News flash! Daylight savings time started in the United States this weekend! That means, you have an extra hour for the next 3 weeks (until March 29 when Europe springs forward) when there is only a 5 vs 6 hour difference. How will you make use of this time? Perhaps take in an extra hour of LES education and engagement! This week, LES USA & Canada continues to provide online education and lots more coming up this month from USA & Canada, France, Benelux, YMC and LESI! Read on below!



Time is also getting short to make your plans for Dublin! Check out the program and register for LESI2026 (April 26-28)!

• March 11 - "Harnessing Brands as Unique Assets" (LES USA-Canada) ONLINE
• March 12 - "Thought Leadership Program 2025/26 - Track 2 (MedTech): Session 1" (LESI) ONLINE
• March 17 - "Thought Leadership Program 2025/26 - Track 3 (Managing Data): Session 1" (LESI) ONLINE
• March 17 - "A Song of Fire and Splice: The CRISPR Saga" (LES USA-Canada) ONLINE
• March 18 - "Intellectual Property in the USA" (LES France) ONLINE
• March 23 - "IP Valuation from a Global Perspective - China, Europe and US" (LESI IP Valuation Committee, LES USA-Canada & LES China) ONLINE
• March 23 - "AI Regulation in the European Union and the United States-State of Play and Future" (LES USA-Canada) ONLINE
• March 24 - "AI Literacy Program Series (Session 3) - IP Rights in the AI Age: Authorship, Inventorship, and What Creators Need to Know" (LESI YMC) ONLINE
• March 24 - "Countdown to Conference - LESI 2026 Primer: Practical Lessons on SEPs" (LES Britain-Ireland) ONLINE
• March 24 - "Financial Motivations Behind IP Litigation" (LES Poland) ONLINE
• March 25 - "How to Build an Industry-Leading Cellular Portfolio – Insights from a Leading Telecom Company" (LESI High Tech Committee) ONLINE
• March 25 - "Recent IP/Patent Law Changes & The Effect on Licensing and M&A" (LES USA-Canada) ONLINE
• March 26 - "Thought Leadership Program 2025/26 - Track 2 (MedTech): Session 2" (LESI) ONLINE
• March 26 - "UPC - Litigation Costs and Funding for European SMEs" (LES France) ONLINE/PARIS
• March 31 - "Introduction to Licensing" (LES Benelux) ROTTERDAM

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

Check out LES USA-Canada's education courses.

View information on previous LES events.

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

LES USA-Canada

"Harnessing Brands as Unique Assets"

Wednesday, 11 March 2026

1:00pm - 2:00pm (EST)

ONLINE

Brands are more than just trademarks; they are powerful assets that can drive growth and expanded relevance. This session (hosted by the LES USA-Canada Brands as a Business Sector) will discuss strategies for leveraging brands into valuable licenses. In particular, it will explore case studies showcasing successful brand-driven partnerships and IP initiatives. Additionally, this session will discuss how IP owners have strategically deployed brand assets to create new opportunities, drive strategic visibility, grow brand strength, and create revenue streams.

Speakers:

• Trudi Bordi, Vice President of Licensing, HDMI Licensing Administrator Inc.
• Pete Canalichio, Founder and Managing Partner, Brandalive
• Alan Kravetz, CEO, Full Sail IP Partners LLC
• Johanna Sullivan, Founder & Principal, Beam Strat Group

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LES International

"Thought Leadership Program 2025/26 -

Track 2 (MedTech): Session 1"

Thursday, 12 March 2026

10:00am - 11:00am (EDT)

ONLINE

More Than Just the Intersection of Medicine and Technology



This is the kick-off session of Track 2 focused on MedTech; one of 3 webinars in a series leading up to LESI2026 in Dublin.

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LES International

"Thought Leadership Program 2025/26 -

Track 3 (Managing Data): Session 1"

Tuesday, 17 March 2026

10:00am - 11:00am (EST)

ONLINE

How is industry mining, using and managing Data in new ways?

Discover how companies are leveraging data for competitive advantage—and the key business and legal challenges they face.

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LES USA-Canada

"A Song of Fire and Splice: The CRISPR Saga"

Tuesday, 17 March 2026

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

ONLINE

CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) is a revolutionary gene-editing technology adapted from a bacterial immune system that allows scientists to make precise changes to DNA, like cutting, adding, or removing genetic material, offering immense potential for treating genetic diseases (e.g., sickle cell), developing diagnostics, and engineering organisms. Ownership of this crucial technology means billions of dollars in revenue. So, of course, there has been and continues to be a war over patent priority, that has been waged for over a decade by four separate groups of purported inventors, and at present there is no end in sight.

In particular, Broad Institute, Harvard University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (collectively, "Broad") and The University of California/Berkeley, the University of Vienna, and Emmanuelle Charpentier (collectively, "CVC"), are currently back before the PTAB after the Federal Circuit vacated an earlier decision in Broad’s favor in a second interference between them.

The two other parties, ToolGen (a Korean company) and Sigma-Adrich each have separate pending interferences against Broad and CVC, with a possible further interferences between ToolGen and Sigma.

In addition to this history the talk will consider the arguments and relative strengths and weaknesses of the parties’ positions and the consequences should any of the parties ultimately be awarded priority.

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LES France

"Intellectual Property Mediation in the USA"

Wednesday, 18 March 2026

1:00pm - 1:45pm (CET)

ONLINE

Series of Zoom conferences organised by the LES France Dispute Resolution Committee in cooperation with other LES chapters: A world tour of intellectual property mediation.

Mediation is developing in most countries, with many national variations. We offer you a six-step tour of mediation around the world, to discover the specific features of six countries.

At each stage, you will meet a mediator or an attorney-at-law from the visited country, interviewed by Isabelle Romet.

You will discover under what circumstances, in what form and for what benefit mediation can take place during a dispute in these different countries.

First step on 18 March 2026, with the USA:

Steve Bauer, former attorney-at-law specialising in intellectual property, now a full-time mediator and arbitrator, particularly in intellectual property.

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LESI IP Valuation Committee, LES USA-Canada & LES China

"IP Valuation from a Global Perspective - China, Europe and US"

Monday, 23 March 2026

9:00am - 10:00am (CET) / 4:00pm - 5:00pm (CST)

ONLINE

Intellectual property (IP) valuation is increasingly critical in a globalized economy, yet approaches and standards vary significantly across jurisdictions.

This session brings together leadership from the LESI IP Valuation Committee, LES USA & Canada Valuation & Pricing Committee, and LES China Valuation Committee to explore how IP valuation is practiced and perceived in the United States, Europe, and China. Panelists will share insights into regional methodologies, regulatory frameworks, market expectations, and valuation drivers, highlighting both convergence and divergence in global practices. Attendees will gain a comparative understanding of how IP assets are valued across key markets, and how these differences impact cross-border transactions, licensing, and strategic decision-making. This session is designed for professionals engaged in IP strategy, finance, licensing, and policy, offering a unique opportunity to hear directly from valuation leaders shaping the future of IP monetization worldwide.

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LES USA-Canada

"AI Regulation in the European Union and the United States-State of Play and Future"

Monday, 23 March 2026

1:00pm - 2:00pm (EDT)

ONLINE

This webinar (hosted by LES USA-Canada's High Tech Sector) will examine the connections, gaps, and similarities in artificial intelligence (AI) regulation between the European Union and the United States. They will delve into the role of the European Union Artificial Intelligence Office (EU AI Office) in the development, use, and governance of AI, and its implications. The session will present expert perspectives on developments, challenges, and the road ahead for AI use and regulation in the United States.

Speakers:

• Jeroen Delfors, Technology Specialist, European Union Artificial Intelligence Office
• Brenda Leong, Director of AI Division, Zwillgen
• Marsha Simone Cadogan (moderator)

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LESI Young Members Congress (YMC)

"AI Literacy Program Series (Session 3) -

IP Rights in the AI Age: Authorship, Inventorship, and What Creators Need to Know"

Tuesday, 24 March 2026

11:00am - 12:30pm (SGT)

ONLINE

Join LESI's Young Member Congress (YMC) for the third (& last!) session of their AI Literacy Program, a webinar series designed to demonstrate practical, real‑world applications of AI for business and legal stakeholders.

Featured speakers include:

Wataru Takagishi - Attorney at Abe, Ikubo and Katayama

Alyshea Low - Partner at Skrine

Michele Bolos - Partner at Marshall, Gerstein & Borun LLP

Anna Toh - Partner at Amica Law

Victoria MacLeod - IP Consultant at Tilleke & Gibbins

Theresa Luk - Partner at Deacons

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LES Britain & Ireland

"Countdown to Conference - LESI 2026 Primer: Practical Lessons on SEPs"

Tuesday, 24 March 2026

1:00pm - 2:00pm (GMT)

ONLINE

Standard Essential Patents (or SEPs) are a core feature of the LESI 2026 Annual Conference in Dublin.

Get to grips with SEPs with LES B&I's primer webinar delivered by Robert Pocknell, Solicitor at Keystone Law and moderated by Karl Barnfather.

The session will cover what makes SEPs special and unique, updates on recent SEP case law, and practical tips for dealing with SEPs in IP audits and due diligence, including:

• managing supply chain disruptions;
• negotiating warranties, indemnities and limitations on liability; and
• dealing with insurance (coverage and disclosure requirements)

Some prior knowledge of SEPs will be useful but not essential for attending the webinar.

This session is part of 3 'Countdown to Conference' webinars. Details on the other sessions can be found below:

Insights into IP Valuation (7 April)

Making the Most of Your Conference (16 April)

Join for 1 or for all 3 sessions!

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LES Poland

"Financial Motivations Behind IP Litigation"

Tuesday, 24 March 2026

5:00pm - 6:00pm (CET)

ONLINE

LES Poland invite you to join their online meeting dedicated to the financial motivations behind IP litigation. Among other topics, they will discuss the significance of damages and recovery of legal costs awarded in IP cases for the financial position of companies at different stages of growth.

The discussion will be moderated by Marek Łazewski, Partner and Patent Attorney at LDS Łazewski Depo & Partners.

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LESI High Technology Committee

"How to Build an Industry-Leading Cellular Portfolio –

Insights from a Leading Telecom Company"

Wednesday, 25 March 2026

2:00pm - 3:00pm (CET)

ONLINE

Dr. Torsten Pfeifer, Head of IPR Development & Execution at Ericsson, will share valuable insights into Ericsson's approach to building a strong licensing business. He will highlight key factors that have contributed to making license revenues an important part of Ericsson’s overall profitability, enabling the company to re-invest a substantial part of their annual revenue into R&D for the next generation of technology.

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LES USA-Canada

"Recent IP/Patent Law Changes & The Effect on Licensing and M&A"

Wednesday, 25 March 2026

6:00pm - 8:00pm (EDT)

NEW YORK, NY, USA

Discussion on recent updates and changes in patent law that will impact licensing and technology related M&A transactions. In this discussion, experts from Access Advance, McKool Smith and Wiggin & Dana will provide key insights on the specific changes. Additionally, they will be joined by a representative from the US Patent and Trademark Office who will discuss recent developments at the USPTO including IPR statistics and patent eligibility directives.

Target Audience:

• Corporate and university business development/licensing professionals in technology and life sciences
• M&A, licensing and IP attorneys
• Investors in technology and life sciences

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LES International

"Thought Leadership Program 2025/26 -

Track 2 (MedTech): Session 2"

Thursday, 26 March 2026

10:00am - 11:00am (EDT)

ONLINE

Use Of Human Data in IP Innovation – Is it Fair, Reasonable, and Safe?

This is the second session of Track 2 focused on MedTech; one of 3 webinars in a series leading up to LESI2026 in Dublin.

Speakers:

• Jayde Wood, Gowlings (moderator)
• Maya Cohn Adulamy, Valo Health
• Julian Ho, Clarius Mobile Health

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LES France

"UPC - Litigation costs and funding for European SMEs"

Thursday, 26 March 2026

5:00pm - 7:00pm (CET)

ONLINE/PARIS, FRANCE

The event (organized by LES France) will explore:

• the effective costs of UPC actions: court and legal fees
• the costs/benefits balance, and comparison with the national courts system
• risk management in UPC litigation: funding options and insurance cover.

Speakers:

• Isabelle Berger, Partner at Nivalion AG
• Benjamin May, Partner at Jeantet
• Claire Le Floch, LES France Président

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LES Benelux

"Introduction to Licensing"

Tuesday, 31 March 2026

9:30am - 5:00pm (CET)

ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS

On 31 March 2026 LES Benelux will organise an Introduction to Licensing Topic Day.



This comprehensive full-day program is designed to provide professionals new to licensing transactions with a basic understanding of intellectual property rights and contractual arrangements involving such rights, tailored specifically for business associates, entrepreneurs, or legal counsels that are confronted with intellectual property transactions and would like to get familiar with concepts and terms that may be new to them.

To get the most out of the Licensing Executives Society International, active participation in the activities and events of the Licensing Executives Society International is a must. And what better way to do that than to join a Committee and to participate in its events and activities.

The LESI Industry, Professional and Regional Committees are open to any LES member worldwide and the Committees are always looking for new talent to support and drive forward the objectives of the Licensing Executives Society International.

Join an LESI Committee!