The IP Strategy Summit: Seattle

Christopher Sweeney, Executive Director of Intellectual Property at Acuitas, focuses on aligning the company’s global IP strategy with its business objectives and supporting its robust internal research and development (R&D) program.  He has over 20 years of experience in IP law and prior to joining Acuitas, served as Executive Director of IP at Seagen until its acquisition by Pfizer.  Previously, he was an equity partner in the Seattle Office of Knobbe Martens. He received his JD (IP concentration) from the University of Washington, his MS in chemistry from the University of Oregon, and his BS in biochemistry from Gonzaga University.

Caldwell is Chief IP Counsel for Fluke and Chief Trademark Counsel for Fortive. Fluke is the world leader in professional electronic test tools and software for measuring and condition monitoring. Under her leadership, the IP team supports Fluke’s growth and innovation in an industry that is evolving from traditional hardware products to software and AI-enabled workflow solutions and services. Caldwell’s strong trademark background has given her significant expertise in global protection and strategic management of large trademark portfolios, with an emphasis on anticounterfeiting activities and worldwide trade dress enforcement. Caldwell’s 25-year career has given her extensive IP experience across a variety of industries, including industrial technology and manufacturing, food, CPG, consumer electronics, retail, and home improvement.

Rose serves as the global head of the Legal Intellectual Property (IP) group at Expedia with responsibility for a team handling all IP matters across Expedia and its various brands.

Prior to coming to Expedia, Rose served as Global Trademark Counsel managing the Cummins global trademark portfolio, which including responsibilities for advising on marketing and advertising matters and management of the anticounterfeit program.

Rose also provided IP support for multiple different Cummins business units, including support for the global patent portfolio development for those business units.

Rose is experienced in advising on intellectual property strategies for and implementation of complex transactions.

Prior to her time at Cummins, Rose was a federal employee for fifteen (15) years at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security where she established an Intellectual Property Law Practice Group within the Office of the General Counsel. Most recently, Rose was the Chief IP Counsel for DHS’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), where she serves as the intellectual property subject matter expert for and on behalf of CISA.

Rose studied at George Washington University, New York University School of Law and Manhattanville College.  She has a Master of Law (LL.M.) in Intellectual Property, a Juris Doctor (J.D.), and Bachelor of Arts Degree (B.A.).  She is a registered patent attorney with a discipline in Physics.

Heather Hedeen is a Principal Corporate Counsel on the Patent Team at Microsoft. She is responsible for advising on and developing the patent portfolio for Microsoft’s Security organization. She is also chair of Microsoft’s Intellectual Property Group Legal Learn Committee as well as sitting on the Outside Counsel Committee and Patent Law & Policy Committee.

In addition, Heather serves as a committee co-chair for ChIPs Mock Program, developed to create opportunities for associates and junior partners to gain real-life experience pitching to clients. Heather also sits on the Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO) LeadershIP Development Committee. Further, Heather was recently appointed as the Young Lawyer Liaison to the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) Intellectual Property Section and will serve for the 2024-2026 term. Heather also regularly speaks on patent portfolio strategy and development.

Prior to joining Microsoft, Heather was at Lam Research where she managed intellectual property portfolios related to semiconductor wafer fabrication equipment. Heather is a registered Patent Attorney before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and while in private practice, she had a varied practice representing leading technology clients in patent prosecution, patent portfolio analysis, and patent defense. Heather graduated cum laude from Lewis & Clark Law School and served as Managing Editor of Lewis & Clark Law Review. She received her B.S. General Engineering degree and M.S. Engineering degree with distinction from Cal Poly – San Luis Obispo.

Currently Senior IP Counsel at Cepheid, Paul previously served as Vice President of IP & Legal at Moat Metrics (formerly part of Aon plc) and held legal roles at Lane Powell (Counsel to the Firm) and RareCyte (Director, Legal & IP). Paul also served as a patent examiner at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He brings a cross-sector perspective to IP strategy, licensing, IP analytics and valuation, litigation, and compliance across multiple industries, including biotech, diagnostics, telecommunications, AR/VR, AI/ML, green energy, and aerospace.

Malgorzata “Gosia” Kulczycka is an experienced attorney in the firm’s San Jose office with a broad-based IP law practice. With more than 15 years of legal experience, Gosia works to protect and support her client’s intellectual property through patent preparation and prosecution and by employing trademark and brand protection strategies for and against infringement claims.

Inventor herself, Gosia practices in various IP areas and technologies, including artificial intelligence and machine learning, communication technologies, complex software, and more.

Gosia also has extensive experience in computer graphics and computer networks. She has procured and managed large IP client accounts in computer graphics and AI.

Eric Hiponia is a Senior Patent Counsel at Intel, where he manages and develops a comprehensive patent portfolio spanning multiple technologies. His portfolio includes thousands of assets across multiple jurisdictions, covering diverse technology areas such as wireless core technologies, network infrastructure, and silicon photonics. He also played a pivotal role in high-profile transactions and licensing projects involving standards-essential patent (SEP) assets.

Eric oversees the performance of all US-based Outside Counsel (OC) firms supporting the patent group. He works with his team to create metrics for evaluating application quality, prosecution effectiveness, and cost efficiency across thousands of pending applications in multiple jurisdictions. His leadership ensures that patent strategies align with Intel’s long-term technological and business objectives.

Samantha (Sam) C. Pak is Senior Intellectual Property Counsel for Stryker Corporation in Redmond, Washington.  Stryker is one of the world’s leading medical technology companies, whose products include implants used in joint replacement, trauma, and spinal surgeries; surgical equipment and surgical navigation systems; endoscopic and communications systems; neurovascular products; patient handling and emergency medical equipment, and other medical devices used in a variety of specialties.  Sam assists with Stryker’s IP litigation, IP agreements, management of patent and trademark portfolios; due diligence for business development; and provides a range of other IP services.  Before arriving at Stryker in 2018, Sam worked in the legal department at The Boeing Company assisting on various IP services and transactions.  Prior to joining Boeing, Sam also practiced at the Miller Nash law firm in its Seattle, WA office.  There, her practice included assisting with IP litigation; patent and trademark prosecution; transactions; and IP counseling and opinions.  During law school, Sam also prosecuted many patents at an IP boutique firm and completed an internship at Baxter Healthcare immediately after receiving her doctorate degree in biomedical engineering.  Sam is admitted to practice before the USPTO and in Washington.  

Jonathan Tuminaro, Ph.D. is a director in Sterne Kessler’s Trial & Appellate and Electronics Practice Groups. Jonathan is an experienced trial lawyer who focuses his practice on complex electronics litigation in the U.S. district courts, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). He has represented some of the leading high-tech companies in patent litigation matters relating to telecommunications, network security, LCD flat-panel displays, computer graphics, automotive technologies, GPS location-based service, and wireless power transfer. Jonathan is particularly well known for his extensive experience handling economics issues in patent litigation—including damages in district court, domestic industry at the ITC, and objective considerations of non-obviousness at the PTAB. He has defended patents that have led to judgments worth nearly $25M and has defended against patents where the damages were alleged to exceed $100M.

Nirav N. Desai is a director in Sterne Kessler’s Trial & Appellate and Electronics Practice Groups. He specializes in simplifying complex matters—inside the courtroom and out—and solving problems in the process. Nirav is experienced in a full range of intellectual property issues, with a particular focus on patent litigation and counseling clients in global intellectual property strategy. An accomplished litigator, Nirav has served as lead counsel in district court litigation matters around the country and has been involved in matters before district courts, appellate courts, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), and the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) in Section 337 actions.

Matthew E. Moersfelder is a Partner in the Intellectual Property group at Seyfarth Shaw LLP in Seattle, where he focuses on trademark, brand protection, and advertising law. He counsels companies on the full lifecycle of brand strategy—from trademark prosecution and portfolio management to licensing, online enforcement, and anti-cybersquatting actions. With nearly two decades of experience, he represents clients across industries including consumer products, media and entertainment, gaming, fashion, and technology in matters before federal courts and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.

Jaci McDole joined the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Global Innovation Policy Center (GIPC) in April 2023, and she now serves as executive director of Copyright and Creativity. Her portfolio includes the creative ecosystems, digital intellectual property (IP) theft and enforcement, copyright and artificial intelligence, right to repair, and most other copyright or copyright-adjacent issues.

She coordinates the Chamber’s annual digital piracy symposium which addresses cross-industry concerns and best practices for protecting IP in the digital realm, as well as the connection between digital IP theft and organized crime. Jaci was selected as a 2026-2027 IPPI Thomas Edison Fellow, and her research will focus on this criminal nexus. Additionally, she has published several blogs and case studies highlighting the IP-intensive communities, small-to-medium enterprises, World IP Day, and the harms that consumers and the economy face due to digital IP crimes. In 2025, she oversaw the production and release of Unlocking Creativity: The Socioeconomic Benefits of Copyright, a report that synthesized more than 70 research papers focused on the economic impact of both the copyright-intensive industries and digital piracy.

Before joining GIPC, she worked on IP and innovation policy with the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, the Institute for Intellectual Property Research, and the former Center for the Protection of Intellectual Property at George Mason University.

Jaci holds a double B.A. in music business and radio-television with a minor in marketing, an M.S. in education, and a J.D. with a specialization in IP, all from Southern Illinois University.