Day 2 (Jan 27th 2026)

Counterfeit and ‘dupe’ products have become a defining challenge for US athleisure brands. In contrast to automotive and pharmaceutical counterfeits, drawing law enforcement attention due to strong health and safety risks, dupe apparel rarely triggers agency action—leaving brand owners to develop innovative enforcement and protection strategies.

• Learn innovative methods from IP leaders across industries to effectively prevent brand infringements.
• Share creative legal approaches to strengthen infringement claims and overcome apathy from enforcement partners.
• Discuss how to leverage civil litigation, customs interventions and contract controls to disrupt dupe supply chains. 

In an era where the only constant is change, 2026 promises to bring a new era of rules, risks and opportunities, many of which remain hidden from plain sight today. With perspectives and forecasts shared from across IP functions and industries, equip yourself with a deeper understanding of the strategies to adopt and focuses to pursue in 2026 to effectively tackle likely policy shifts, global risks, and commercial opportunities to seize early-on.

• Understand the new rules shaping 2026, be it market changes, regulatory shifts or technological developments posing new risks.
• Discover unconventional growth areas and collaborative ecosystems that competitors might overlook to reinforce your competitive edge in your industry.
• Develop frameworks to anticipate and respond effectively to black swan events and emerging threat vectors for your IP assets and brand to remain credible and secure.

Sardiaa Leney

Chief Intellectual Property Counsel
PerkinElmer Inc

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Laura Peter

Executive Director
University of North Carolina at Charlotte

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Angela Wilson

Senior Counsel, Global Intellectual Property
The Hershey Company

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Counterfeiters are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and supply chains ever more complex, making customs intelligence and collaboration an essential tool for brand protection leaders. Effective customs engagement programs can provide access to timely shipment data and convert seizures into strategic insights that strengthens overall brand protection efforts. By leveraging customs data, frontline insights and strategic partnerships with customs authorities, brands can proactively intercept counterfeit goods before they enter the market.

• Discover how real-time intelligence sharing, tailored training, and digital authentication tools are transforming customs from a reactive enforcement body into a strategic ally for brand owners.
• Learn best practices for establishing effective customs engagement programs, accessing timely shipment data, and translating customs seizures into actionable, commercially focused wins.
• Explore innovative ways to deploy digital authentication tools, such as QR codes, serialisation and labelling and integrate them into customs workflows for streamlined verification at the border.

The landscape for IPR discretionary denial is in flux, following significant policy reversals and new memoranda reshaping how the USPTO and PTAB exercise their institution discretion. With guidance shifting under the Trump Administration and USPTO leadership, patent stakeholders are closely monitoring these developments, eager for clarity on how future decisions may unfold and how to recalibrate post-grant strategies.

• Hear a dissection of the latest “workload management” and “settled expectations” standards in the Stewart memo for a clearer understanding of IPR.
• Assess the rescission of the Vidal memo and anticipate the Trump Administration’s path forward on PTAB discretion.
• Share insights as to what extent the US Administration’s uncertainty has peaked or are we closer to a new equilibrium for IPR access and predictability?

Take part in quick, interactive lightning debates designed exclusively for IP leaders across both patent and brand protection functions. This session transforms networking into an engaging forum in an informal setting, quickly diving into some of the most pressing IP debates shaping your industries in 2026.

Debate topics include:

• Should AI inventions be eligible for patent protection?
• Brands, not marketplaces, should bear the primary responsibility for detecting and removing counterfeit goods online.
• Quality of patents filed is always more effective than quantity.
• Blockchain technologies are the future of counterfeit enforcement.

IP leadership is undergoing a significant transformation evolving from a tactical, cost-focused operation to an integrated, strategic function fundamental to organisational reputation, growth and innovation. However, many organisations still measure IP value with transactional outputs (eg. patents filed or granted, numbers of counterfeit seizures). This approach often fails to capture the broader, long-term business value IP brings.

• Explore how to best define, quantify and communicate the impact of IP on strategic business outcomes to effectively communicate value of IP to the wider business.
• Hear how both patent and brand protection leaders are motivating their teams to focus on the long-term impacts of protecting IP assets.
• Share and develop custom KPIs to capture both operational outputs and long-term strategic impact within your organisation.

Betul Ayranci

Director, Business & Legal Affairs
FOX Sports

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Jay Kennedy

Head of Illicit Trade Prevention Policy and Engagement U.S.
Philip Morris International, Inc

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