Spring has now sprung in parts of the Northern Hemisphere (and thankfully the US and Europe are both on DST again as of this weekend!). And, we have reports coming in from LES Spain & Portugal that the weather at the end of April will be perfect. Will you join us at LESI2024 in Madrid, Spain (April 28-30)? Register here and check out the latest program at www.lesi2024.org.

This week, our next les Nouvelles LIVE! Session focuses on the March 2024 edition will take place on Thursday. We will have Authors from three great articles discussing:

• Will Artificial Intelligence Shape The Future Of Technology Transfer? A Guide For Licensing Professionals;
• US-BOLT Template License Agreement: Improving Negotiations; and
• Different Policy Orientations Influence the Patent and Litigation Ecosystem

Other programs this week happening through the world from LES societies: On Tuesday, from LES Benelux ("Start-ups and Licensing – Unveiling the Path from Funding to Licensing") and LES France (Everything you need to know about Business Secrecy). And then on Wednesday from LES USA & Canada (The Ubiquitous World of Internet of Things (IoT) Connected Devices). More information on these below! Have a great week!!

• March 26 - "Start-ups and Licensing – Unveiling the Path from Funding to Licensing" (LES Benelux) ROTTERDAM
• March 26 - "Everything you need to know about Business Secrecy" (LES France) ONLINE
• March 27 - "The Ubiquitous World of Internet of Things (IoT) Connected Devices" (LES USA-Canada) SAN JOSE
• March 28 - "les Nouvelles LIVE: Spotlight on the March 2024 Edition" (LESI) ONLINE
• April 3 - "Update on Key IP and Licensing Issues and Activities" (LES Philippines, LES Chinese Taipei & LES Japan) ONLINE
• April 4 - Thought Leadership Program 2023/24 - Track 3: UPC Litigation Strategies (LESI) ONLINE
• April 11 - "Doing Life Sciences Deals in 2024 - Licensing, M&A, and More" (LES USA-Canada) BOSTON
• April 12 - "Asia-Pacific Conference: Forecasting the Future of the IP Industry" (LESI YMC) TOKYO
• April 16 - "Current Patent Legislation and the Small Inventor: Deja vu all over again" (LES USA-Canada) ONLINE
• April 17 - "What’s the Gen? An Overview of Global Trends in Generative AI Litigation and Practical Use Cases for IP Professionals" (LES Britain-Ireland) EDINBURGH
• April 25 - "From Problem to Profit: AI-Driven Innovation and Licensing" (LES USA-Canada) SANTA CLARA

Details on these events are posted below and on connect.lesi.org.

See the full list of upcoming events on the LESI website.

View information on previous LES events.

To get more involved in LESI, consider joining a committee.

LES Benelux

"Start-ups and Licensing – Unveiling the Path from Funding to Licensing"

Tuesday, 26 March 2024

9:00am - 4:30pm (CET)

ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS

On March 26, 2024 the Young Member Committee of LES Benelux will be providing an extraordinary edition of a topic day revisiting their successful event last year in Luxemburg entitled “Start-ups and Licensing – Unveiling the Path from Funding to Licensing”. The program will consider among others, what terms and conditions are relevant in your license agreement when dealing with next round of investment.

View the program here.

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LES France

"Everything you need to know about Business Secrecy"

Tuesday, 26 March 2024

5:30pm - 7:30pm (CET)

ONLINE

Everything you need to know about business secrecy: assessment of the first 5 years of application of the law of July 30, 2018 and the decree of December 11, 2018.

Three lawyers will share their expertise and their experience on these crucial issues for any company:

• What are the "reasonable protection measures" that need to be put in place in order to benefit from trade secret protection?
• How can trade secrets be protected in legal proceedings?
• How effective are legal proceedings in the event of violation of trade secrets?
• What about before the UPC?

Speakers:

• Élisabeth Berthet, attorney at law, Promark
• Thomas Bouvet, attorney at law, Jones Day
• Anne-Charlotte Le Bihan, attorney at law, Bird & Bird

Moderators:

• Laetitia Nicolazzi, attorney at law, Linklaters,
• Isabelle Romet, mediator, Interspheris

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LES USA-Canada

"The Ubiquitous World of Internet of Things (IoT) Connected Devices"

Wednesday, 27 March 2024

11:00am - 2:00pm (PDT)

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA

A recent report from McKinsey estimates that the IoT industry could enable $5.5 trillion to $12.6 trillion in value globally by 2030. A study by Ericsson predicts up to 24 billion inter-connected products (e.g., mobility, medical devices / healthcare, smart homes / offices, industrial equipment & more) by 2050. The key to enabling such scale and value is standards-based connectivity and interoperability. Everything will be wirelessly connected. Products will talk to each other and the back-end infrastructure, sending instructions, content, software, usage reports and much more.

Because connectivity standards are covered by patents, and every product must follow the standards, patent licensing is inevitable. The first big waves of connectivity patent licensing involved computers, cellular handsets and connected cars. The next big wave (and possible tsunami) will be IoT devices. The patent licensing revenue could run into the tens of billions of dollars. Technology developers, product manufacturers, users, joint licensing programs and governments are all gearing up to address this opportunity. But the IoT space is huge and diverse, with vastly different usage cases, value propositions, profit margins compared to handsets, computers and connected cars.

Takeaways:

• Understanding the key issues & challenges in IoT licensing

• Who are the players, and what are the strategies, opportunities & timing

• What’s old? What’s evolving? What’s new?

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LES International

"les Nouvelles LIVE: Spotlight on the March 2024 Edition"

Wednesday, 28 March 2024

10:00am - 11:00am (EDT) / 3:00pm - 4:00pm (CET)

ONLINE

Join LESI for the next les Nouvelles LIVE! online event to hear the “making-of” stories from the authors of articles in the March 2024 edition. Articles this month discuss the intersection between artificial intelligence and technology transfer, regulatory policy proposals affecting licensing and litigation, the interplay between antitrust law and intellectual property law, and much more!

The following articles will be addressed:

Will Artificial Intelligence Shape The Future Of Technology Transfer? A Guide For Licensing Professionals (page 1)

• Berna Uygur, Technology Transfer and Patent Specialist, Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program, Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis, National Cancer Institute
• Steven M. Ferguson, CLP, Special Advisor, Office of Technology Transfer National Institutes of Health

US-BOLT Template License Agreement: Improving Negotiations (page 29)

• Orin Herskowitz, Senior VP of Applied In novation and Industry Partnerships for Columbia University and Executive Director of Columbia Technology Ventures
• Katharine Ku, Chief Licensing Advisor, Wilson Sonsini

Different Policy Orientations Influence the Patent and Litigation Ecosystem (page 43)

• Carter Eltzroth, Legal Director, DVB Project
• He Jing, Managing Partner, GenLaw

This event is FREE to participants.

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LES Philippines, LES Chinese Taipei & LES Japan

"Update on Key IP and Licensing Issues and Activities"

Wednesday, 3 April 2024

4:30pm - 6:00pm (SGT) / 5:30pm - 7:00pm (JST)

ONLINE

The respective Presidents and representatives from LES Philippines, LES Chinese Taipei and LES Japan will give an update on key IP and licensing developments in their jurisdictions.

They will also give a description of some interesting and engaging activities that their societies have organised recently. This will be a great opportunity to find out about latest developments as well as interact with the 3 LES societies to find out how they have sought to engage their members and bring value to their membership. Perhaps some insights can be gleaned from activities that resonate with members and provide some useful suggestions for future activities. There will also be ample opportunities to ask questions at this interactive webinar.

This event is FREE to participants.

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LES International

"Thought Leadership Program 2023/24 - Track 3: UPC Litigation Strategies"

Thursday, 4 April 2024

11:00am - 12:00pm (EDT) / 5:00pm - 6:00pm (CET)

ONLINE

Session #4 Lessons Learned from US Litigation

In this fourth session in Track 3, we will look at lessons learned from US litigation as we look at implementation of the UPC and its strategic use for parties.

Moderator: Sam Wiley, LOT Network

Speakers:

• Sapna Palla, Allen & Overy
• Michael T. Renaud, Mintz
• Elizabeth Morris, Pure Storage

This event is FREE to LES members.

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LES USA-Canada

"Doing Life Sciences Deals in 2024 - Licensing, M&A, and More"

Thursday, 11 April 2024

2:00pm 7:00pm (EDT)

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS

Panels include Structuring Your Life Sciences Transaction - Licensing vs. M&A vs. Asset Sale and Key Issues for Your Biopharma Licensing Deal - IP, Scientific, and More.

Learning Outcomes:

• Deal trends
• Considerations when structuring your deal
• Should you do an M&A vs. license vs. asset sale – considerations for deal
• Strategies for doing a deal with big pharma
• What does big pharma look for in a deal structure?
• Is licensing a way to an M&A deal with big pharma?
• Key non-economic issues for your biopharma licensing deal
• IP – how does big pharma diligence it, and how can a biotech satisfy a big pharma
• Scientific rigor – How does a big pharma evaluate your science?
• How do these key issues play into your license agreement?
• How do you run an efficient and productive diligence process?
• How should you time your licensing deal with your data readout?

This event is FREE to LES members.

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LESI Young Members Congress (YMC)

"Asia Pacific Conference: Forecasting the Future of the IP Industry"

Friday, 12 April 2024

10:00am - 4:00pm (JST)

TOKYO, JAPAN

Organized by LES Japan Young Members Congress

LES Japan YMC aims to gather leading minds to explore the cutting-edge applications of generative AI in the IP industry, anticipate future regulations on generative AI, and tackle the complexities of cross-border IP protection. Join for a captivating journey into forecasting the future of the IP industry!

After the conference, you are invited to an authentic Japanese experience, where you can network with local peers and enjoy a taste of local culture in a relaxed and sophisticated setting.

Embrace this unique blend of professional growth and cultural exploration in Tokyo, a city that exemplifies the harmony between the new and the old.

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LES USA-Canada

"Current Patent Legislation and the Small Inventor: Deja vu all over again"

Tuesday, 16 April 2024

12:00pm - 1:00pm (EDT)

ONLINE

Current bills before the House and Senate can dramatically effect the state of patenting in the United States. As with the American Invents Act (AIA), touted to be a panacea to all but a bane to innovation, these bills, although directed at curing problems in the patent process, are being lobbied by big tech and others to instead further curtail the rights of U.S. inventors, particularly the small or independent inventor.

The first bill is the Patent Eligibility Restoration Act (PERA), which seeks to provide better clarity over patent subject matter eligibility under Section 101 of the Patent Act

The second bill is the Promoting and Respecting Economically Vital American Innovation Leadership (PREVAIL) Act to reform practices of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) and promote fair treatment for inventors in these proceedings.

Join LES USA-Canada's DC Chapter for a session with Paul Morinville, Founder and Executive Director of US Inventor, Inc.

This event is FREE to LES members.

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LES Britain-Ireland

"What’s the Gen? An Overview of Global Trends in Generative AI Litigation and Practical Use Cases for IP Professionals"

Wednesday, 17 April 2024

5:30pm - 7:00pm (BST)

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND

Join LES Britain-Ireland's Scotland Committee in EDINBURGH on 17 April!

Mark Cruickshank, Managing Legal Counsel at NatWest, will talk about NatWest’s GenAI global case tracker they have compiled, pull out some key themes from the litigation and offer a few thoughts on where it might end up and what the impact will be.

Anoop Joshi, Chief Trust Officer at Trustpilot, will talk about some Practical Use Cases of GenAI that Trustpilot and share his view on the opportunities it presents for them.

This event is FREE to LES members.

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LES USA-Canada

"From Problem to Profit: AI-Driven Innovation and Licensing"

Thursday, 25 April 2024

11:00am - 2:00pm (PDT)

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA

Learn how AI is helping to accelerate innovation and commercialization by re-shaping problem-solving, invention, and licensing, impacting research, development, manufacturing, and supply chain ecosystems.

Join LES USA-Canada's Silicon Valley Chapter (LES-SVC) for an online session featuring seasoned industry experts, including representatives from Hyundai New Horizon Studio, Owl Autonomous Imaging, Iprova, Dolcera, and KPMG. Together, they will guide you through the journey from identifying problems areas (or opportunities to innovate) and novel solutions to turning them into profitable licensing opportunities. This event is perfect for professionals in the technology and intellectual property licensing field, as well as inventors, entrepreneurs, and business leaders seeking innovative solutions that generate profits.