Intellectual Property Symposium – 2026

SCHEDULE

Time: 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. | No MCLE Provided.
Opening thoughts: Jonathan Handel 
Speaker

Jonathan Handel Feig/Finkel

Time: 12:45 - 1:45 p.m. | MCLE: 1 Hour
Panel I: Intellectual Property Year-in-Review
What Portfolio Builders, Dealmakers and Litigators Need to Know

This program is for everyone practicing in the IP (or adjacent) areas -- whether you develop IP portfolios, do IP/ technology deals, or litigate.
Our expert panelists will cover the latest updates regarding patent practice, IP transactions, and IP litigation, highlighting "must know" developments as well as everyday practice tips that you can use in everyday situations.
We will dive into important changes in the law, key takeaways, and how to avoid major pitfalls, based on the most significant IP cases from the Supreme Court, Federal Circuit, and other influential courts.

Speakers

Joseph Yang PatentEsque Law Group Stanford Law School	Jennifer Kash Bunsow De Mory

Time: 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. | MCLE: 1 Hour
Panel II: The Application of DMCA to Data Scraping Litigation
As AI fuels the demand for massive quantities of web data, courts are increasingly being asked to apply the Digital Millennium Copyright Act’s (“DMCA”) anti-circumvention provisions to data scraping disputes. This panel unpacks the technical mechanics of data scraping and the fast-moving case law that is reshaping who controls access to content online.

Speakers

Jo Levy The Norton Law Firm	Mark Liang O’Melveny & Myers	Victoria Noble Electronic Frontier Foundation	Janel Thamkul Former Deputy General Counsel at Anthropic

Moderator

Esther Chang The Norton Law Firm

• Introduction to data scraping and its growing use alongside AI products and tools
• Background of how DMCA has emerged as a player in data scraping cases
• DMCA Section 1201 basics: 1201(a) v. 1201(b), the absence of a fair use defense, and the exemption process
• Recent DMCA data-scraping litigation and policy responses, including EFF and amicus positions
• What counts as a technical protection measure (“TPM”), including a discussion of YouT v. RIAA, Google v SerpAPI and
• Reddit v SerpAPI
• Circumvention doctrine and the access-control v. copy-control divide

Time: 3:15 - 4:15 p.m.| MCLE: 1 Hour in Legal Ethics Credit
Panel III: Candor in the Age of AI
Ethics for IP Practitioners

Generative AI arrived in patent and trademark practice faster than the rules governing it. This program examines the professional responsibility questions AI raises for California IP practitioners under COPRAC's generative AI guidance and the California Rules of Professional Conduct, alongside the USPTO's own ethics rules and its guidance on AI-based tools.

Speakers

Nicole Katsin Crown LLP	Candace Martin Legal AI at Thomson Reuters	Dale Hunt Hunt IP Law

Moderator

Amanda R. Conley Conley Law

• COPRAC's practical guidance on generative AI applied to IP practice: competence under Rule 1.1, client communication under Rule 1.4, and billing under Rule 1.5
• Dual regulation: California attorneys practicing before the USPTO answer to both the California Rules of Professional
• Conduct and the USPTO Rules of Professional Conduct under 37 CFR Part 11, and the two do not align perfectly
• Candor and the reasonable inquiry: why an AI tool's output does not satisfy the inquiry behind your signature, and what independent verification requires when a tool drafts claims or runs the prior art search
• Confidentiality with consequences beyond discipline: Rule 1.6 and Business and Professions Code section 6068(e) when feeding an unfiled invention disclosure or trade secret into a third-party tool also risks novelty and forfeiture
• Inventorship and disclosure as ethics questions: naming humans who contributed less than the tool did, and when AI involvement becomes material information, the Office must be told
• Supervision under Rules 5.1 and 5.3: treating an AI tool like a non-lawyer assistant when the supervising lawyer is the one signing the certification

Time: 4:30 - 5:00 p.m. | Keynote with Q&A | No MCLE provided.
Keynote Speaker:  San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu
IP Issues Facing the City Including the Recent Airport Litigation

Keynote Speaker

David Chiu San Francisco City Attorney

Moderator

Stephen M. Hankins Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila

Section Chair
Aaron D. Johnson, Womble Bond Dickinson

Event Code: G262503
For a printable flyer, click here.
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Cost

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Program Access
This is an in-Person program only.  Virtual access will not be available. Program recordings are not guaranteed and/or included with this registration, nor immediately accessible to registrants. Approved recordings of live programs are converted to On-Demand CLE Courses and available for separate purchase through a third-party library 30 business days after the live recording. 

Attending Programs
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For CLE events longer than 1.5 hours, and for special events such as conferences, symposiums, professional development training programs, a 50% refund is available if you cancel at least 10 business days prior to the event. Please complete the Event Cancellation Form.

If you are unable to attend, you may send a substitute. Please complete the Event Cancellation Form.

MCLE Notice
To receive MCLE credit, you must sign in during the designated MCLE registration period. This activity is approved for Minimum Continuing Legal Education credit by the State Bar of California. BASF is a certified provider: Provider #103

Accessibility
People with disabilities and/or special requests should contact BASF regarding reasonable accommodations.