Chris Benson

Challenges posed by counterfeiting through marketplaces, sophisticated infringement and dramatic shifts in policy in today’s IP landscape demands a whole new approach – collaboration rather than competition.

Forming strategic partnerships with your competitors can significantly leverage collective strengths to influence government & marketplace policy, streamline enforcement and safeguard innovation.

• Gain strategies for sharing threat intelligence and best practices with industry peers and authorities to rapidly improve detection and influence policymaking.

• Discover how collaborative campaigns create greater impact and can offer you a seat at the table with large global marketplaces.

• Explore techniques for establishing transparent communication and mutual goals with competitors whilst maintaining your competitive edge and safeguarding brand secrets.

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.

US IP policy is entering a period of accelerated change, with Congress weighing new approaches to innovation, competition, data and AI that will redefine how IP is created, protected and enforced. For senior in house IP leaders, this shift is not only reshaping portfolio strategy and risk, but also the skills, influence and visibility required to succeed at the executive level. In this fireside chat, unpack the policy priorities that matter most for corporate IP teams and what they signal about the “IP of tomorrow” in the US landscape.

• Discover how emerging US IP policy debates around patents, trademarks, data and AI are likely to impact enforcement, licensing, investment decisions and the expectations placed on in house IP leadership.

• Explore what the next generation of IP leaders will look like – from policy fluency and cross functional influence to AI and data literacy – and how today’s in house counsel can future proof their careers in a more policy driven environment.

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.