Russell Thom

M&A, funding rounds and IPOs put IP portfolios under intense scrutiny, often surfacing issues that have built up over years of acquisitions, reorganizations and inconsistent portfolio hygiene. Your peers describe deals slowing over messy ownership chains, unclear rights in collaborations, weak trade secret practice and portfolios that aren't clearly tied to products and revenue. We'll discuss what buyers, investors and auditors are really looking for, and how to spot and fix hidden IP risks before they become deal breakers.

• Learn how to get portfolios diligence ready for investment, acquisition or exit.
• Discuss the most common IP red flags uncovered in diligence; unclear ownership, weak trade secret "reasonable measures," and portfolios that don't match the product story.
• Uncover governance practices that improve deal readiness and portfolio value, from regular IP "health checks" and contract templates to playbooks for integrating IP after M&A so problems don't accumulate for the next transaction.

• Learn how organizations ring fence their most valuable patents and trade secrets in joint development projects—and how that approach shifts when the technology may become standard essential.
• Understand how SEP/FRAND obligations reshape what you're willing to contribute into a standard and how you structure downstream licensing.
• See how human–AI co creation, platform deals and fluid partner ecosystems create new ownership and enforceability challenges, with implications for future SEP/FRAND disputes and collaborative IP strategy.