The 15th Annual - 2026 USD School of Law Patent Law Conference
The annual USD School of Law Patent Law Conference is sponsored by the Center for Intellectual Property Law and Markets. First held in 2011, the conference brings together some of the top intellectual property legal minds in the region including judges, attorneys, scholars and industry leaders.
Every fourth year, the conference is combined with PatCon—the largest annual conference for patent scholars in the world—when USD Law hosts the event.
VENUE
Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice
| Type | Ticket Price | Early Bird (by April 3) |
| Attorney | $225 |
$175 |
|
In-House/Company Counsel or Staff (please use .com email to register) |
Free |
Free |
|
Academic, Student, Government Employee (please use .edu or .gov email to register) |
Free |
Free |
2026 Agenda (as of April 14)
Agenda will be updated as panelists are confirmed
8:00 AM - Check-in & Continental Breakfast
9:00 AM - Welcome Remarks
- Robert Schapiro, Dean and C. Hugh Friedman Professor of Law, USD School of Law
- Ted Sichelman, Professor of Law, USD School of Law
9:15 AM - Morning Keynote Address
- Judge Raymond Chen, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
- Introduction by: Nancy Linck, Former Solicitor, USPTO
10:15 AM - What’s New at the USPTO, and What It Means for Your IP Strategy
- Ryan Furtado, Intellectual Property Counsel, Viasat
- David Meyer, Associate Director, Illumina Global Intellectual Property
- Joseph Reisman, Ph.D., Partner, Knobbe Martens
- Ken Weatherwax, Partner, Lowenstein & Weatherwax
- Jane Xia, Assistant General Counsel Patents, Johnson & Johnson
- Hunter Yancey, Vice President, Patent Counsel, Qualcomm
- Moderator: Sepp Zangeneh, Partner, Patterson & Sheridan
11:15 AM - Break
11:30 AM - The Unified Patent Court: Positioning Yourself for Success
- Judge Margot Kokke, The Unified Patent Court, The Hague Local Division
- Judge Stefan Schilling, The Unified Patent Court, Hamburg Local Division
- Avi Schwartz, Vice President, IP Counsel, Edwards Lifesciences
- Shirin Tefagh '08 (JD), Sr. Director & Associate General Counsel IP, Dexcom
- Nicole Williams, Senior Director of Litigation, 10x Genomics
- Moderator: Caelia Bryn-Jacobsen, Partner, Kilburn & Strode
12:30 PM - Lunch + Fireside Chat
- Andrei Iancu, former Undersecretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)
- John Squires, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)
- Introduction by: Ted Sichelman, Professor of Law, USD School of Law
1:45 PM - Break
2:00 PM - The Modern Chief IP Counsel: Pet Peeves and Practical Solutions
- Bob Giles, SVP, Chief IP Counsel, Qualcomm
- Kaare Larson, Vice President, Intellectual Property, Dexcom
- Mike Lee, Director, Head of Patents, Google LLC
- Victoria Summers, Global IP Strategy Lead, Pfizer Inc.
- Moderator: Raymond Millien, former Chief IP Counsel, Volvo Car Group
3:00 PM - Break
3:05 PM - Global IP Strategy in Today’s Climate: Risks, Trends, and Tactics
- Michael Amon '02 (JD), Principal, Fish & Richardson
- Mark Blake '07 (JD), Head of IP Litigation, Medtronic
- Mukund Sharma, Senior Patent Portfolios Director, Align
- Adam Smoot, Director, Senior Legal IP Counsel, Alcon
- Stephanie Mishaga '18 (JD), Associate, Jones Day
- Moderator: Emily Collins, Partner, Kilburn & Strode
4:05 PM - Break
4:15 PM - Ethics in IP
- David McGowan, Professor of Law, USD School of Law
5:15 PM - 6:15 PM
Reception, Garden of the Sea
Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice
Theatre
University of San Diego
5555 Marian Way
San Diego CA 92110
USD Parking Information
General Visitors
General Visitors include those who are on campus for tours, events and athletic contests.
The following locations have no maximum time. In these areas, vehicles must have a valid USD parking permit OR pay at a pay station or on the ParkMobile app. Those individuals with valid USD parking permits are not required to pay in these areas:
- MPS (Main Parking Structure)
- WPS (West Parking Structure), W1 (West Parking Lot), and W2 (Gravel Lot)
- E3 (Jenny Craig Pavilion West Lot) and E6 (Manchester Village Field Lot)
- ParkMobile Zone 1916 (Camino San Diego, behind the Hughes Administration Center)
Two Hour Parking Locations
The following locations have a time limit of two hours. In these areas, ALL vehicles (including those with a valid USD permit) must pay at a pay station or on the ParkMobile app:
- Torero Way
- E11 (Alcala Vistas/Sports Center)
- ParkMobile Zone 1917 (S7 - IPJ S. Lot, green-lined spaces facing away from KIPJ)
- N4 (Immaculata West) NOTE: No Student, Faculty, or Staff may park in N4 (Immaculata West) at any time (even with a valid meter payment). Metered parking is not available in this lot (zone 1910) after 2:00 p.m. on Fridays.
Parking Rates
The rates for parking in metered areas are listed below. The pay stations on campus accept coins as well as Visa & Mastercard credit/debit cards. They do not accept cash or American Express cards.
30 minutes - $1.50
1 Hour - $3.00
2 Hours - $6.00
4 Hours - $12.00
Full Day - $21.00 (or $18.00 in the West and Manchester)
Pay By Plate
All paid parking areas at USD operate as pay-by-plate. This means that a license plate number is required when making a payment at the pay station. It may be helpful to take a picture of your license plate after you park your vehicle. Once you have made your payment, there is no need to display your receipt on your dashboard.
Payment at all metered space locations above may also be made from your smart phone. Simply download the ParkMobile App on the Apple Store or Google Play Store.
Additional Information
When visiting USD, please plan ahead and allow yourself ample time to park your vehicle, pay at a pay station, and take the tram to your desired destination or event.
- Tram Service - A Tram service is offered free of charge from WPS (West Parking Structure) up to main campus. The tram runs approximately every 15 minutes. A complete tram schedule is available on the Tram Services Website.
- Restricted Spaces - You may not park in USD Only spaces, Tow-Away spaces, or reserved spaces.
- Posted Signs - Please read all signs posted on cones and/or barricades before parking to ensure you don't park in an area that is reserved or closed.
- Timed Spaces - Loading zones and time restricted spaces are enforced 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You may only park in these spaces/areas for the amount of time indicated in the space/area.
- Metered Spaces - You may park in metered spaces for under the time allotted and must pay at the Pay Station or on the ParkMobile app.
USD School of Law is a State Bar of California-approved MCLE provider and certifies that this activity is approved for 6 hours of general credit and 1 hour of legal ethics credit.
2026 Sponsors