Conference Agenda & Speakers for IPPI’s 2026 Winter Institute: IP and National Success
Registration & Breakfast (7:45 – 8:50 AM) – Sponsorship available!
Welcoming Remarks (8:50 – 9:00 AM)
- Joshua A. Kresh, Executive Director, IPPI: The IP Policy Institute, The University of Akron School of Law (bio)
- Mark F. Schultz, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company Endowed Chair in Intellectual Property Law; Director, Intellectual Property and Technology Law Program; Faculty Chair & Senior Scholar, IPPI: The IP Policy Institute, The University of Akron School of Law (bio)
Panel 1: The U.S. as a Leader in Innovation and IP Policy (9:00 – 10:15 AM)
As international markets become increasingly competitive, how can the United States maintain its position as a global leader in innovation and creativity for the sake of both economy and national security? This panel will discuss the right balance of policies needed to support investments in creativity and innovation, including a discussion of how government funding for basic science and technology transfer enable innovation, the integral role that the Bayh-Dole Act plays in supporting U.S. innovation, and how to ensure creators are fairly compensated for their works. The panel will also consider the best approaches to maintaining global cooperation and the United States’ leadership in IP policy, especially in the age of AI.
- Kelly Anderson, Vice President, International Policy, U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Global Innovation Policy Center (GIPC) (bio)
- Mark Cohen, Senior Fellow for China IP & Scholar, IPPI: The IP Policy Institute, The University of Akron School of Law (bio)
- Stephen Ezell, Vice President, Global Innovation Policy, and Director, Center for Life Sciences Innovation, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) (bio)
- Jamie Simpson, Chief Policy Officer and Counsel, Council for Innovation Promotion (C4IP) (bio)
- Moderator: Joshua A. Kresh, Executive Director, IPPI: The IP Policy Institute, The University of Akron School of Law (bio)
Break (10:15 – 10:30 AM) – Sponsorship available!
Panel 2: Litigation Leadership (10:30 – 11:45 AM)
Major IP litigation used to be primarily focused on the United States and in U.S. courts. In the past decade, in part because of changes to U.S. law, major cases have moved to other jurisdictions (the UK, Unified Patent Court, Germany, China, and Brazil). This panel will discuss where litigation is happening, why the United States has lost favor (including a lack of injunctions as one reason), and what we can do to change that. Additionally, this panel will consider the broader implications of the globalization of IP litigation for patent policy and national leadership.
- David J. Kappos, Partner, Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP; Former Under Secretary of Commerce and Director, United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) (bio)
- Courtney Quish, Managing Director, Head of Asset Management, Intellectual Property Finance Group, Fortress Investment Group (bio)
- Laurie Self, Senior Vice President & Counsel, Government Affairs, Qualcomm (bio)
- Philip Warrick, Counsel, Irell & Manella LLP (bio)
- Moderator: Kristen Osenga, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs; Julie & John Nowak Faculty Research Scholar and Professor of Law, University of Richmond School of Law; Senior Fellow for Innovation Policy & Senior Scholar, IPPI: The IP Policy Institute, The University of Akron School of Law (bio)
Keynote Lunch (11:45 AM – 1:00 PM)
Panel 3: The Future of the U.S. as a Life Sciences Innovator (1:00 – 2:15 PM)
The United States has long been a global leader in healthcare innovation, and maintaining that leadership is vital both to keeping the country’s competitive edge and to ensuring its ability to respond to the next pandemic. This panel will examine current threats to the legal infrastructure supporting life sciences innovation, especially in the pharmaceutical sector, and consider how we can preserve our leadership in the life sciences.
- Tonya Combs, Senior Vice President – General Patent Counsel, Eli Lilly and Company
- Erika Lietzan, Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development; William H. Pittman Professor of Law; Timothy J. Heinsz Professor of Law, University of Missouri School of Law; Senior Scholar, IPPI: The IP Policy Institute, The University of Akron School of Law (bio)
- Corey Salsberg, Vice President, Global Head IP Affairs, Novartis (bio)
- Moderator: Emily Michiko Morris, David L. Brennan Endowed Chair and Associate Director of the Center for Intellectual Property Law & Technology, The University of Akron School of Law; Associate Faculty Chair, Senior Fellow for Life Sciences, & Senior Scholar, IPPI: The IP Policy Institute, The University of Akron School of Law (bio)
Break (2:15 – 2:30 PM) – Sponsorship available!
Panel 4: IP and the Startup Economy (2:30 – 3:45 PM)
Markets thrive on competition, but innovative firms also need to secure their assets in order to bring fresh, new ideas and products to the market. This panel will examine IP’s essential role in helping startups to attract investment and protect their innovations. Small firms are a great source of economic and job growth, providing the kind of technological agility that is essential to a flourishing national economy. We will discuss the right mix of policies to ensure that IP rights support the startup economy.
- Ashlyn Roberts, Vice President of Government Affairs, National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) (bio)
- Zvi Rosen, Associate Professor of Law, University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law; Copyright Fellow & Scholar, IPPI: The IP Policy Institute, The University of Akron School of Law (bio)
- Mark F. Schultz, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company Endowed Chair in Intellectual Property Law; Director, Intellectual Property and Technology Law Program; Faculty Chair & Senior Scholar, IPPI: The IP Policy Institute, The University of Akron School of Law (bio)
- Robert P. Taylor, Owner and Founder, RPT Legal Strategies PC
- Moderator: Michael Doane, Assistant Professor of Law, The University of Akron School of Law (bio)
Break (3:45 – 4:00 PM) – Sponsorship available!
Panel 5: Copyright, AI, and National Competitiveness (4:00 – 5:15 PM)
It is an often-cited statistic that the U.S. creative industries drive the market for entertainment, education, news, and creative and social media content that likewise benefit the technology used to create and consume this content around the world. Creative industries collectively add more than $2.09 trillion to the U.S GDP. Why then do we so often hear calls to dismantle the copyright system that fuels this market? As the United States hones its AI agenda, how can we assure that it promotes AI leadership while protecting American intellectual property—in this case, copyrights—in order to enhance our national competitiveness? How can we capitalize on our leadership in both the AI and the creative industries rather than cannibalize one for the sake of the other? Panelists will consider these questions and more.
- Jon M. Garon, Associate Dean for Technology and Innovation; Director, Goodwin Program for Society, Technology, and the Law; and Professor of Law, Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad College of Law; Senior Scholar, IPPI: The IP Policy Institute, The University of Akron School of Law (bio)
- Maria A. Pallante, President and CEO, Association of American Publishers (bio)
- Rama G. Elluru, Senior Director, Special Competitive Studies Project – SCSP (bio)
- Moderator: Sandra Aistars, Distinguished Counselor in Residence and Professor of Law, IPPI: The IP Policy Institute, The University of Akron School of Law (bio)