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April 16, 2025

Patent, trademark, copyright law updates on ABA-IPL spring agenda

CHICAGO, April 16, 2025 — Intellectual property professionals from around the world, including prominent IP leaders from Microsoft, AT&T and Disney and officials from the U.S. Copyright Office and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, will meet April 30-May 2 for the 2025 ABA-IPL Section Annual Meeting in Arlington, Virginia.

The annual meeting will offer patent, trademark and copyright law updates and features expert analysis of AI licensing agreements, evolving intellectual property practices and cyber security and ethical practices among other hot topics.

The 2025 Mark T. Banner Award will be presented on May 1 to Horacio Gutierrez, senior executive vice president, chief legal and compliance officer for The Walt Disney Company, for his contributions to IP practice. The award recognizes an individual or group that has made an impact on intellectual property law and/or practice.

What:  
2025 ABA-IPL Section Annual Meeting 
Sponsored by the ABA Section of Intellectual Property Law           

When: 
Wednesday-Thursday, April 30-May 1

Where:
Crystal Gateway Marriott
1700 Richmond Highway
Arlington, Virginia

Program highlights include the following sessions:

  • “Patent Durability Task Force Update”
  • “The Reform of ‘Community Designs’: EU’s New Challenges, Strength and Weakness Compared to USA and China”
  • “Updates from the Copyright Office”
  • “Building a Strong Patent Portfolio”
  • “A Dialogue Between the Bench and Bar: Perspectives from Both Sides”
  • “Bad Faith in Trademark Law: Recent Developments Around the World”
  • “Trade Secrets: The Final Frontier — An Exploration of the Boundaries of Trade Secrets”
  • “Generative Designs: AI’s Impact on Design Patents”
  • “Processing and Compliance for Mezcal & Tequila Appellations of Origin in Mexico and the USA”
  • “Navigating Legal IP Rights and Publicity Issues in the Age of Deepfakes”
  • “The Great Divide: Examining Disparities in Expert Damages Opinions and Their Admissibility”
  • “IP and Pop Culture”

The meeting agenda can be viewed here.

This event is open to members of the press. For media registration, please contact Shanda Ivory at [email protected]. All reporters must provide proof of credentials.

The ABA is the largest voluntary association of lawyers in the world. As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law. View our privacy statement online. Follow the latest ABA news at www.americanbar.org/news and on X (formerly Twitter) @ABANews.