The University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law

Program on Intellectual Property and Technology Law

IP @ the U

January 2026

Welcome to IP @ the U, a periodic newsletter for students, alumni, faculty and friends of the University of Utah College of Law's Program on Intellectual Property and Technology Law. This issue covers highlights from Fall 2025 and early Spring 2026.

If you have news about IP events, accomplishments and milestones, please send them to our Program Director, Jorge Contreras.

WELCOME BACK!

We are pleased to welcome everyone back from what was hopefully a relaxing and/or productive winter break. Please join us for a host of exciting IP-related events during academic year 2025-26!

IP CLINIC BEGINS OPERATION

We are thrilled to announce that the College of Law’s USPTO-certified pro bono IP Clinic is now up and running! The IP Clinic will be handling patent and trademark applications for pro bono clients, including teams participating in the Center for Medical Innovation’s annual Bench to Bedside Competition. 

The IP Clinic is staffed by Braden Brown (3L), Hannah Bruce (3L), James Finn (2L), Matthew McGrath (3L), Zachary Shear (3L) and Dalton Yerke (2L). Adjunct Professors Jon Love and Sam Noel, are overseeing the Clinic in cooperation with Professors Jorge Contreras and Jacqueline Morrison.

Anyone seeking assistance from the IP Clinic can apply to become a client via this online application form.

VISIT BY JUDGE RYAN HOLTE

On September 29, the Federalist Society hosted a visit by Judge Ryan Holte of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. Judge Holte spoke about his recent paper on the Constitution's Property Clause, as well as clerkship and internship opportunities in Washington DC. Professor Anderson provided commentary on the paper. 

Judge Ryan T. Holte of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims

UTAH LAW AROUND THE WORLD

Professor Contreras with staff of the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

In October, Professor Contreras, an international expert in academic technology transfer, was invited by the U.S. Department of State to meet with officials of leading universities in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. During the course of one week he met with university research, science and engineering administrators as well as the American Chamber of Commerce in Ethiopia, the African Union and UNESCO to explore ways that Ethiopia’s newly autonomous universities could enhance their technology transfer practices and policies.

INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND IP

COL faculty have recently been studying the intersection of intellectual property and international trade. Professor Contreras’s recent paper on the role of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in IP enforcement will appear in The International Lawyer later this year, and Professor Contreras and Professor Anderson have collaborated on a new paper considering the role of the International Trade Commission (ITC) in patent infringement disputes. They received feedback on this paper at the Rocky Mountain IP Workshop in Boulder and the Stanford IP Roundtable, among others. And on January 22, the Federalist Society hosted a discussion of the ITC’s handling of patent disputes featuring Michael Friedland of Friedland Ciafrani and Professors Anderson and Contreras.

Photo: Professor Contreras, Michael Friedland, Alessandra Coote and Professor Anderson

UTAH LAW FACULTY AT AALS

A number of COL faculty participated in the 2026 Annual Meeting of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) in New Orleans. Professor Contreras ended his term as Chair of the Remedies Section and presided over the New Voices in Remedies Law Panel, which featured a new paper by Associate Professor Pressman. 

Professor Pressman presenting at the AALS New Voices in Remedies Law panel

PUBLICATION ANNOUNCEMENT – FRAND CASES IN CONTEXT

In January, Professor Contreras’s new edited volume, FRAND Cases in Context, was published by Edward Elgar. With contributions from leading scholars in North and South America, Europe and Asia, this is the first book that comprehensively analyzes the key global cases relating to the multi-billion dollar market for the licensing of standards-essential patents (SEPs) on fair, reasonable and nondiscriminatory (FRAND) terms.

IPLI NATIONAL CONFERENCE

Last summer, Professor Anderson presented his paper "The Eastern District of Texas and Rule 19" at the National Conference of the Institute for IP and Information Law in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The paper continues his groundbreaking work on civil procedure and jurisdictional issues in IP cases.

Prof. Jonas Anderson

AI COPYRIGHT LITIGATION UPDATE

On October 30, the Utah State Bar IP Section sponsored a presentation at the College of Law featuring Professor Contreras, who will spoke about the recent AI Copyright cases pending in courts across the country.

Other recent faculty scholarship can be found here.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Be sure to watch for announcements regarding the locations of these upcoming IP-related events at the College of Law.

Jan. 28 (5:30 p.m.) – IP Clinic Launch Event – join us in officially launching the IP Clinic with an opportunity to meet our clinic students and supervisors and hear about our plans for the year. RSVP here.

Feb. 20, 2026 (all day) – save the date for the Utah State Bar IP Section’s Annual IP Summit, which will be held at the College of Law. Chief Judge Kimberly Moore of the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit will be the keynote speaker, and the day will be devoted to a range of current IP topics.

Learn more about the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law's Program on Intellectual Property and Technology Law on our website.

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