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Speakers

• Anoff, Ali

  Procter & Gamble | Director & Assistant General Counsel - Patents

  Ali Anoff is Director and Assistant General Counsel at Procter & Gamble. She is the primary patent attorney for renowned brands such as Olay® skin care, as well as Old Spice®, Secret®, and Native® antiperspirant and deodorants. Ali provides strategic legal counsel to the business to create and protect global intellectual property assets. Her practice focuses on IP strategy development, preparation and prosecution of global patent applications, conducting freedom-to-practice assessments and enforcement.
• Barton, Matt

  Forresters IP LLP | Partner

  Dr Matt Barton is a European and UK patent attorney and UPC representative. He obtained a PhD in chemistry from the University of Birmingham, UK, in 2001 before joining Forresters IP LLP the same year. He has been a partner in the firm since 2008, at the same time relocating to Munich, Germany, where he now leads Forresters’ German office. He specialises in patents in the fields of small molecules, battery materials, chromatography and metallurgy. He has vast experience of EPO opposition and appeal proceedings, having been lead attorney on more than 90 matters to date, both in defence and attack.
• Brougher, Joanna

  Indivior, PLC | Patent Attorney

  Joanna is a patent attorney who focuses her practice on all aspects of services related to patents in the areas of biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and medical devices, including patentability opinions, patent drafting, domestic and foreign patent prosecution, development and management of patent portfolios, and general client counseling during all phases of a product’s lifecycle, from concept to commercialization.
• Burgy, Adriana

  Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner LLP | Partner

  Adriana Burgy, a partner in Finnegan’s Washington DC’s office, specializes in patent opinion work, client counseling, prosecution, portfolio management, and litigation within the chemical, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology sectors. Combining legal and technical expertise, she is recognized by Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) and The Legal 500 U.S. for her accomplishments in patent matters across a broad array of technologies.
• Burke, Julie

  IP Quality Pro, LLC | Founder

  Julie has a BA in Cellular and Molecular Biology from Johns Hopkins University and a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of London College of Science, Technology and Medicine. As a primary patent examiner and Quality Assurance specialist Julie advocated for policy and practice changes for nearly 20 years from inside the US Patent and Trademark Office.
• Che, Jennifer

  Eagle IP | Managing Director

  Jennifer Che, J.D. is Managing Director at Eagle IP, a boutique patent firm headquartered in Greater China. Jennifer has a deep, multi-faceted understanding of cross-border (US-China) patent matters and the biopharmaceutical industry. Jennifer has the unique combination of close to 15 years' in-house IP experience in Boston (Vertex, Flagship-founded Axcella) together with 8 years being based in Asia and advising on China patent strategy. A recognized thought leader, frequent international speaker, and founder/author of the blog chinapatentstrategy.com, Jennifer guides international clients through complex China patent challenges and building strategic, global IP portfolios.
• Chipouras, Andrew

  Honigman | Partner

  Andrew Chipouras is a patent attorney practicing in all areas of patent law with a focus on preparing and prosecuting patent applications. In particular, he has experience working with clients to protect inventions inventions and strategically manage patent portfolios in technologies from chemistry and the life sciences to materials science and mechanical/electromechanical technologies. Andrew conducts due diligence on patent portfolios for licensing, acquisition, and investment transactions, prepares freedom-to-operate and invalidity opinions, and supports patent litigation and inter partes review proceedings.
• Crane, Sharon

  Haynes Boone LLP | Counsel

  Sharon Crane is a Counsel in the Intellectual Property Practice Group in Haynes Boone’s Washington, D.C. office. Her practice focuses on patent prosecution, opinion work, patent interferences, and post-grant practice at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). Sharon also provides discerning representation to clients in various fields, particularly in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors.
• Curcio, Stephanie

  NLPatent | CEO and Co-Founder

  Stephanie Curcio is a recognized leader at the intersection of artificial intelligence and patent law, with a focus on modernizing patent practice through workflow-aligned AI. She is the CEO and Co-Founder of NLPatent, where her work centers on applying proprietary AI models to support established patent research and intelligence workflows by automating high-friction tasks, surfacing conceptually relevant context, and reducing manual review - while preserving practitioner judgment, legal rigor, and explainability.
• Dantzler, Denise

  &AI | Patent Attorney

  Denise Dantzler is a patent attorney and product engineer at &AI, a San Francisco-based, legal tech startup developing an AI-powered platform for patent practitioners. There, she defines patent-specific product requirements across core features and workflows. She previously practiced at boutique IP law firms in Kansas City and Washington, D.C., strengthening U.S. and foreign patent portfolios for global leaders in advanced materials, semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices. She holds a J.D. from the University of Kansas School of Law and an M.S. in Materials Science & Engineering from Stanford University.
• Ebata, Kohei

  Resonac Corporation | Chief Assistant Manager

  Kohei Ebata is a member of the IP department at Resonac Corporation and is responsible for intellectual property activities for the semiconductor materials business, including patent filing and prosecution, patent portfolio management, freedom‑to‑operate analyses, know‑how management, and patent enforcement. He works across a range of technology areas, such as polymer chemistry, adhesive materials, film materials, process materials, and semiconductor device packaging processes.
• Garberg, Morten

  Hoffmann Eitle | Partner

  Morten Garberg is a partner and co-head of HOFFMANN EITLE’s Chemistry and Pharmaceuticals practice group. Since starting his patent law career in the firm’s London office in 2002, Morten has gained extensive experience in representation of clients at the European Patent Office, specializing in opposition and appeal work. Now based in Munich, his expertise with patent work spans a wide variety of technical fields, including pharmaceuticals, polymers, foods and medical devices.
• Goldberg, Joshua B.

  Nath, Goldberg & Meyer | Co-Managing Partner

  Joshua Goldberg is Co-Managing Partner and the Partner-in-Charge of the Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Department of Nath, Goldberg & Meyer. Mr. Goldberg’s practice involves preparing and acquiring U.S. and foreign patents for his clients across a wide range of technology areas. His current practice places a particular emphasis on pharmaceutical, agriculture, and alternative energy technologies. He also advises corporate, university, and independent clients not only in how to obtain patents, but also how to bring new products to market without infringing someone else’s patents.
• Holloway, Chloe

  Hoffmann Eitle | British and European Patent Attorney, UPC Representative

  Chloe joined the Munich office of Hoffmann Eitle in 2016. Prior to joining Hoffmann Eitle, Chloe worked for a large Italian IP firm in Milan and for a boutique firm in Mexico City. Chloe works on drafting and prosecuting patent applications in a variety of different technical fields within chemistry, including organic chemistry, medicinal chemistry, pharmaceuticals and materials chemistry. She specialises in opposition and appeal proceedings before the EPO and has represented both patent proprietors and opponents in these proceedings.
• Irving, Thomas L.

  The Marbury Law Group, PLLC | Senior Partner

  Tom Irving is Senior Partner at the Marbury Law Group with some 50 years of experience in the field of intellectual property law. My practice emphasizes patent law experting, due diligence investigations, Orange Book listings, and counseling and opinion work, particularly on ODP and MPF. I successfully reissued the patent for the drug Lovenox®, a blockbuster product, and represented targets Agouron, Principia Biopharma, and Endocyte in patent work resulting in deals respectively garnering $2.1, $3.68, and $2.1 billion USD, as publicly reported. I filed an expert report and was cross examined on prosecution laches for CureVac against BioNTech /Pfizer. In settlement, CureVac received $740 million and a running royalty on Covid-19 vaccine sales in the U.S. I have also filed two expert reports dealing with inequitable conduct and one on duty of care in patent filing and prosecution. 
• McCrackin, Ann

  AI-Enabled Attorney, LLC | Founder

  Ann McCrackin is a patent attorney, Adjunct Professor at the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law, and founder of AI-Enabled Attorney LLC. She provides practical AI training and IP operations consulting for law firms and legal teams, with a focus on helping professionals use AI effectively in real patent and trademark workflows.
• Ney, Joshua E.

  Barnes & Thornburg, LLP | Partner

  Josh Ney counsels life science companies in patent procurement, freedom-to-operate, due diligence and litigation matters. With a Ph.D. in chemistry, Josh practices in a range of technology areas, including small molecule drugs, lipid nanoparticles, mRNA therapeutics, monoclonal antibodies, vaccines, flow cytometry technology, and polymer chemistry. Josh helps life science clients protect their assets throughout the product life-cycle, including patent drafting and prosecution, counseling regarding patent and regulatory exclusivity, and patent enforcement.
• O'Brien Michelle E.

  The Marbury Law Group | Partner

  Michelle E. O’Brien has more than 25 years of experience representing both domestic and foreign clients of all sizes in the areas of patent procurement, litigation, and client counseling, with a particular emphasis on chemical, biochemical, and pharmaceutical technologies. Exemplary areas of Ms. O’Brien’s technical expertise include polymer chemistry; ceramics; glass; food chemistry; cosmetics; paper products; adhesives; and pharmaceutical products including new chemical entities and formulations, as well as novel solid forms including polymorphs, cocrystals, and amorphous forms of compounds.
• Patty II, R. Andrew (Drew)

  Phelps Dunbar LLP | Partner

  Drew Patty is a Partner at Phelps Dunbar, L.L.P. who advises clients on intellectual property, data rights and obligations, artificial intelligence and related litigation. His technical background in biochemistry and a business background in corporate reorganizations and banking bring to bear a unique combination of skills in addressing client challenges. He advances client rights before the USPTO and federal courts, and manages IP portfolios across various industries, including specialty chemicals, cleantech, oil & gas, industrial services, hospitality, medical devices and software.
• Prosser, Tony

  Knowles Intellectual Property Strategies | Partner

  Anthony R. Prosser, Ph.D., is a Partner with Knowles Intellectual Property Strategies (KIPS) in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Prosser focuses on complex organic chemistry patent matters including drafting and prosecuting U.S. and international patent applications directed to new chemical compounds and synthetic methodology, due diligence, freedom to operate analysis, and patentability investigations. Dr. Prosser’s technical areas of expertise include organic synthesis, process chemistry, medicinal chemistry, nucleoside chemistry and drug discovery and development.
• Smalley, Laura W.

  Harris Beach PLLC | Partner

  Laura W. Smalley is a partner in the Intellectual Property Practice Group of Harris Beach PLLC, one of the leading law firms in New York State as ranked by the National Law Journal. She was selected as one of the Best Lawyers in America and represents clients in patent licensing, litigation and prosecution. Laura focuses on protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights and clients’ development of their technology. She has litigated numerous patent infringement suits involving medical devices, electronic components and imaging technology, including acting as trial counsel in a patent infringement action over key components for pacemakers and implantable defibrillators that resulted in a $27 million judgment.
• South, Clint

  Ballard Spahr LLP | Counsel

  Clinton South is a member of the Intellectual Property Department and of the Chemical and Pharmaceutical practice teams in Ballard Spahr’s Patents Group. Clint’s practice focuses on drafting and prosecuting domestic and foreign patent applications, opinion work, client counseling, intellectual property litigation, and proceedings at the USPTO—including post-grant and inter partes review proceedings.
• Szweras, Melanie

  Bereskin & Parr LLP | Partner

  Melanie’s practice focuses on drafting and prosecution of applications relating to biologics, diagnostics, biotechnology, food and pharmaceuticals. Melanie offers strategic advice and expertise to her clients, provides validity and freedom to operate opinions and is involved in related patent litigation and licensing.
• Tostmann, Holger

  Casalonga | Partner

  With over 25 years of experience in European and US- patent prosecution, as well as extensive practice in opposition and appeal proceedings, where he has achieved well above-average success rates, Holger focuses on patents in the fields of pharma, polymers, materials science and batteries. He provides strategic advice on patent portfolio management, aligning deep technical expertise with legal experience to support clients’ commercial objectives.
• Vines, Kim

  Stites & Harbison, PLLC | Member

  Kim Vines, Ph.D. is a patent attorney with a chemistry background and more than a decade of experience in U.S. and international patent prosecution, portfolio strategy, and patent opinions. She works with clients ranging from start ups to multinational chemical and pharmaceutical companies. Kim also serves as an editor and contributing author for AIPLA’s Chemical Practice Chronicles and has published in Law360 and The Patent Lawyer Newsletter.
• Till, Mary

  Finnegan Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner LLP | Of Counsel

  Mary C. Till is of counsel in Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner LLP’s Washington, DC office. She leverages her over 30 years of experience in patent law to provide patent prosecution counseling services to a broad range of clients. Drawing on her insider’s perspective with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), her capabilities range from the representation of large corporations to startups and universities needing patent procurement, portfolio evaluations, and portfolio management and strategy services.
• Wright, Simon

  Schlich | Director

  Simon graduated with a Chemistry (with Biochemistry) degree from Bristol University in 1986 and qualified as a UK patent attorney in 1990. He became a European Patent Attorney in 1992 while with Kilburn & Strode and later joined J A Kemp in 1994. He became a partner in J A Kemp’s biotechnology group in 2005. He moved to join the Schlich firm on the south coast of the UK in January 2022.

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