents and provide detailed advice to clients and strategic coordination in cases of multi-jurisdictional litigation. In addition to advising on major patent cases before the UK courts, on subjects ranging from Blu-ray technology to medical imaging devices, most of Rajvinder’s cases are international in nature. He has significant experience in contributing to key strategic and technical decisions in actions before European courts, the US International Trade Commission, and the US district courts. Notably, Rajvinder was involved in the landmark SEP/FRAND licensing case Unwired Planet v Huawei, giving him particular insight and expertise in disputes involving patent and competition law issues. Prior to qualifying as a solicitor, Rajvinder completed an MSci in Computer Science at University College London. He joined Powell Gilbert as an Associate in 2011 and became a Partner in 2023. |
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Kai Rüting | Vossius Dr. Kai Rüting is attorney since 2005 and partner of the firm since 2015. He advises clients in patent infringement litigation, technology-related arbitrations, and licensing matters. He specializes in national and cross-border patent litigation. Kai has comprehensive litigation experience, in particular in the areas of standard-related patents, electronics, medical technology, chemistry and life sciences. He also has broad experience advising international clients on strategies relating to enforcement of IP rights in Europe. Kai passed his two German legal state exams in 2002 and 2004 in Augsburg and Munich. Afterwards, he studied at the Boston University and obtained his LL.M. in Intellectual Property in 2005. Kai’s Ph.D. work explored the validity of restrictions in software contracts under German and U.S. patent and copyright law. |
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Yang Ye | VeriSilicon Yang Ye is a dedicated business law lawyer at VeriSilicon, Inc., located in San Jose, California. Specializing in areas such as business law, labor and employment, and international law, Yang offers comprehensive legal services to businesses. With expertise in litigation and intellectual property, Yang provides clients with skilled representation and strategic counsel. |
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Jessica Kaiser | Perkins Coie Jessica Kaiser represents established and emerging technology, telecommunications, and life sciences companies in complex intellectual property (IP) disputes, including post-grant patent challenges such as inter partes reviews (IPRs), post-grant reviews (PGR), and ex parte reexams. As an LAPJ at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Jessica managed and decided numerous cases before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) in America Invents Act (AIA) trials. These included both inter partes reviews and post-grant reviews and ex parte appeals during the original prosecution of patents. She also worked closely with USPTO and PTAB leadership to develop and implement PTAB reforms, such as agency rulemaking, a pilot program for motions to amend patent claims during AIA trials, PTAB statistics, and remote hearing operations. Prior to joining the USPTO, Jessica was a staff attorney in the Office of General Counsel at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. In this role, she provided legal advice to the court, including on mandamus petitions and all types of motions filed prior to an appeal being assigned to a merits panel. |
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Thomas Broughan | Sidley Tom Broughan is a trial lawyer focused on litigation in district courts and before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. Tom has experience developing trial strategy, examining witnesses in front of judges and juries, and presenting argument at hearings. His experience also includes working on over 75 IPR and PTAB proceedings, where he has developed IPR strategy and coordinated IPRs with co-pending litigation. Tom has argued IPRs to the PTAB and to the Federal Circuit on appeal. Tom has a deep technical and scientific background that enables him to quickly engage with and understand many technologies. Tom frequently works with engineers, scientists, and doctors to analyze complex technical issues and translate them into simple concepts accessible by judges and juries. His matters have involved a variety of technologies, such as medical devices, spinal cord stimulation systems, pharmaceuticals, cryptography, signal processing, digital rights management, payment systems, and cellular communications standards. Tom is recognized by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America for Litigation — Intellectual Property, and Patent Law (2026). |
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Debbie McComas | Haynes Boone Debbie McComas is a litigator and appellate lawyer with 29 years of experience spanning a broad array of subjects. Be it oil and gas, complicated jurisdictional disputes, lender liability, real estate, trade secrets, foreign sovereignty, or patent infringement, Debbie is deeply invested in helping her clients achieve positive results. Debbie is particularly active in patent appeals and is currently ranked third in overall performance in the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Patexia’s CAFC Intelligence Report, a ranking that results from a long, successful career of patent litigation experience. Debbie was admitted to the Federal Circuit in 1998 and has been active in patent litigation and appeals throughout her career. She is active in the Federal Circuit Bar Association and speaks frequently on the status of the court. Debbie’s success in patent litigation and appeals derives from almost three decades of broader experience as a litigation and appellate practitioner across the nation. Debbie has argued before the Texas Supreme Court, petitioned the United States Supreme Court, and defended foreign sovereigns from multiple continents. She has also defended national financial institutions in adversary proceedings involving billions of dollars and managed countless contract disputes. |
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Timothy Saulsbury | Morrison Foerster Tim Chen Saulsbury co-chairs the firm’s global IP Litigation Group and cross-disciplinary Intellectual Property Group. His exceptional track record has earned him consistent recognition from leading publications. IAM Patent 1000 describes Tim as a “formidable lead trial attorney,” highlighting wins for Zoom and others. The Daily Journal labeled him one of the “Top Intellectual Property Lawyers” in California, as well as one of California’s top 40 lawyers under the age of 40. Bloomberg Law named Tim one of the top 40 lawyers in the country under 40, and Law360 named him one of the top 6 IP lawyers in the nation under 40. Tim also was recognized by Benchmark Litigation (on its 40 & Under Hot List) and by The Legal 500 (for Copyright, Patent Licensing, Patent Litigation, and Trade Secrets). Tim also maintains an active pro bono docket, serving as full scope counsel in a range of cases, including FTCA, First Amendment, wrongful termination, and Section 1983 matters. |
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Rob Rodrigues | RNA Law Rob Rodrigues is a seasoned litigator specializing in high-stakes business and intellectual property disputes in Brazil. Renowned for his strategic acumen, Rob delivers unmatched expertise to FORTUNE 500 companies and dynamic startups alike. He expertly navigates complex legal landscapes, ensuring robust patent portfolio management for top-tier life sciences and telecommunications firms. His deep market insight positions him as a first-choice advisor for both acquisition and enforcement actions. Rob’s excellence has been recognized by a number of leading publications. In 2024, Lexology listed him as a Legal Influencer in Dispute Resolution. Chambers describes Rob as a “superb litigator”, “a very competent professional”, and “outstanding in providing business-oriented advice.” Who’s Who Legal praises “his top-tier practice advising clients on life sciences-related patent litigation.” The Legal 500 reports that clients describe Rob as someone “who stands out for his strong background in both the IP area, both in terms of litigation and in relation to more technical topics.” Client testimonials in IAM Strategy 300 laud him for his “deep understanding of IP issues and keen strategic insight, which he leverages to add value and monetise portfolios.” Throughout his career, Rob has spearheaded multiple preliminary injunction proceedings and trials for global companies in Brazil. He also facilitates monumental IP asset transactions, with a keen eye on managing risks. |
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Saina Shamilov | Fenwick Saina is a trial lawyer and a top-ranked practitioner representing the world’s leading technology companies in high-stakes commercial and intellectual property litigation disputes. She co-leads the firm’s patent litigation group. With over 20 years of experience in all aspects of pre-trial, trial and appellate practice, she has been recognized by peers and clients as one of the best to help resolve litigation disputes in the least painful but most favorable way for her clients. She wins her cases early and, when needed, takes them through winning trials. Patexia has repeatedly recognized Saina among the top 10 best performing patent litigators in the country, The Daily Journal honored her among the Top Women Lawyers, and the PTAB Bar Association has consecutively named her to its Top 50 Women in PTAB Trials list. She is regularly recognized by IAM Patent 1000 and The Legal 500 as a leading litigator. Saina has successfully represented clients in various technological fields, including AI, cloud computing, machine learning, natural language processing, gaming, networking and telecommunications, e-commerce and internet-related technologies, CRM systems and database management, as well as in the beauty and fashion fields. |
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Ellisen Turner | Kirkland & Ellis Ellisen Turner is a partner in the Firm’s Intellectual Property Practice Group. Ellisen serves as lead trial counsel on major patent and trade secret matters. He is also an IP strategist who combines his business acumen with a deep understanding of IP law and policy to evaluate and maximize the value of technology during transactions for leading public companies and premier private equity sponsors. A seasoned negotiator as well, he has closed numerous, highly complex patent licenses and technology transactions. Ellisen has been recognized as one of the World’s Leading Patent Professionals by Intellectual Asset Magazine, and as the “Patent Litigation Lawyer of the Year” by the Century City Bar Association. Chambers-rated in Intellectual Property, and recognized among The Best Lawyers in America, Ellisen’s successes have garnered him numerous accolades, including being named one of the 500 “Most Influential People” in Los Angeles by the Los Angeles Business Journal. |
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Philipp Widera | Vossius Philipp Widera joined VOSSIUS in mid-2017. He became a partner in the firm in 2024. As a bar-certified specialist attorney for Intellectual Property, he advises and represents national and international clients on all aspects of intellectual property law and related competition law issues, with a particular focus on contentious patent law matters. Before joining VOSSIUS, he had worked for two other leading law firms in the field of patent law gaining experience in a wide range of technical areas, especially mobile communications and life sciences. Mr. Widera studied law at the Leibniz University of Hanover. After having completed the first state exam, he was awarded the title LL.M. in intellectual property law by King’s College London. During his master studies he focused on an analysis and comparison of intellectual property law in the US as well as the most important European jurisdictions. Apart from that, he concentrated on EU-Competition Law. He legally clerked inter alia in the IP department of a major German law firm as well as one of the oldest commercial law firms in New York City. |
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Andrei Iancu | former Director of the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office Andrei Iancu was born in 1968 in Bucharest, Romania, and immigrated to the United States when he was 12 years old. He was educated at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he earned a Bachelor of Science in aerospace engineering, a Master of Science in mechanical engineering, and a Juris Doctor. Early in his engineering career, Iancu’s interests in science and technology broadened to include business and law, so he returned to UCLA for legal training, specializing in intellectual property (IP). Iancu’s subsequent practice focused on IP litigation and entailed appearances before the USPTO, U.S. district courts, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and the U.S. International Trade Commission. His clients came from across the technical and scientific spectra, including those associated with medical devices, genetic testing, therapeutics, the internet, telephony, television broadcasting, video game systems, and computer peripherals. In the course of his legal career, Iancu became an authority on IP issues and taught law at UCLA. On September 5, 2017, President Donald J. Trump nominated Iancu to be the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO. The Senate confirmed his nomination in early 2018. A few months into Director Iancu’s tenure, the USPTO issued U.S. patent 10 million, which featured the first new patent cover in more than 30 years and a presidential signing ceremony in the White House. In his three years at the USPTO, Director Iancu oversaw several improvements to Patent and Trademark processes and practices. On the Patents side, he supervised the implementation of the Access to Relevant Prior Art Initiative, which used automation to import prior art references from previously filed parent applications into later-filed child applications, and other forms of technologies, including artificial intelligence and machine learning. |
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Wayne Stacy | Berkeley Center for Law and Technology Wayne Stacy has been a leading expert on patent law and IP litigation for over two decades. Most recently, Wayne was the Director for the USPTO’s Silicon Valley Office where he was responsible for leading the USPTO’s West Coast office and ensuring that its initiatives were tailored to the region’s unique ecosystem. Prior to his appointment at the USPTO, Wayne spent more than 20 years in several of the world’s top law firms. Most recently, he was a senior partner and Intellectual Property Chair for Baker Botts’ San Francisco office. Prior to that, Wayne was an equity partner in the IP Litigation section of Cooley LLP. During his career, several leading publications—including Chambers, Intellectual Asset Management (IAM), and Super Lawyers—listed Wayne as one of the country’s top patent litigators. He was also recognized as an “IP Trailblazer” by the National Law Journal. Wayne has served as an adjunct professor at four law schools over the last 20 years—teaching patent law, patent litigation, copyright law, and PTAB practice. He has served as an advisor on Federal Court local-rule committees and as faculty for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy, where he taught a variety of courses from deposition skills to his favorite course, trial skills for public service attorneys. |
Day 2 - Litigation Track
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David Bloch | Greenberg Traurig David S. Bloch is a Shareholder in Greenberg Traurig’s San Francisco office and an accomplished intellectual property litigator. A prolific writer and frequent public speaker, he has delivered more than 100 invited lectures and published over 50 articles. He is also the co-author of IP and Technology in Government Contracts (with the eighth edition currently in press). David’s practice spans Intellectual Property Litigation, Intellectual Property & Technology matters, Government Contracts, Trade Secrets, Antitrust Litigation & Competition Regulation, Venture Capital & Emerging Technology, and Defense, Aviation & Space, including Space & Satellite industries. In addition to his legal work, he has served as a Lecturer and Field Work Supervisor at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law – Boalt Hall, with teaching experience across multiple years including 2015–2016, 2018, 2023, and 2025. |
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Clem Roberts | Orrick Clem acts as lead counsel for companies of all sizes across a broad range of industries. He has lead cases dealing with machine learning and AI, medical devices, network security, pharmaceuticals (both Hatch Waxman and competitor cases), video games, battery chemistry, consumer electronics, blockchain and other payments systems, streaming video, ticketing systems, telecommunications, and many more. Clem has an active trial practice. In 2023 alone, Clem acted as lead counsel for teams that won two jury verdicts, three ITC proceedings, and numerous IPRs and dispositive motions. Clem has been recognized in the Daily Journal’s list of the top 75 IP Litigators in California. In the latest Chambers USA rankings, clients note he is a “very persuasive advocate who knows the law inside out and is able to get to the heart of the issue very quickly.“ Managing Intellectual Property described him as a “highly respected litigator in the California IP market and beyond.” Intellectual Asset Management’s Patent 1000 notes he is a “commercially savvy first-chair trial lawyer,” a “tenacious, pragmatic litigator who excels at finding innovative solutions,” “one of the best writers anywhere” and a “fantastic negotiator.” |
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Bhanu Sadasivan| McDermott Bhanu Sadasivan focuses her practice on patent litigation, with an emphasis in the life sciences industry. She has experience litigating patent cases concerning recombinant DNA technology, pharmaceutical formulation, computer hardware and software. Prior to law school, she received her PhD in Immunology from Yale University and was a postdoctoral research fellow at Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and was a recipient of the Arthritis Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship. Bhanu is the co-author of several scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals. |
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Greg Sobolski | Cleary Greg Sobolski is a trial lawyer who represents clients from venture capital-backed growth startups to Fortune 100 companies in their patent and trade secret matters. In addition to his trial work in federal courts, at the ITC, and before the Federal Circuit, Greg provides strategic counseling on complex intellectual property matters. His practice spans diverse industries—including tech, wearables, health care and life sciences, medical devices, automotive, energy, blockchain/Web3, and AI. He also maintains an active pro bono practice and service in the IP community. Greg served as a law clerk to Chief Judge Kimberly Moore of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Greg joined the firm as a partner in 2025 from another major international firm. |
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Bethany Bengfort | Turner Boyd Bethany Bengfort is a seasoned litigator with a proven track record of success in high-stakes intellectual property disputes. Bethany focuses on representing clients in cases involving a diverse array of technology, including everything from video games and artificial intelligence software to pharmaceuticals and medical devices. Bethany is known for both her sharp analytical mind and deep understanding of intellectual property law, skillfully navigating the technical and legal intricacies of each case to deliver optimal outcomes for her clients. Bethany has litigated cases before the U.S. District Courts, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Her experience spans all phases of litigation, including pre-suit investigations, claim construction, discovery, dispositive motions, trial preparation, and appeals. In addition to her litigation expertise, Bethany provides comprehensive counseling to clients on intellectual property strategy, including pre-suit analyses of patent validity and infringement. |
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Jonathan Sanders | Simpson Thacher Jonathan Sanders is Counsel in the Firm’s Litigation Department. He focuses on patent litigations, including managing complex cases in federal district courts, litigating appeals in the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court, and handling proceedings before the Patent and Trademark Office and Patent Trial and Appeal Board. Jonathan has led several large patent litigations for clients such as CSR, Cisco, AncestryDNA, Marvell, MediaTek, 3Com, SiRF, and Avistar Communications and has worked on other patent and technology matters for companies such as Intel and Verizon. Jonathan has extensive trial experience that includes wins for Cisco and other technology companies, second-chairing the trial of a large commercial matter in San Francisco state court, and first-chairing several trials at the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office. Jonathan has also argued numerous hearings and pretrial matters in complex patent cases, including claim construction hearings, motions to dismiss, discovery and procedural disputes, and other motion practice. |
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Neel Chatterjee | King & Spalding Neel Chatterjee is an internationally recognized technology litigator and trial lawyer. He has a proven track record handling hard-to-win technology cases for some of the world’s leading companies and newest disruptive technology companies. His cases often break new ground in undefined areas of the law or are existential disputes for product lines and new business models. Clients frequently turn to Neel shortly before trial to take over hard-to-win cases. Neel has substantial expertise handling disputes related to patents, trade secrets, copyrights, internet law, and complex commercial technology issues. Neel has led matters for some of Silicon Valley’s most legendary companies in their most significant technology disputes including groundbreaking cases for Facebook, Oracle, eBay, NVIDIA, LinkedIn, Logitech, and others. Notably, Neel defended Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook in the famed Winklevoss case that later served as the inspiration for the Academy Award winning film “The Social Network.” He helped develop and then later defended eBay with respect to its online transaction business model, creating important fundamental law that validated internet business models related to user generated content. He has prosecuted, defended and tried cases involving global patent litigation for NVIDIA as part of the smartphone patent wars. He also represented Anthony Levandowski, the star engineer at the center of the complex intellectual property dispute between Google and Uber related to self-driving car technology. |
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Christopher Kao | Pillsbury Chris is an experienced first-chair trial lawyer representing technology companies in patent, copyright, trademark and trade secrets litigation, and other high-stakes commercial disputes. He has represented companies in the computer hardware and software, semiconductor, telecommunications, biotechnology, and consumer products industries in federal and state courts throughout the country, the U.S. International Trade Commission, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. He has extensive experience litigating Covered Business Method (CBM) and inter partes (IPR) review proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Chris also regularly advises clients on privacy and cybersecurity issues and is designated a Certified International Privacy Professional/U.S. by the IAPP. Before joining Pillsbury, Chris was the office managing partner of another firm’s Silicon Valley office. |
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Karen Boyd | Turner Boyd Karen Boyd is a founding partner of Turner Boyd Seraphine, representing clients in intellectual property disputes, focusing on patent disputes. Her clients have ranged from solo inventors and universities to Fortune 100 companies, in technologies from pharmaceuticals to consumer electronics to medical devices. She has significant trial experience, but always hopes to resolve disputes much more quickly for clients. She also serves as a mediator, early neutral evaluator, and an arbitrator in intellectual property disputes, serves on the mediation panel for the Northern District of California, and previously served on the mediation panels for the Federal Circuit and the International Trade Commission. Before founding Turner Boyd, Ms. Boyd was a partner at Fish & Richardson, where she practiced from 1997 to 2007. She was law clerk to Judge Paul Michel at the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit from 1996 to 1997 and taught appellate procedure with Judge Michel at George Washington Law School. She has taught Patent and Trade Secret Law at Hastings College of the Law (2003), and Biotechnology and Chemistry Patent Law at Berkeley Law School (2002 to 2009). |
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Mike Hendershot | Jones Day Mike Hendershot is an accomplished first-chair trial lawyer recognized repeatedly by the Daily Journal as one of California’s Top IP Lawyers and IP Lawyer of the Year by The Recorder at the 2024 California Legal Awards. Mike has focused on IP litigation for 25 years and has been at the heart of some of the world’s most significant IP matters throughout his career, including representing eBay from trial through its landmark Supreme Court victory in eBay v. MercExchange. Mike leverages his broad background in biomedical engineering to advise industry leaders across a range of technologies, from biotech to semiconductors. Clients commend Mike’s creativity, responsiveness, and clear guidance in driving results in cases with hundreds of millions to billions of dollars often at stake. Mike frequently presents on IP topics, including presentations at the Berkeley-Stanford Advanced Patent Law Institute and a Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) strategy guide that was among IP Law360‘s most read features. |
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Brian Napper | Ocean Tomo Mr. Napper has over 30 years’ experience in the evaluation and quantification of economic damages arising from patent, copyright and trademark infringement and trade secret misappropriation disputes. Mr. Napper was the damages expert in many high-profile matters that have shaped the landscape of patent damages, including Lucent v. Gateway and Uniloc v. Microsoft. He has secured numerous verdicts for clients, including the recent trade secrets case Computer Sciences Corporation v. Tata Consultancy Services Ltd.(https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/us-5th-circuit/117965352.html). Mr. Napper is skilled at incorporating current and evolving patent damages case law in performing and testifying to intellectual property damages, including appropriate use of the analytical approach, application of license agreements to damages analysis and evaluation of the smallest salable patent practicing unit in quantifying patent damages in the form of lost profits and/or reasonable royalty. Combining his significant intellectual property damages expert with a background accounting, finance and economics, Mr. Napper assists companies and licensing entities in intellectual property management. This includes preparation of business plans, benchmarking and best practices, IP valuation (for financing or to buy or sell IP) and technology commercialization/value extraction strategies through partnerships and joint ventures. Mr. Napper’s experience spans numerous industries, including life sciences/pharma, telecom, semiconductors, software, clean energy, cloud computing, medical devices and social media, and he has extensive experience with clients based in Asia and Europe. Mr. Napper also has extensive Standard Essential Patent (SEP) royalty rate determination experience. |
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Matthew Powers | Tensegrity Law Group Matt Powers is known for taking tough cases to trial and winning them. He tries patent, trade secret, fraud, fiduciary duty, antitrust, and contract cases. He has tried patent cases in every major patent venue, including U.S. district courts all over the country and the ITC, as well as maintaining a successful appellate practice at the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals. His litigation experience spans a wide variety of technologies, including biotechnology and medical devices; computer hardware and software; operating systems and databases; networking; semiconductor devices, processing, and packaging; mobile phones and other consumer electronics; mobile commerce; Wi-Fi and location services. Many of the world’s leading companies have called on him to lead trial teams in difficult cases, and he is often called on to replace another firm’s litigation team for trial on very short notice. He has led teams winning billion-dollar cases for many of the leading companies in the world.
Mr. Powers is one the founding partners of the Tensegrity Law Group LLP, a boutique law firm specializing in patent litigation trials, and appellate and counseling matters. Many of the patent cases handled by Tensegrity are further complicated by antitrust, contract, trade secret, or other issues. Prior to forming Tensegrity, Mr. Powers was a managing partner at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP.
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Patricia Young | Latham & Watkins Patricia Young, Global Vice Chair of Latham’s Intellectual Property Practice, represents market-leading companies in intellectual property litigation, particularly high-stakes, complex, multi-patent, and multi-jurisdictional cases. Patricia is a first-chair trial lawyer who litigates patent and trade secrets cases for a broad spectrum of companies, both as defendants and plaintiffs. She regularly tries cases across the country, including in state and federal courts, and before the International Trade Commission (ITC). She deftly synthesizes technical, economic, and legal perspectives to develop unique, winning litigation strategies. As an incisive and trusted advisor for patent and trade secret matters, she is also well-positioned to counsel clients on intellectual property issues in corporate matters. Patricia has developed an impressive record of leading and managing complex, multi-product, multi-claim disputes. Her experience spans industries from LiDAR, semiconductors, RF technology, memory, microprocessors, Wi-Fi routers and mesh network devices, file system and storage software and hardware, networking, gaming, e-commerce, telecommunications, UV LEDs, biotech, biologics, protein engineering, sequencing technology, microcoils, medical devices, and pharmaceuticals to consumer products. |
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Chris de Mauny | Bird & Bird Chris is a patent litigation specialist based in San Francisco. He advises clients from a range of industries including tech, life sciences and sustainable technologies. He is licensed to practise law in England & Wales and registered as a Foreign Legal Consultant with the State Bar of California. Chris also advises on all forms of intellectual property litigation, principally patent litigation. In 2018, he was identified as a ‘rising star’ for patent litigation by Managing Intellectual Property and again in 2019. In 2019, Chris was referred to as a ‘key lawyer’ within Bird & Bird’s London patent litigation team by Legal 500. In 2020, he was recognised as a ‘Rising Star’ for patents by Expert Guides, a peer-nominated international guide to lawyers, Legal 500 and MIP. Since becoming a partner in 2021, Chris has been ranked or recommended by IAM, MIP and Legal 500. Chris was called to the English Bar in 2006 and practised in specialist intellectual property chambers until early 2011 when he joined Bird & Bird, known for its focus on technology clients. Bird & Bird is one of only two firms in the top ranking for IP by Chambers Global. In April 2024 he relocated to San Francisco to co-head Bird & Bird’s office which brings the firm’s European and Asia-Pac expertise to US soil. |
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Julia Schönbohm | Linklaters Julia leads Linklaters’ global Technology, Media and Telecoms (TMT) and Intellectual Property (IP) practice, the German IP practice and is a co-head of Linklaters’ global Technology sector group. She is a passionate litigator who focuses on cross-border patent infringement proceedings and other IP disputes. She also advises on all IP-related aspects in technology driven M&A transactions, including carve-outs, licensing agreements and joint ventures. She is admitted to practice in Germany and New York. Julia is widely recognized as a leading IP lawyer in various legal directories, e.g. Global Leaders (IAM Patent 1000), Patent Star (IP Stars), IP Private Practice Powerlist (Legal 500), JUVE and WirtschaftsWoche. She has advised on many market-leading cases and transactions. These include representing Volkswagen, Carrier Global Corporation, Seoul Semiconductor, LG Electronics, and more. |
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Tess Waldron | Powell Gilbert Tess was promoted to Partner in April 2022 and is widely recognised as a UK rising star and next generation partner for patent litigation. Tess has been a patent litigator for over 10 years and has a particular focus on the Life Sciences sector, often coordinating European strategies for companies in this space. She has litigated in front of the UK High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court (Unwired Planet v Huawei) and is also a solicitor advocate, representing clients in the UK and at the UPC, including appearing in the first ever hearing in front of the Paris Central Division (Meril v Edwards Lifesciences). Tess also has significant experience in relation to complex disputes involving FRAND licensing, entitlement and wider commercial issues, acting for companies across a broad variety of industries. She has an interest in the interface between IP and competition law, having obtained a PGDip in EU competition law from King’s College London. Prior to becoming a solicitor, Tess qualified as a doctor and spent three years working in hospital medicine. This experience provides her with valuable background and context when advising clients operating in the life sciences sector. |
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Eric Whitaker | 10x Genomics Eric Whitaker currently serves as Chief Legal Officer for 10x Genomics, where he is responsible for all legal matters. Eric joined the company as General Counsel in 2017. Eric brings experience as chief counsel in high-growth companies including as Chief Legal Officer of Nutanix, Chief Legal Officer of SanDisk, General Counsel of Tesla and General Counsel at Lexar. Eric started his career at Latham & Watkins specializing in intellectual property and antitrust litigation. He has served on NASDAQ’s Silicon Valley Advisory Committee and the Board of Visitors of Stanford Law School. Eric earned a J.D. from Stanford Law School and an undergraduate degree from Princeton University. |
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Sharif Jacob | Keker, Van Nest & Peters Sharif E. Jacob serves as lead counsel in high-stakes litigation. He focuses on intellectual property litigation, complex business disputes, and the representation of individuals. Sharif has extensive experience with bet-the-company and competitor litigation, including in unfair competition, fraud, breach of contract, patent, trademark, copyright, and antitrust matters. He has represented leading firms in dozens of disputes involving artificial intelligence, video streaming, social networking, and the app economy before U.S. district courts, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the International Trade Commission, and the Patent and Trademark Office. He counts among his current and former clients Instacart, Meta, Netflix, Hulu, and Twitter. Sharif has been named a 2025 Top IP Lawyer in California by the Daily Journal and The National Law Journal named him as a finalist for its 2024 National Winning Litigators award. |
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Eric Lin | Patlytics Eric is VP of Strategy at Patlytics. He has 10+ years of experience representing startups to large multinational companies in high-stakes IP and technology-related litigation involving patent infringement, trade secret misappropriation, and complex commercial claims. His practice has also extended beyond litigation, including into matters relating to patent prosecution, due diligence, and product counseling. Eric has represented some of the most innovative companies in the world — from startups to Fortune 500 giants, including AbCellera Biologics, Amazon, IEX, Nikon, Palo Alto Networks, and TSMC — in high-stakes intellectual property (IP) litigation. He has litigated complex patent infringement cases, advised companies on strategy for large IP portfolios, and navigated fast-moving developments in technology law, often grappling with the inefficiencies and time-consuming nature of traditional IP workflows. |
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David Lisson | Davis Polk David is an accomplished trial lawyer, representing technology companies in their high-stakes IP disputes, including patent, copyright, and trade-secret cases. Technology companies rely on David in their highest-stakes disputes. He has tried cases in courts nationwide and in the International Trade Commission, securing substantial jury verdicts and settlements on behalf of plaintiffs, and pre- and post-trial judgments on behalf of defendants. He also handles appellate proceedings and works closely with clients to resolve business-critical IP matters outside the courtroom. David heads Davis Polk’s GenAI litigation initiative, focused on developers, enterprise technology companies and organizations implementing GenAI. David has been recognized by Chambers USA, IAM Patent 1000 and other publications. In Chambers, clients describe him as a “terrific lawyer,” “great counselor,” and “very, very good strategic thinker.” In IAM Patent 1000, peers note that he is “simply amazing at plotting trial strategy from beginning to end.” |
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Christian Mammen | Womble Bond Dickinson For more than 25 years, Chris has guided Silicon Valley, national, and global tech and life sciences clients in high- stakes patent, other intellectual property, and technology litigation. He has led both large and small trial teams in courts throughout the United States, and has also served as lead counsel on appeals before the Ninth and Federal Circuits. His clients include companies in the software, artificial intelligence, telecommunications, microelectronics, medical devices, and life sciences sectors. Before joining Womble Bond Dickinson in 2019, Chris practiced in the Bay Area offices of several nationally-known law firms. One of only a handful of practicing lawyers to have earned a doctorate in Law from Oxford University in addition to a U.S. law degree, Chris has held visiting faculty positions at UC Hastings School of Law, Berkeley Law School, Stanford Law School, and Oxford University. Drawing on his years of teaching civil procedure, evidence, e-discovery, and advanced patent law, Chris is a creative strategist and has marked wins for clients on a variety of unconventional issues. Before entering law practice, Chris clerked for Judge Robert Beezer on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. |
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Sasha Rao | Nixon Peabody Sasha regularly leads intellectual property and commercial litigation for various clients, including cases involving patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, unfair competition, and complex commercial disputes. She advises clients, ranging from tech startups to the largest multinational companies, on a wide range of legal issues, including corporate, transactional, policy, regulatory, IP strategy, patent and trademark prosecution, and IP aspects of mergers and acquisitions. Sasha has tried cases in district courts throughout the US. Her strong background in science has enabled her to develop effective courtroom strategies for cases involving technologies ranging from pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and biotechnology to computers, the Internet, and software. In the technology realm, Sasha has defended some of Silicon Valley’s most prominent companies in cases brought by competitors and non-practicing entities. In the life sciences space, she has extensive experience in Hatch-Waxman/ANDA litigation and have represented generic and branded pharmaceutical companies in numerous patent cases. |
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Azra Hadzimehmedovic | Tensegrity Law Group Azra Hadzimehmedovic brings extensive experience litigating complex patent cases in U.S. district courts, the ITC, and the International Chamber of Commerce. She has litigated significant patent matters for industry-leading technology companies in diverse technology areas, including computers; semiconductor devices, processing, and packaging; software; pharmaceuticals; Wi-Fi- and location services; content delivery network services; and medical devices. Ms. Hadzimehmedovic is a member of the Board of Directors for the Federal Circuit Bar Association and a member of the Working Group 9/10 Steering Committee for the Sedona Conference. Prior to practicing law, Ms. Hadzimehmedovic worked as a scientist and technical editor for the United States Pharmacopeia, an official standards-setting authority for medicines and other health-care products. At Berkeley, she received the Stephen Finney Jamison Award, as the top graduating student who had best combined and demonstrated attributes of scholarship and advocacy. Prior to joining Tensegrity Law Group LLP in 2011, Ms. Hadzimehmedovic was a litigation associate at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP. |
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Ragesh Tangri | Morrison Foerster Ragesh Tangri brings diverse experience representing clients ranging from individuals to Fortune 100 companies in high-stakes intellectual property and trade secret disputes, in addition to commercial litigation and legal malpractice, in jurisdictions across the country. Ragesh regularly represents major technology companies, law firms, and individuals in their most significant disputes. Ragesh has litigated matters involving high-stakes breach of contract and tort claims, as well as legal malpractice and professional negligence claims arising from work done in a variety of underlying areas, including intellectual property litigation, patent prosecution, general corporate matters, and tax. He has, during several pleadings motions, obtained complete dismissal of all claims asserted against law firm clients. |
Day 2 - Prosecution Track
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Matthew Avery | Baker Botts Matthew Avery works on a range of intellectual property matters, focusing primarily on patent prosecution, counseling, and diligence. Matthew is a technology generalist, with experience in preparing and prosecuting patent applications across a wide range of technologies, including artificial intelligence/ML, AR/VR, biotech processing and therapeutic proteins, chemical processing, clean tech, consumer electronics, financial tech, online gaming, robotics, semiconductor processing, social networking, sports tech, and many other technologies. He also has experience in FDA regulatory matters, particularly dealing with the Hatch-Waxman Act, ANDA litigation, and the regulation of generic drugs. In addition to providing legal services for his clients, Matthew is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, where he teaches courses on Patent Prosecution and Food & Drug Law. He previously taught at Santa Clara University, School of Law. |
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Anna Hyatt | Dren Bio Anna Hyatt is the Executive Director and Head of Intellectual Property at Dren Bio. She is a Ph.D.-trained immunologist and IP/compliance professional with 17 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry and law firms with expertise in the fields of oncology, autoimmunity, tolerance, microbiome and immunology in the large molecule and antibody engineering space. |
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Kanda Ishihara | Lyft Kanda is Senior IP Counsel at Lyft. She has over 15 years experience both in-house and in top-tier law firms such as Fenwick and Morgan Lewis. Kanda is a proven strategic patent and trademark portfolio development and management with a multi-million dollar budget and several thousand assets under management. |
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Miku Mehta | Procopio Miku advises clients in the U.S. and Asia on intellectual property, patent prosecution and counseling, as well as trademarks and copyrights. His practice focuses on the preparation and prosecution of patent applications, due diligence projects, including preparation of opinions in the areas of patentability, validity, infringement and product clearance, and patent licensing. Miku has extensive experience in technology including computer software and hardware, networks, internet-related applications, environmental technologies, optics, mechanical engineering, business processes and medical devices, as well as registration and renewal of trademarks and counseling on export control matters. He is the leader of Procopio’s Intellectual Property team and its Asia Pacific practice. |
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Nikola Datzov | University of North Dakota Professor Datzov teaches courses in Intellectual Property, Artificial Intelligence, Torts, Remedies, and Conflict of Laws. He is a passionate and engaging teacher in the classroom with a distinguished record for innovative teaching, having received numerous awards for his teaching methodologies. Most recently, in 2022, Professor Datzov was honored as a Teacher of the Year by the Association of American Law Schools, received UND’s award for Exemplary Course Development and Instruction, and was awarded the UND School of Law Randy H. Lee Faculty Award. Professor Datzov’s research and scholarly interests relate to artificial intelligence (AI), patent law, and the intersection between technology and different areas of intellectual property law. His most recent work has focused on AI and patent subject matter eligibility. Before entering academia, Professor Datzov practiced law at a large firm in Minneapolis, focusing his national practice on intellectual property litigation, artificial intelligence, and anti-counterfeiting. In his practice, he litigated high-stakes cases in federal courts throughout the country and argued cases in federal court at the district court level and on appeal. Leveraging his science background, he also represented parties before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. |
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Jane Qu | Van Pelt, Yi & James Jane Qu (partner) is a registered patent attorney with experience in preparing and prosecuting patent applications. Representative technologies handled by Ms. Qu include artificial intelligence, machine learning, sorting technology, analytics software, network security, and computer architecture. Prior to joining Van Pelt, Yi & James, Ms. Qu worked as a summer associate with Morrison & Foerster in the patent department at their San Francisco office. Ms. Qu received her B.S. in Electrical Engineering, cum laude, from the University of California, Los Angeles. She received her J.D., cum laude, from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco. |
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Emily Roberts | Morrison Foerster Dr. Emily Roberts focuses her practice on patent preparation, prosecution, and strategic counseling in the areas of pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, chemistry, and materials. She provides patent services to a diverse client base that includes individual inventors, startups, midsized companies, and multinational pharmaceutical companies. In addition to managing U.S. and international patent portfolios, she regularly conducts freedom-to-operate, patentability, and due diligence analyses. Emily has drafted multiple patent term extension applications and is well versed in patent term analyses. She also has experience with post-grant procedures, including reissue applications, ex parte reexamination, and inter partes review proceedings. |
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Harnik Shukla | Knobbe Martens Harnik Shukla specializes in securing high-value patents for clients, with a proven track record of procuring patents that have been successfully litigated. He excels at building strategic patent portfolios for startups, helping them secure vital funding rounds. In the medical device sector, Harnik is recognized for his deep technical expertise in areas such as sensors, signal processing, and AI/machine learning. He simplifies complex technical and legal analyses, transforming them into pivotal insights for investors making strategic decisions. Over the years, Harnik has guided intellectual property strategies for investments and acquisitions totaling over $1.5 billion. His clientele includes Masimo, Bright Uro, Kandu Health, Imperative Care, ICU Medical, Flatfrog, Bowers & Wilkins, and Denon. He has worked extensively in a range of advanced technologies, including intravascular lithotripsy, neuromodulation, blood pressure monitoring, sleep and stress monitoring, stroke monitoring, digital health, optical/ECG/EEG/acoustic sensors, urodynamics, DICOM image processing, AI software tools, digital whiteboards, and earbuds. |
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Joy Nemirow | Sheppard Mullin Joy Nemirow is a partner in the Intellectual Property Practice Group in the firm’s Silicon Valley office. Dr. Nemirow specializes in patent preparation, prosecution and strategy in the pharmaceutical, biotech, and chemical fields. She has extensive experience developing global patent portfolios, particularly covering small molecules, syntheses, polymorphs, formulations, and methods of use. Dr. Nemirow analyzes the validity of patents, freedom-to-operate, and inventorship and provides opinions and litigation strategies regarding validity and infringement in the ANDA context. Dr. Nemirow also performs due diligence on patent portfolios for various types of transactions, including acquisitions, initial public offerings, and follow-on financing, with experience in representing the company and underwriter. |
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David Sanker | Sanker IP David Sanker is not only an experienced patent attorney and former partner at Morgan Lewis, but also a mathematician and software engineer. David earned his PhD in Mathematics from UC Berkeley in 1989 and returned to Berkeley 15 years later for a degree in law, after three years in academia and twelve years in production software development. At Morgan Lewis from 2005–2024, David practiced patent litigation and patent prosecution in a wide variety of technology areas, including software, AI, cybersecurity, semiconductor devices, database architecture, data visualization, medical devices, artificial reality, virtual reality, and identify verification. As a patent practitioner, David works with clients, inventors, the US Patent Office, and associates throughout the world to build strong international IP protection. David is a thought leader in AI, regularly speaking and writing about AI topics including the use of generative AI and how AI influences intellectual property protection. |
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Jeff Schox | Schox Patent Group Jeff is the founder of the Schox Patent Group. Over the last 20 years, he has supported 25 early stage nonprofits, funded 250 early stage startups, crafted patent applications for 500 early stage startups, taught 750 engineering students at Stanford University, and advised the Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Michigan. |
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Mike Schwartz | Adeia Mike Schwartz is the Senior Vice President of IP Litigation at Adeia. He has spent over two decades running high-stakes patent and technology litigation in-house and at a leading global law firm. He is a business-focused patent litigator with experience in developing and leading litigation strategy to support client goals. |
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Rachel Herder | Mammoth Biosciences |
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Alex Nie | Sheppard Mullin Dr. Alex Nie is a partner in the Intellectual Property Practice Group in the firm’s Silicon Valley office. Dr. Nie’s practice focuses on global intellectual property (IP) protection strategy and technology transfer issues, including patent procurement and enforcement, IP valuation and monetization, licensing, and technology transfer. Dr. Nie’s multidisciplinary technical background enables him to advise a broad spectrum of technology companies on patent issues. His technical training includes a Ph.D. degree in biochemistry, a M.S. degree in computer science and graduate courses in statistics and engineering. Within biotechnology, Dr. Nie’s focus includes biologics, pharmaceutics, in vitro diagnostics, and stem cell technology. In high technology, Dr. Nie works with industry and academic clients in the fields of autonomous driving, artificial intelligence, data mining and data security. |
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Sara Patak | Wilson Sonsini Sara L. Patak is a partner in the Boulder office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. Her practice focuses on patent prosecution and intellectual property counseling, serving clients in a wide range of technology fields, including the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. During law school, Sara was an extern for licensing officers in the invention transfer group at UC Irvine Applied Innovation, where she assisted in the drafting and negotiating of university patent licenses and inter-institutional agreements, as well as conducted patentability and marketability assessments for UC Irvine intellectual property. Under the direction of an attorney supervisor, Sara also counseled several pro bono clients in the UC Irvine Intellectual Property, Arts, and Technology Law Clinic relating to copyright, patent, and trademark protection. |
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Manita Rawat | Morgan Lewis Manita Rawat, a registered patent attorney with the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), maintains a thriving intellectual property (IP) practice that includes serving as lead outside patent counsel to Fortune 100 companies in Silicon Valley. She primarily supports large technology companies with managing their domestic and foreign patent portfolios, which includes determining patentability and drafting and prosecuting patent applications to allowance. Manita also has experience with USPTO post-grant proceedings, including inter partes review and reexamination. She is the managing partner of the firm’s Silicon Valley office. Manita has a strong technical background in applied mathematics with a concentration in computer science, aerospace engineering, and statistical analysis, and she also has a strong technical background in biochemistry. Working primarily with software technologies, including various online platforms, mobile applications, artificial intelligence, and machine learning models, Manita has developed a systematic approach to handling issues with the USPTO that are unique to computer-related technologies, such as subject matter eligibility, to enable allowance in an efficient and cost-effective manner. |
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Molly Kocialski | Holland & Hart (former USPTO Regional Director) Molly’s broad experience spans private practice at IP boutique firms, in-house counsel roles at major technology, telecommunications, and financial services corporations, as well as senior executive leadership at the USPTO. This rare combination of deep technical expertise and strategic business acumen positions her to deliver informed perspectives on how IP decisions impact business success. As Director of the USPTO’s Rocky Mountain Regional Outreach Office for almost 10 years, Molly led and implemented strategic initiatives from headquarters across nine states, with oversight and responsibility for the safety, security, and engagement of over 200 employees. This executive leadership role provides clients with a comprehensive understanding of USPTO structure, workflow, and decision-making processes, as well as deep knowledge of IP policy, administrative, and legislative issues affecting the innovation community. Her institutional knowledge and relationships throughout the USPTO enable her to help clients navigate patent prosecution and administrative proceedings more efficiently. |
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Mark Lemley | Stanford Law School Mark Lemley is the William H. Neukom Professor of Law at Stanford Law School and the Director of the Stanford Program in Law, Science and Technology. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research and is affiliated faculty in the Symbolic Systems program. He teaches intellectual property, patent law, trademark law, antitrust, the law of robotics and AI, video game law, and remedies. He is the author of 11 books and 218 articles, including the two-volume treatise IP and Antitrust. His works have been cited 350 times by courts, including 19 times by the United States Supreme Court, and more than 45,000 times in books and academic articles, making him the most-cited scholar in IP law and one of the ten most cited legal scholars of all time. He has published 9 of the 100 most-cited law review articles of the last twenty years, more than any other scholar, and was the third most cited legal scholar in the world from 2016-2020. His articles have appeared in 24 of the top 25 law reviews and in top journals in other fields, including Nature Biotechnology, the American Economic Review, the Review of Economics and Statistics, and the Harvard Business Review, and in multiple peer- reviewed and specialty journals. They have been reprinted throughout the world and translated into Chinese, Danish, Japanese, Korean, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish. He has taught IP law to judges at numerous Federal Judicial Center and ABA programs, has testified eight times before Congress, and has filed more than 75 amicus briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court and other courts. |
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Steve Gong | Google Steve Gong is Patent Counsel and the Head of Data Science, Technology, and Operations |
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Michelle Lee | Obsidian Strategies Michelle Lee is the founder and CEO of Obsidian Strategies. Obsidian Strategies |
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Ayan Roy-Chowdhury | Fish & Richardson Ayan has extensive experience in a range of technologies, including telecommunications and networking, artificial intelligence/machine learning, FinTech and blockchain, semiconductor devices, electronic circuits, network security and cryptography, autonomous vehicles, mobile device software/hardware, cloud computing technologies, and medical appliances, among others. As part of his practice, Ayan helps clients to obtain and expand their standard essential patent (SEP) portfolios in ETSI 3GPP, Wi-Fi, and video coding technologies. Ayan’s practice also includes providing opinion and analysis work for clients looking to build their patent portfolios. Working closely with counsel in major jurisdictions around the globe, he applies his expansive knowledge of jurisdiction-specific regulations to effectively build and manage his clients’ international patent portfolios. In addition to patent prosecution, Ayan has experience in post-grant work before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board and he has supported litigation teams at Fish. |
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Ian Schick | Paximal Ian Schick is a patent thought leader, technologist, and entrepreneur at the forefront of AI-driven legal innovation. He is the CEO of Paximal, an agentic AI platform designed for patent professionals, and co-founder of Idea Clerk, the first self-serve tool that empowers startup founders to generate investor-ready provisional patent applications without hiring a law firm. |