PastIn Person

Washington in the West 2026

Name: Washington in the West 2026
Start: 2026-03-20
End: 2026-03-20
Location: Millennium Biltmore Hotel

by Los Angeles Intellectual Property Law Association (LAIPLA)

Washington in the West 2026 is a full-day conference tailored for patent and trademark practitioners, organized by the Los Angeles Intellectual Property Law Association (LAIPLA). This annual event offers dedicated tracks for both patent and trademark law, providing attendees with exceptional programming and opportunities to connect with leaders shaping the future of intellectual property law.

The conference features a keynote luncheon discussion with Director John A. Squires of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, covering new developments in PTO policy, including emerging technologies like AI, patent eligibility, and IPR institutions. Additional sessions include topics such as developments in IPR trials at the PTAB, protecting innovation and managing global portfolios, recalibrating Section 101, patent damages trends, AI governance in private practice, effective use of consumer surveys in trademark litigation, strategies for navigating sports sponsorships and ambush marketing, advanced practice at the TTAB, and challenges in trademark enforcement during product launches.

The event will be held on January 29, 2026, at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, offering first-class education and networking opportunities. Notable speakers include Kalyan Deshpande, Acting Chief Judge for the Patent Trial and Appeal Board; Jason Lott, Managing Attorney for Trademarks Customer Outreach; and Christopher Larkin, Administrative Trademark Judge at the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.

This conference is ideal for patent and trademark attorneys seeking to stay abreast of the latest developments in intellectual property law, earn up to 5.5 MCLE-accredited hours, and network with top IP professionals.

Speakers(42)

Alidu Salifu

Counsel, Sponsorships & Licensing at US Soccer

Alidu Salifu will participate in the 'Game On! Winning Strategies for Navigating Sports Sponsorships and Ambush Marketing' panel.

Arka Chatterjee

Director & Principal IP Counsel at Natera

Arka Chatterjee will participate in the 'Patent Damages Trends from Trial to Appeal' panel.

Ashe Puri

Partner at Nixon Peabody

Ashe Puri will participate in the 'Recalibrating Section 101: Administrative Developments and the New Era of Patent Eligibility' panel.

Brian Horne

Partner at Knobbe Martens

Brian Horne will be a panelist in the 'Patent Damages Trends from Trial to Appeal' session.

Brian Rupp

VP, Legal, Intellectual Property at Warner Bros. Discovery

Brian Rupp will be a panelist in the 'From Clearance to Commercialization and Beyond – In House Perspective on How to Navigate Trademark Challenges in Product Launches and Trademark Enforcement' session.

Charlotte Wen

Partner at Irell & Manella

Charlotte Wen will participate in the 'Patent Damages Trends from Trial to Appeal' panel.

Christian Tregillis

Partner at Hemming Morse

Christian Tregillis will be a panelist in the 'Patent Damages Trends from Trial to Appeal' session.

Christopher Larkin

Administrative Trademark Judge at Trademark Trial and Appeal Board

Judge Larkin will participate in the 'Advanced Practice at the TTAB' panel.

Cynthia Cohen

Survey Expert at Verdict Success

Cynthia Cohen will participate in 'The Effective Use of Consumer Surveys in Trademark Litigation and PTO Update' panel.

Daniel Latimer

Sales and Product Counsel at Honda

Daniel Latimer will participate in the 'From Clearance to Commercialization and Beyond – In House Perspective on How to Navigate Trademark Challenges in Product Launches and Trademark Enforcement' panel.

David S. Meyer

Associate Director, Global Intellectual Property at Illumina

David Meyer will be a panelist in the 'Recalibrating Section 101: Administrative Developments and the New Era of Patent Eligibility' session.

Donald Bollella

Chief Patent Counsel at Skyworks Solutions, Inc.

Donald Bollella will be a panelist in the 'Protecting Innovation and Managing Global Portfolios' session.

Eric Lin

Vice President of Strategy at Patlytics

Eric Lin will participate in the 'AI in Private Practice: AI Governance and Best Practices' panel.

Erica Van Loon

Partner at Armond Wilson

Erica Van Loon will be a panelist in 'The Effective Use of Consumer Surveys in Trademark Litigation and PTO Update' session.

Graham Cole

Director, IP, Office of Technology Licensing at City of Hope

Graham Cole will be a panelist in the 'Protecting Innovation and Managing Global Portfolios' session.

Helen Omapas

Global Head of Trademarks, Design Patents, Brand Enforcement & Marketing at Harman International

Helen Omapas will participate in the 'From Clearance to Commercialization and Beyond – In House Perspective on How to Navigate Trademark Challenges in Product Launches and Trademark Enforcement' panel.

Jacob Peterson

Partner at Morgan Lewis

Jacob Peterson will participate in the 'Developments in IPR Trials at the PTAB' panel.

Jason Lott

Managing Attorney for Trademarks Customer Outreach at USPTO

Jason Lott will be a panelist in 'The Effective Use of Consumer Surveys in Trademark Litigation and PTO Update' session.

Jennifer Chiang

IP Counsel at Anthropic

Jennifer Chiang will be a panelist in the 'AI in Private Practice: AI Governance and Best Practices' session.

Jennifer Pascua

Vice President, Global Intellectual Property at Illumina

Jennifer Pascua will participate in the 'Protecting Innovation and Managing Global Portfolios' panel.

Jessica Hudak

Vice President, Corporate Counsel at Edwards Lifesciences

Jessica Hudak will be a panelist in the 'Recalibrating Section 101: Administrative Developments and the New Era of Patent Eligibility' session.

John A. Squires

Director at United States Patent and Trademark Office

Director Squires will cover new developments in PTO policy, including emerging technologies like AI, patent eligibility, IPR institutions, and more in a keynote luncheon discussion.

John R. Sommer

Attorney at Sommer Law

John Sommer will be a panelist in the 'Beyond Confusion: When Trademarks Fail to Function, Surname Refusals, and Other Challenges' session.

Jonathan Hyman

Partner at Knobbe Martens

Jonathan Hyman will be a panelist in the 'Beyond Confusion: When Trademarks Fail to Function, Surname Refusals, and Other Challenges' session.

Kalyan Deshpande

Acting Chief Judge at Patent Trial and Appeal Board

Judge Deshpande will participate in the 'Developments in IPR Trials at the PTAB' panel.

Mark Kachner

Partner at Knobbe Martens

Mark Kachner will participate in the 'Patent Damages Trends from Trial to Appeal' panel.

Mary Beth Myles

Of Counsel at Greenberg Traurig

Mary Beth Myles will be a panelist in the 'Advanced Practice at the TTAB' session.

Melinda Michalerya

IP Counsel at Advanced Bionics

Melinda Michalerya will participate in the 'AI in Private Practice: AI Governance and Best Practices' panel.

Michael McCue

Partner at Womble Bond Dickinson

Michael McCue will be a panelist in the 'From Clearance to Commercialization and Beyond – In House Perspective on How to Navigate Trademark Challenges in Product Launches and Trademark Enforcement' session.