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Brought to you by the same team that since 2022 has presented to standing-room-only audiences at LES Annual Meetings, this hands-on interactive session will focus on helping licensing professionals who are serious about improving the quality of each license agreement they negotiate. We will focus on three license agreement clauses that many people overlook until it’s too late:
The above three clauses are often viewed as ‘boilerplate’ provisions that can be agreed with little or no substantive review, yet glossing over these contract terms can result in significant legal and financial liabilities for any organization that fails to understand the potential risks. We will quickly “tee up” the background, along with a few horror stories from these three areas, then share our “best practices” tips and suggested language that you can take home and review with your own counsel for inclusion in your current and future licensing deals.
This session will be moderated by Gillian M. Fenton
Emerging leader sessions: sponsored by 
Remember when the career sites were overflowing with advertisements for entry-level licensing positions (indicating a strong preference for PhDs, low annual salaries, and unclear opportunities for advancement) and hundreds of candidates applied? Those days are OVER. The panelists will discuss hiring, salary, visas (to sponsor or not to sponsor work visas?), location (remote, hybrid and on-site options/requirements), preferred/required educational requirements, certifications, and career development trends based on data obtained from a recent salary survey carried out by Gardner Innovation Search Partners (GISP) and the Certified Licensing Professional (CLP, Inc.)’s 2024 certificant survey.
Panelists, which include a professional recruiter and licensing team leaders, who all have extensive experience hiring for a wide range of licensing positions, will share their “boots on the ground” observations. Learning objectives: the speakers will share advice on how to attract highly qualified applicants in today’s climate as well as provide suggestions for how to persuade your upper management to approve increased salaries as well as introduce well-defined career advancement opportunities in licensing to attract and retain top performers including deal makers as well as operations, compliance and marketing staff as well as individuals across all career stages.
This session will be moderated by Julie Watson
Emerging leader sessions: sponsored by
New strategic partnerships and joint development plans move quickly and doused in optimism, so thinking about the other part of the relationship, how to resolve disputes, is sometimes overlooked. It shouldn’t be, because an investment of a small amount of attention on dispute resolution can pay dividends if a dispute should arise.
This presentation explores the pros and cons of dispute resolution forums (litigation v. arbitration), the role and timing of mediation, and the strategic structuring of arbitration provisions, and other terms that can be used to improve the chance of dispute resolution success or deter disputes altogether. As part of our presentation, we look across various jurisdictions for insight on addressing various situational wrinkles relating to appropriate forum selection, rule selection, continuing relationships and multiple contracts, and other potential exit strategies.
We hope our attendees will gain a better understanding of various dispute resolution forums and impact on the resolution process, contractual terms that should be considered and evaluated if presented, examples of what not to do, and having points for advising business leaders on options when a dispute arises.
This session will be moderated by David Prange.
Emerging leader sessions: sponsored by
Sponsored by 
Join us for our welcome reception at Boston Marriott Copley Place 110 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02116!
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“Yard House is where locals and visitors come to share great moments over great food and drinks…”
Join us at The Yard House 110 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02116 for our YMC cocktail reception!
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How Legislation, Policy, and Public Perception Are Transforming Licensing
The world of IP and related transactions is in flux. Uncertainty abounds. Change is on the horizon, in the form of legislation and policy proposals, some of which are conflicting, but all of which are being presented as pro-innovation. This session will look over the horizon to provide insights on: IP-related bills pending in the U.S. Congress to address challenges for innovators and implementers; the advocacy and interests that are shaping those proposals; and the policy choices being proposed and pursued to promote innovation, both above and below the 49th Parallel, and globally.
This panel will be moderated by Brian O’Shaughnessy
LES Royalty Rate and Global Deal terms Surveys have provided valuable insights into the dynamics of the licensing market, serving as invaluable references for licensing professionals and is a critical resource that LES produces every 2-3 years. In 2024, LES USA and Canada conducted its latest version of the Life Sciences Survey and the full report will be available by June 2025. This session will describe the results, relevance, and applications of the latest survey, with comparisons against other publicly-available information.
This session will cover (i) benchmark royalty payment data including royalty rates, upfront payments, milestone payments and recently-updated sublicensing terms across major therapeutic areas; (ii) survey process, detailing data collection and methodology, and the interpretations and applications of the survey. The goal of this session is to showcase the benchmark royalty data available exclusively to the LES community and to review key deal terms (e.g., structure of royalty payments: flat vs. tiered royalty rates; royalty rates by clinical trial phase; development and sales milestones vs. clinical trial phases; and payment structures).
This workshop will be moderated by Michael Perham
The panel will address SEP markets from cellular to IoT, Consumer Electronics, Automotive, Video Streaming and technologies including 5G and 6G, HEVC and VVC, WiFi, and more.
Top industry practitioners from leading SEP licensors, licensees, and market makers will discuss the latest views, key issues and direction forward for the industry, while top researchers will discuss the results of new research into the nature of collaboration and competition among partners in these markets.
The panel will provide ample time for audience Q&A to address attendees most pressing issues.
This workshop will be moderated by Lew Zaretzki
The implementation of AI in medicine through cloud computing, distributed systems, and large language models is revolutionizing healthcare by making advanced AI tools more accessible for a range of less computationally intensive applications. This synergy is crucial for leveraging the vast repositories of publicly available knowledge and data to enhance healthcare outcomes. However, the healthcare sector faces unique challenges due to its fragmented data infrastructure and stringent governance of private data. Key obstacles include privacy laws, diverse stewardship practices, and the compartmentalized nature of patient data across medical record silos. These factors create significant barriers to data sharing, especially for longitudinal patient data, which is essential for training and deploying AI solutions in healthcare and clinical genomics.
The principles of Provenance, Appropriability, Governance, Monetization, along with transaction costs, present opportunities where Web3 technology could offer innovative solutions to navigating the data soup. Blockchain technology, with its decentralized ledgers and smart contracts, offers the potential to streamline these challenges by enhancing security, transparency, and efficiency in data transactions. Emerging tools and technologies can foster a healthcare data ecosystem capable of overcoming current obstacles in data management and sharing, ultimately leading to improved healthcare outcomes.
This workshop will be moderated by Rick Silva
In today’s globally competitive market, strategic partnerships are increasingly—and necessarily—international in nature. M&A, investment, licensing, and other partnering opportunities raise cross-border considerations that require a global outlook and experience. This session will bring together seasoned legal, business, and policy professionals from a variety of industries to explore best practices for navigating cross-border issues arising from global strategic partnerships in a way that aligns with broader business strategy goals. Panelists will share insights on:
This discussion is designed for corporate executives, in-house counsel, and licensing professionals seeking to navigate the complex interplay between IP assets and business growth strategies. By examining global strategic partnerships through the lens of IP, business growth, and international policy, this session will provide actionable insights for companies seeking to maximize the value of their innovations and expand their footprint in current and new markets around the world.
This workshop will be moderated by Nirav Desai
Background & Value Proposition
Today, companies considering how to realize the value of their hard-earned intellectual property (IP) are faced with numerous and often confounding decisions. Tried and true strategies may no longer be optimal in a shifting global environment that has experienced escalating cost, complexity, and scope as well as turnover of relevant players in recent years.
This workshop brings together industry veterans who will share solutions for developing strategies to optimize IP value in today’s market while managing legal and financial risk.
Workshop Goals
Attendees will gain insights into:
This workshop will be moderated by Joseph Loy
Brands are more than just trademarks; they are powerful assets that can drive growth and expanded relevance. This session will discuss strategies for leveraging brands into valuable licenses. In particular, it will explore case studies showcasing successful brand-driven partnerships and IP initiatives. Additionally, this session will discuss how IP owners have strategically deployed brand assets to create new opportunities, drive strategic visibility, grow brand strength, and create revenue streams.
In today’s knowledge economy, intellectual property (IP) has become a central driver of corporate value, particularly for companies rooted in research and development. This panel will bring together leaders of three publicly traded technology companies with foundations in the generation and monetization of industry-leading innovations. The panelists will share their insights on issues including:
This session is moderated by Gregory Lundell
The panel, comprising strategic advisors and biopharmaceutical industry leaders with extensive experience managing life sciences deals, will present and discuss anecdotal experience and research findings which seem to suggest that the majority of life sciences acquisitions start out as licensing discussions.
The panel will also delve into strategic considerations that both prospective sellers/licensors and buyers/licensees should consider when pursuing these life sciences transactions. The panel will discuss the ramifications of these findings and consider questions such as:
This session will be moderated by Adam Falconi.
In this session we will review the results from the 2025 high-tech royalty rate survey that closed prior to the Boston meeting. With over 15 years of data from prior surveys, we will review deal term trends that other royalty rate providers cannot provide. The LES surveys get their data directly from the licensors/licensees making it the truest form of IP licensing data available on the market.
This workshop will be moderated by Bob Held
As a non-profit organization focusing on innovation and entrepreneurship (I&E), VentureWell partners with government agencies, higher education institutions and industry to explore pathways for technology transfer and I&E education with a view toward maximum societal impact. In furtherance of its mission, VentureWell is collaborating with the Licensing Executive Society (LES), Federal Lab Consortium (FLC), mentors from the non-profit Venture Mentor Team (VMT), and investment professionals from Highway Ventures, on an initiative modeled after FLC’s FLEX Program. The initiative, FLIPspace (“FLIP” is an acronym for “Federal Lab Intellectual Property”), aims to increase awareness of translational opportunities for federal inventions while providing I&E training for innovators with experience or interest in federal science and technology.
Participants in the FLIPspace program include teams of university researchers (faculty and students) that learn intellectual property and licensing basics via LES education modules, and also gain skills in value proposition identification, customer discovery, market assessment, and the art/science of pitching new ventures. Program participants use their newly acquired skills and learnings to develop an opportunity/commercialization/venture assessment for federal inventions selected from a pool of patented technologies curated by FLC. They also engage with investors from Highway Ventures and VMT mentors to receive guidance on technology value propositions, possible use cases and business development. The capstone experience for FLIPspace is a pitch event where each team will present its opportunity assessment to Highway Ventures and a panel of judges.
This workshop will be moderated by Ernest Davis
Business collaborations like joint ventures, licenses, and other partnering arrangements often present meaningful opportunities for growth and the creation of value. Unfortunately, the life cycle of business collaborations–from evaluating potential partners, to negotiating and operating under collaboration agreements, to unwinding collaborations—is fraught with intellectual property risks. The session will highlight significant issues and best practices throughout the life cycle of business collaborations, including issues in conducting diligence and choosing a partner, to establishing clear IP ownership, the loss of control over proprietary data, and mitigating trade secret misappropriation claims when collaborations go awry or even end on seemingly amenable terms.
This workshop will be moderated by Ian DiBernardo
The speakers have been involved in some of the most notable patent programs and litigation in the last few years, both in the U.S. and in various countries overseas, and will bring unique perspectives and offer valuable practice tips.
The panel will present fresh content on the hottest issues in IP damages of the year, discuss trends, and offer practice tips, in i) global IP enforcement including how to build an effective global IP portfolio and how recent changes in damages law should be considered in building a global IP portfolio, ii) what currently is keeping licensing deals from getting done and how to cut through the red tape, and iii) an identification of the most impactful recent court decisions and how they are affecting patent damages, valuation, and deal flow.
This workshop will be moderated by Kevin Schubert
1./ Navigating Patent Licensing and Influence on Cost in the Electric Vehicle Industry
2./ Global Perspectives on EV Patent Licensing and Litigation
3./ Patent Litigation and Dispute Resolution in EV Technologies
4./ Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) in Electric Vehicle Technology
This workshop will be moderated by Wei Shi
Access to materials, including patient samples, is critical for clinically-relevant research and development of diagnostics, therapeutics, and healthcare solutions. Mired in varied policies and guidelines of different non-profit and for-profit entities within as well as across geographies, negotiations and contractual delays are a significant roadblock for R&D efforts to combat unmet patient needs. In this workshop, leaders and founders will present pragmatic approaches and unique solutions to streamline access to materials across barriers. By facilitating faster materials and data sharing legally, scientists, patients, patient-advocates, and companies will be empowered to develop and deploy life-saving solutions.
This workshop will be moderated by Vaibhav Saini
Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly pervasive in all aspects of life, and it’s important to understand both the opportunities and risks associated with this technology. The panel will discuss a range of topics related to AI, including different types of AI systems and how they work, challenges in developing AI systems, and different applications of AI systems. Panelists will also present on what it means to use AI responsibly, risks associated with using AI (including bias) and best practices in managing these risks. Further, implications for Licensing of AI technologies will be considered, including what can be done to manage risks associated with using and licensing output of AI systems, and how to negotiate and manage transactions in which AI will be provided as a service. (This program description was prepared with the assistance of ChatGPT.)
This workshop will be moderated by Jason Gish
This session will be a conclusion to a battery series put on by the Physical Sciences Sector. We will summarize the prior sessions focused on battery basics/issues; battery players, supply chain/eco system; and the interaction with corporate, government, and academic players.
This session will be moderated by Nicoletta M. Kennedy
This session will explore the most common mistakes made when drafting and negotiating complex license and joint development agreements. The speakers will provide real world examples both from their own experience and recent cases to demonstrate where parties most often go wrong. They will also provide advice on how to draft agreements to avoid these mistakes. Topics will include, among others, IP ownership and licensing provisions in joint development agreements, royalty clauses, indemnification, and termination provisions.
This session will be moderated by Brian Kacedon.
Time and risk are critical factors in both IP deal-making and litigation, yet its impact on valuation is often oversimplified or overlooked. This interactive workshop examines how timing and various risk factors affects the value of IP across different scenarios. Through practical examples, we’ll explore key considerations that can significantly impact deal outcomes and litigation strategies.
Our expert panel will demonstrate how to effectively incorporate time value of money and risk factors into valuation analyses, including:
Participants will learn practical techniques for quantifying time-based finance and risk factors and communicating their significance to stakeholders. Our panellists will share their experiences in addressing these challenges, offering concrete strategies that participants can apply in their own practice. Whether you’re involved in licensing negotiations, litigation, or strategic IP planning, understanding how to properly assess and communicate time-based factors is crucial for optimizing outcomes.
This session will be moderated by Adam Falconer.
Counterfeit patented products, like fake fentanyl causing deaths, toys made from toxic materials, batteries, or defective military components, threaten consumer safety and national security. China, producing 80% of global counterfeits, often linked to state-sponsored IP theft, undermines U.S. technological leadership, escalating strategic competition. Dupes, fast fashion, disposable commerce contributes over 10% of global carbon emissions. Copyright and Trademark law enjoy criminal penalties. Why not patents? This panel responds to a recent call to action and a time when AI and a trade war with China are changing how we look at incentives.
“Easy things will happen when you actually try to do the hard things, on principle. I think it’s about time for folks to shock the system and introduce and support criminalization of willful violation and infringement of patent laws. You should be subject to criminal penalties for violations of other people’s intellectual property laws. That’s the best way to introduce a debate of morality into the system.” – April 1, 2025, Makan Delrahim, former Assistant Attorney General in charge of the US Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division, speaking at the annual LeadershIP conference hosted by the Center for Strategic & International Studies.
Under U.S. law, patent infringement is primarily addressed through civil remedies, such as damages and injunctions. For willful infringement, enhanced damages up to three times the assessed amount can be awarded, but criminal penalties are not currently available. In contrast, trademark counterfeiting (18 U.S.C. § 2320) and copyright infringement (17 U.S.C. § 1204) can result in imprisonment and fines, with examples like up to 10 years in prison for trademark counterfeiting and $500,000 fines for copyright infringement. It seems likely that civil remedies are inadequate against “efficient infringers”—large entities that can afford to pay damages and continue infringing. Criminal penalties could provide a stronger deterrent, especially for organized counterfeiting networks operating online and for addressing China’s complicity in using its control of supply chains to shove source material into drug labs. Criminal penalties could counter state-sponsored counterfeiting, ensuring U.S. innovation and thus economic and national security.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming how organizations evaluate, commercialize, and license intellectual property (IP). As AI-driven tools become more sophisticated, they are reshaping technology assessment methodologies, streamlining commercialization pathways, enhancing IP marketing strategies, and optimizing licensing negotiations. However, navigating this shift presents both opportunities and challenges for technology transfer offices, corporate innovation teams, IP attorneys, and licensing professionals.
This roundtable will bring together experts to discuss the evolving role of AI in technology assessment, licensing strategies, and IP commercialization. Key discussion points will include:
Participants will gain insight into real-world applications of AI in the IP ecosystem, explore emerging trends, and exchange strategies for successfully integrating AI into their commercialization and licensing efforts. This interactive session will foster a dynamic discussion between industry leaders, university representatives, and technology commercialization professionals, offering a valuable opportunity to share experiences and identify best practices for maximizing AI’s impact in the IP space.
Session Format: This 45-minute roundtable will feature two moderators guiding an engaging conversation among participants, ensuring diverse perspectives and interactive dialogue. Attendees will be encouraged to share their experiences, challenges, and strategies in leveraging AI for IP commercialization, valuation, and licensing.
Target Audience: This session is ideal for professionals in technology transfer offices, corporate innovation teams, legal and IP strategy roles, licensing executives, and those involved in AI-driven commercialization initiatives. Participants will leave with actionable insights on how AI is shaping the future of technology assessment, licensing, and commercialization.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is progressively playing a pivotal role in transforming the biopharmaceutical licensing landscape, influencing every stage from drug discovery to deal-making. As the USPTO and FDA issue new guidance, and the industry embraces rapid technological advancements, AI’s impact in licensing transactions has become a topic of both excitement and scepticism. Some argue that the technology may oversimplify complex human decision-making processes, while others see it as a tool that enhances human expertise. In this interactive roundtable session, we will delve into how AI is revolutionizing the licensing process, specifically its applications in due diligence, asset valuation, and contract structuring.
This session will be a collaborative discussion, where attendees will have the opportunity to share their own experiences, insights, and challenges with AI in their licensing practices. Attendees will leave the roundtable session with an understanding of how AI is currently being applied in key aspects of biopharmaceutical licensing, recognizing both the significant advantages as well as the potential risks and limitations, alongside the knowledge of how to strategically incorporate AI in their licensing processes.
By the time the 2025 LES AM meeting takes place, the new European Unified Patent Court (UPC) will have passed its second anniversary. The UPC has been described by numerous experienced U.S. patent litigation attorneys as a game-changer in global litigation. It offers fast and cost-effective means for enforcing patent rights in Europe, such as securing preliminary injunctions within 3-4 months and permanent injunctions in approximately 12-14 months. These outcomes can then be leveraged to resolve disputes in other key jurisdictions, including the United States. Indeed, over the past two years, an increasing number of global disputes have been settled after being brought before the UPC.
Our proposed session will delve into some of the most significant UPC decisions, shedding light on emerging trends. Additionally, the session will explore strategies for preparing patent portfolios for UPC litigation and the necessity of adjusting licensing and co-ownership agreements to accommodate the nuances of the new European patent system.
In sum, attendees will gain a deeper understanding of at least the following:
FinTech, or financial technology, has significantly transformed the banking and financial industry, with AI becoming increasingly central to this evolution. This transformation has led to a surge in FinTech patents, which are crucial for protecting intellectual property, driving investment, and enhancing market positioning. Europe and North America are key players in FinTech patent filings.
This panel discussion roundtable features three intellectual property experts from the U.S., Canada and Europe who explore topics such as:
Over the past two years, the UPC has handled a significant number of cases and firmly established itself as a new major court for European patent enforcement and invalidity. This session aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the European Unified Patent Court (UPC) and its impact on patent litigation across Europe since its inception on June 1st, 2023.
The session will briefly cover UPC’s structure and jurisdiction, highlighting its role in streamlining patent litigation processes and reducing costs for patent holders. With around 600 cases filed in the first 18 months, the court has already seen a wide range of patent disputes across all sectors including high-profile disputes in the biotech and pharma space. An overview of the caseload will be discussed, showcasing the diversity of cases handled by the UPC.
The session will also cover the key learnings from the UPC’s first two years. These include the court’s approach to procedural issues, the effectiveness of its digital case management system (and well overdue upgrades) along with the benefits of a unified patent litigation system for universities and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The impact of the UPC on traditional patent-rich sectors, such as life sciences, will be examined, with a focus on the mixed reception and strategic opt-outs by pharmaceutical and biotech companies.
Participants will have the opportunity to engage in discussions on the future of the UPC, including anticipated improvements in procedures and increased accessibility for users. The session will conclude with a Q&A session, allowing attendees to explore specific aspects of the UPC’s operations and its evolving role in the European patent system.
By understanding the lessons learned from the first two years of the UPC, participants will be better equipped to navigate the European patent landscape and incorporate the UPC and Unitary Patents in their patent strategies with confidence.
The UPC system has introduced new possibilities for addressing standard-essential patents (SEPs) and fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory (FRAND) licensing issues. This session explores the challenges and opportunities in determining FRAND royalty rates within the UPC framework.
As the UPC begins to handle SEP/FRAND disputes, several key questions have emerged. The court’s jurisdiction over FRAND matters, particularly in setting royalty rates, remains uncertain. While the UPC has confirmed its jurisdiction on FRAND topics, the extent of its authority in determining specific rates is still unclear.
The session will discuss potential methodologies for calculating FRAND royalties, drawing comparisons with approaches used in other jurisdictions. As well as the UPC’s stance on global rate-setting and its handling of portfolio-wide assessments will also be examined.
In today’s dynamic IP landscape, the ability to accurately forecast costs is critical for effective budgeting and strategic decision-making. Yet, for many organizations, IP cost forecasting remains a complex and opaque process, often relying on historical trends and best guesses rather than data-driven insights. Inaccurate forecasts can erode trust between the IP department and the C-Suite, creating friction in strategic planning.
This roundtable will transform the way you think about IP cost forecasting, providing clarity and confidence in your decision-making.
Hear directly from C-Suite executives about the challenges posed by inaccurate cost projections and their impact on long-term growth strategies. Gain insights from IP budget owners who struggle to understand available options and the financial implications of their choices. Discover how modeling various growth, maintenance, and filing scenarios can illuminate potential costs and their influence on future portfolio value.
From jurisdictional filings to maintenance fees to portfolio expansion, you will learn how to move beyond static budgets and embrace dynamic, scenario-based forecasting. Our expert-led session will describe practical tools and techniques to help you:
By the end of this roundtable, you will have a better appreciation for what drives your IP costs and see how a robust framework for modeling the future with greater precision and confidence can eliminate guesswork and deliver clear, actionable forecasts.
Who Should Attend:
Take control of your IP costs. Model the possibilities. Forecast with clarity. Optimize for success.
Startups operate in high-stakes, fast-moving environments—and their approach to intellectual property can make or break their growth. This roundtable explores emerging trends in startup IP strategy and how IP advisors can work more effectively with founders to build value, secure investment, and support long-term success. From prioritizing filings to navigating licensing and aligning IP with business goals, we’ll discuss real-world tactics for turning IP into a strategic asset—not just a legal checkbox. Whether you’re advising startups or building one, this session offers practical insights into a better, more collaborative approach to IP.
Data and intellectual property (IP) are the fuel that powers AI systems. Without a steady stream of high-quality data, AI systems will not reach their full potential and deliver on their promised value.
Current AI/LLM data collection practices, however, treat data and IP as homogenous commodities. Moreover, current AI data scraping practices exclude data/IP owners from economic participation in the AI value chain. As a result, lawsuits have been filed by data/IP owners and industry associations seeking to protect their rights and to secure fair compensation for the use of their proprietary data and IP.
While there is broad consensus around AI’s transformative value to society, the sustainability of the current AI ecosystem remains uncertain. AI companies have yet to establish well-defined business practices that support their transformative goals while also respecting the IP rights of data/content owners. These issues are further complicated by the peculiarities that U.S.-based AI providers and content owners must consider with respect to the EU market.
In this roundtable, we will explore how the introduction of an efficient platform for market-based price discovery, licensing, tracking and monetizing data/IP used by AI & Agentive systems at scale can enable a fair, transparent & sustainable AI economy for all. An accountable ecosystem for data/IP rights facilitates access to the high-quality data AI needs to solve global problems and rewards data/IP owners for their contributions. With an efficient market platform, the attribution, obligations, rights and royalties of creative works & technical collaborations can be measured, monetized and distributed in real time.
Licensing is all you need!
Interested in being involved in the planning of LESI2026 in Dublin, Ireland? Join the President of LES Britain & Ireland at this roundtable to find out more!
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Prof. Traverso will aim to review ongoing efforts towards the development of drug delivery and sensing technologies capable of operating in extreme environment like the gastrointestinal tract and others. Specifically, he will present advances in materials science, device development and translational efforts towards addressing medication non-adherence and the dosing of macromolecules as well as development of closed-loop systems.
This session is moderated by Nabeela Rasheed and Pamela L. Cox
This session is also sponsored by 
Hear war stories and learn practical strategies from experts who have experienced the good, the bad, and the ugly of partnering in the life sciences. Panelists will discuss: Initial Considerations – when to partner vs. go it alone; The Good – factors that lead to a successful partnership, from the pre-term sheet stage, through agreement drafting, and during the partnership; The Bad – hurdles to a productive partnership; and The Ugly – buyer’s remorse and how to handle a partnership that has turned sour. Panelists draw from legal and business development experience in the big pharma and biotech spaces, having represented companies from both the licensor and licensee perspective.
This workshop will be moderated by Scott Forman and Nishla Keiser
In an era of increasing complexity, companies are turning to data-driven insights to navigate IP strategy. Whether it’s medical device companies analyzing litigation data to assess risks from technology convergence or semiconductor firms using benchmark IP data to “right size “their portfolios, leveraging data can unlock value, mitigate risk, and drive smarter decisions.
This panel will explore real-world applications of IP analytics in litigation, licensing, and transactions—highlighting how businesses use data to refine strategies, manage portfolios, and stay competitive.
Join us for a discussion on the evolving role of data in IP decision-making and the best practices shaping the future.
This workshop will be moderated by Sam Wiley
With 16 million active patents globally and innovation accelerating at an unprecedented pace, how can corporations and entrepreneurs maximize value from intellectual property?
This dynamic fireside chat will explore how organizations can extract maximum value from their intellectual property assets through strategic technology transfers and alternative commercialization pathways. Led by industry veterans with extensive experience in both corporate and entrepreneurial settings, this session will include practical insights into identifying, analyzing, and executing effective technology commercialization initiatives.
The discussion will begin by examining what makes technologies ideal candidates for external commercialization, including market potential, disruptive nature, and strong IP protection. Our experts will then delve into the critical factors for selecting the right commercialization partners, balancing interests between parent corporations and new entities, and overcoming common challenges in establishing independent operations.
Participants will hear about innovative models of partnering with multinational corporations to commercialize high-potential technologies through dedicated new companies, while also gaining valuable legal and strategic perspectives from extensive experience with corporate technology transfers across multiple industries.
Through real-world case studies and lessons learned, attendees will gain actionable strategies for:
This session is designed for corporate IP managers, licensing executives, technology transfer professionals, and entrepreneurs looking to optimize value creation from intellectual property assets, whether you’re a seasoned IP executive looking to optimize your portfolio or a professional seeking to understand different options. Discover how to identify the right commercialization solution and partner to meet your organization’s strategic needs while gaining actionable insights and strategies.
This workshop will be conducted in a talk show format, featuring an engaging Q&A style that encourages audience participation. Bring your questions and prepare for an interactive session that could transform your IP strategy!
This workshop will be moderated by Brice Dubosq
This session is also sponsored by 
Complex collaboration and license agreements, no matter how carefully drafted, rely heavily on a collaborative relationship, aligned incentives and trust. The scope of each party’s IP, the size and breadth of each party’s business, and other party-specific factors influence every deal and negotiation.
What happens when one partner is acquired and suddenly there is a new partner at the table? What if the acquiror is a competitor or developing competing technology?
This panel will discuss provisions designed to prepare for these situations. We will discuss treatment of acquiror IP, firewalls and other restrictions, and potential ability to get out of the deal in the event of a change of control. We will also address practical concerns for companies operating under such provisions after undergoing a change of control.
This workshop will be moderated by Sarah Cooleybeck
A panel of Royalty Auditors and Licensing Professionals from for-profit corporations, and leading research institutions will discuss efficient and effective ways to monitor licensee compliance and ensure collections of all amounts due under your license. The panellists will share real world experiences of best practices as well as lessons learned from some not-so-best practices. Attendees will be encouraged to actively participate by sharing their own experiences as well as by asking questions of the panel and other attendees.
Areas of focus:
Examples of compliance projects that can increase the likelihood that the licensor is receiving all of the money due under a license
This workshop will be moderated by Debora Rose
China’s intellectual property protection landscape has undergone significant transformation in recent years. This workshop aims to bridge the knowledge gap by presenting vivid cases of China’s strengthening IP regime and its practical implications for foreign rights holders. The session will cover three key areas that demonstrate China’s commitment to IP protection:
First, we will examine the reformed judicial framework, including specialized IP courts and their track record in handling foreign-related cases.
Second, we’ll discuss the substantial increase in damage awards, particularly following the 2020 amendments to the Patent Law and recent judicial interpretations. We’ll introduce cases where Chinese and foreign companies received significant compensation, demonstrating China’s serious approach to deterring infringement.
Finally, we’ll address the development of China’s IP infrastructure, including the establishment of the IP Court (appellate tribunal) within the Supreme People’s Court, and how these changes align with international standards and benefit IP rights holders. The workshop will conclude with practical guidance for foreign companies on developing effective IP strategies in China, emphasizing opportunities while acknowledging challenges that remain to be addressed.
This workshop will be moderated by Shaohui Yuan
In 1964, the Supreme Court ruled in Brulotte v. Thys Co. that “a patentee’s use of a royalty agreement that projects beyond the expiration date of the patent is unlawful per se.” The Supreme Court reaffirmed this rule in a 2015 decision, Kimble v. Marvel Entm’t., that asserted: “The [Brulotte] decision is simplicity itself to apply.”
However, recent 3rd Circuit and 9th Circuit rulings demonstrate that parties continue to dispute when Brulotte should apply. See C.R. Bard, Inc. v. Atrium Med. Corp., 112 F.4th 1182 (9th Cir. 2024); Ares Trading S.A. v. Dyax Corp., 114 F.4th 123 (3d Cir. 2024).
Our session will provide an overview of the Brulotte rule, discuss recent caselaw applying it, and provide tips on how to spot problematic royalty durations in patent licenses and avoid Brulotte’s pitfalls.
IP sales, licensing and enforcement is being fuelled by legal finance. While litigation funding is a large part of the financial ecosystem, litigation finance is just the tip of the iceberg. Attendees will learn how IP finance can be used to close licensing deals, accelerate revenue, and finance growth, as well as fund licensing and enforcement campaigns.
It has been almost 20 years since the SCOTUS decided the eBay case, which replaced the Federal Circuit’s general presumption that absent exceptional circumstances, prevailing patent owners were entitled to an injunction. Since then, other venues have become popular forums to seek an injunction. This session explores the injunctive relief remedies available at different venues – U.S. Federal Court, the International Trade Commission, and the UPC – comparing and contrasting the proofs necessary to obtain an injunction, as well as the benefits and challenges of the different venues.
The landscape of design protection and enforcement is rapidly evolving, particularly as digital transformation and emerging technology reshapes traditional industries and creates new categories of protectable designs.
This roundtable will explore design protection and enforcement across multiple sectors and jurisdictions (e.g., new EU design reform, 2021 amendments to China’s Patent Act), with a special focus on recent legal developments, licensing strategies, and economic considerations.
Our focus is on practical strategies for building comprehensive design protection portfolios throughout the business lifecycle, leveraging multiple forms of IP protection (design patents, copyrights, and trade dress).
In addition to current insights for protecting design elements, the panel will address enforcement considerations and techniques, as well as provide insights relating to quantifying damages for design disputes, particularly valuation approaches where performance data (such as comparable licensing rates) may be limited.
The increasing reliance on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) has heightened the value of large-scale data lakes. Effectively monetizing these vast repositories of structured and unstructured data requires innovative licensing models, robust governance frameworks, and strategic partnerships. This panel will bring together leading licensing executives, legal experts, and AI innovators to discuss the evolving landscape of data lake monetization, key regulatory considerations, and best practices for maximizing the commercial potential of data lakes.
This panel will provide invaluable insights into the latest trends, challenges, and best practices for licensing executives seeking to navigate the rapidly evolving world of AI-driven data monetization. Attendees will gain practical strategies for optimizing the value of data assets while ensuring compliance and mitigating risk in an increasingly complex regulatory landscape.
This roundtable aims to delve into the role of intellectual property rights (IPR) in accelerating innovations within the agritech sector so as to help enhance global food security. As the world grapples with the challenges of feeding a growing population sustainably, agritech innovations are crucial. However, the protection and management of these innovations through IPR can significantly influence their development and dissemination.
Key Topics:
1. Introduction to Intellectual Property Rights (IPR):
2. Agritech Innovations:
3. IPR as a Catalyst for Innovation:
4. Challenges and Opportunities:
5. Case Studies and Best Practices:
By the end of this roundtable, attendees will have a comprehensive understanding of how intellectual property rights can drive innovation in agriculture, ultimately contributing to sustainable food security for future generations.
This roundtable will explore how key players in the technology standard setting field leverage trademark assets to enhance their business strategies and create significant value. The panel discussion will delve into how such players integrate trademark assets (together with their patent assets) into their overall business strategy, common challenges faced in leveraging trademarks, and insights into the future of trademarks as an asset class.
Licensing disputes frequently arise from alleged breaches of confidentiality, non-payment of royalties, field-of-use violations, or indemnification breakdowns…and they can also derail valuable partnerships. This roundtable explores how IP insurance is increasingly being used as a strategic tool to manage these risks. We’ll examine how coverage for contract breach, contract enforcement, and contractual indemnification obligations can mitigate uncertainty, protect both licensors and licensees, and facilitate smoother negotiations. Attendees will gain insights into how these policies function in real-world IP licensing relationships and how insurance can shift risk away from the deal table.
The groundbreaking discoveries and inventions made fifty years ago at academic centers such as Stanford and U California (recombinant DNA and genetic engineering), and MRC in Cambridge, UK (monoclonal antibodies) quickly led to the concept of monetizing biology. And the new commercial biology gave rise to the intellectual property (IP) regimes with which we live today. Based on the author’s own and others’ IP cases—which are examined at length in the author’s recent book of the same title—the talk will discuss fights over the ownership of body parts, patents on living beings, and the appearance of technology cycles involving university-industry collaborations. We will delve into specific disputes that have arisen out of such collaborations, such as the licensing of diagnostic patent thickets and CRISPR gene editing.
This session is sponsored by 
Physical Sciences (Salons A & B, 4th floor)
High Tech (Salons C & D, 4th floor)
Brands as a Business (Vermont, 5th floor)
IUGI (Industry, University, Government Interface) (Provincetown, 4th floor)
Sponsored by 
The biotech industry got its birth with the foundation of Genentech in 1976 and so is fast approaching its 50th birthday. Its fundamental business model – partnering with big pharma – is not much younger, dating to Genentech’s 1978 deal with Eli Lilly for human insulin.
Deal terms have changed beyond all recognition over the half century. Genentech was able to acquire rights to the mAb that went on to be the first mAb for cancer, Rituxan, from IDEC in March 1995 for just $56.5 million plus a share of profits in the US and tiered royalties in RoW. Rituxan went on to become a $7 billion drug, making this one of the deals of the century.
Valuations have changed drastically since the 1990’s. This panel will look at data on deals terms over this period and representatives of academia, biotech and pharma will discuss how their sector’s perspectives have changed over time.
This workshop will be moderated by Ashley Stevens
Patent disputes across multiple jurisdictions are extremely costly for both patent owners and accused infringers, often taking years to resolve. Patent owners face the risk that their patents may be found non-infringed, invalid, unenforceable, or worth less than expected. As legal cases progress in courts around the world, patent owners often spend significant resources without generating any licensing revenue. In many cases, they are forced to sue multiple accused infringers simultaneously, which only exacerbates the situation. Accused infringers, on the other hand, face major business risks, including court-ordered injunctions or licensing terms that are financially unsustainable. These challenges can severely limit their ability to form profitable partnerships or secure customer deals for the allegedly infringing products and services while litigation is ongoing. As litigation becomes more costly and resource-intensive, both parties are motivated to settle on licensing terms. Reaching an agreement allows them to shift their focus from ongoing disputes to advancing innovation and commercialization efforts that benefit everyone.
This program will examine why parties often struggle to reach licensing agreements that could resolve their conflicts and how mediation – especially when protected by a federally recognized mediation privilege – can help close these gaps. The topics for the roundtable will include: 1) The Pros and Cons of Mediating Patent License Disputes; 2) Opportunities to Promote Successful Approaches to Patent License Mediation; and 3)The Mediation Privilege: Gaps and how to close them.
This workshop will be moderated by Michael Atlass
This workshop is moderated by David McIntosh.
This session is sponsored by
This panel provides an update on IP valuation in various areas during the past year, including IP transactions, court- or jury-awarded damages, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), startup, and other IP-intensive or IP-oriented transactions such as litigation financing, distress assets investments, and private equity investments. The expert speakers in this panel, including economists, financial analysts, and an AI technologist, are from the areas of IP portfolio management, IP valuation, IP transactions, IP damages and AI technology.
The panelists will present the market transaction data from the relevant market segments, demonstrate the trends in IP valuation, usage of AI in IP valuation and patent transactions and presents their forecasts based on the market dynamics revealed by the data. Some of the key issues that the panel will address include:
This workshop will be moderated by Jack Lu
This panel will discuss the advantages of the UPC system for patentees and how they can be leveraged for global litigation, including US infringement proceedings. Discussions will include leveraging the advantages of the short deadlines of the UPC system, utilizing the preliminary cross-border injunctions for UPC and non-UPC states, cross-jurisdictional evidentiary tools available between the UPC and the US, and the UPC’s impact on global litigation funding. The panelists will discuss both procedural and jurisdictional strategies within the UPC (and US Courts for evidentiary tools) to further benefit global disputes. This panel is for in-house counsel and litigation attorneys participating in global or US/EU patent disputes that wish to leverage the benefits of the UPC system to further their global/US litigation goals.
This workshop will be moderated by Stacey Dunn
This session will identify the Top 10 court decisions over the past year that affect licensing. It will discuss each case and explore the implications for drafting and negotiating patent license agreements. Russell will highlight the issues these cases raise and make suggestions for ways to address those issues when drafting and negotiating agreements.
This Keynote is sponsored by
Say farewell at our closing reception at Boston Marriott Copley Place!
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We are happy to announce that we are now adding an extra day to the program!
REGISTERED LESAM25 DELEGATES CAN ATTEND FOR FREE! Note: registration is mandatory.
For more information on the program and registration, click here.
We are happy to announce that we are now adding an extra day to the program!
REGISTERED LESAM25 DELEGATES CAN ATTEND FOR FREE! Note: registration is mandatory.
For more information on the program and registration, click here.
We are happy to announce that we are now adding an extra day to the program!
REGISTERED LESAM25 DELEGATES CAN ATTEND FOR FREE! Note: registration is mandatory.
For more information on the program and registration, click here.
We are happy to announce that we are now adding an extra day to the program!
REGISTERED LESAM25 DELEGATES CAN ATTEND FOR FREE! Note: registration is mandatory.
For more information on the program and registration, click here.
