World IP Day 2026

Join AIPLA and partner organizations on April 29 in Washington, DC, to celebrate World Intellectual Property Day 2026. This annual international event is an opportunity to learn about the role that intellectual property (IP) rights play in encouraging innovation and creativity. The theme of this year’s celebration is “IP and Sports: Ready, Set, Innovate.”

PROGRAM 

*subject to change

4:00-4:15 PM: Welcome and introductions. Salvatore Anastasi, AIPLA President

• Introduction of Congressional Speakers - Samantha Grover, Deputy Executive Director, Intellectual Property Owners Association and Jenny Simmons, Senior Director, Government Affairs, International Trademark Association (INTA)
• The Honorable Adam Schiff (D-CA), Member, Senate Judiciary Committee - Invited
• The Honorable Chris Coons (D-DE), Member, Senate Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Intellectual Property -Invited
• The Honorable Shira Perlmutter, U.S. Copyright Office
• The Honorable Coke Morgan Stewart, Deputy Director, U.S. Patent & Trademark Office
• Dan Vavonese, Acting Commissioner of Trademarks, U.S. Patent & Trademark Office

4:15-5:15 PM: IP and Sports: Ready, Set, Innovate! - Moderated by Jaci McDole, Senior Director of Copyright and Creativity at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce

• Shawn Springs, Founder & CEO of Windpact, Inc., Former professional NFL cornerback for the Seattle Seahawks, Washington Redskins, and New England Patriots
• Ellen Zavian, General Counsel, USA Football, Professor, George Washington University School of Law
• Phoebe Cade Miles, the daughter of Gatorade inventor James Robert Cade. Chair, Cade Museum

5:15-5:30 PM: Updates from US Agencies and Stakeholder Groups

US Copyright Office Initiatives – Miriam Lord, Associate Register of Copyrights and Director of Public Information and Education

USPTO Initiatives – Thomas (Skip) Mark, Director, Global Intellectual Property Academy, Office of Policy and International Affairs - Invite

5:30-5:35 PM – The Honorable Thom Tillis (R-NC), Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Intellectual Property – Invited

5:35-5:40 PM: Closing Remarks –Mike Waring, Association of University Technology Managers, representing the US IP Alliance.

5:40 – 6:30 PM: Exhibits and Reception

The event is coordinated with the USPTO and the US Copyright Office, and many thanks to the sponsors and supporting organizations:

American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA), US Chamber of Commerce Global Innovation Policy Center (GIPC), International Trademark Association (INTA), The American Bar Association's Section on Intellectual Property Law (ABA-IPL), the US IP Alliance, the Global IP Alliance, the Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO), the Licensing Executives Society International, and the National Academy of Inventors

This event is free and meets the requirements of a widely attended event under Congressional Ethics Rules.

This event is open to members of the press.

For more information about the World IP Organization's World IP Day efforts, visit their website here. 

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