The IP Strategy Summit: Seattle
In today’s volatile innovation landscape, intellectual property is more than protection; it’s power. The Seattle IP Strategy Summit brings together the nation’s leading IP executives, general counsel, and industry experts to explore how top organizations are protecting, leveraging, and monetizing their intellectual assets in a fast-changing global market. This is where high-level strategy meets real-world execution. Dive into discussions on building resilient patent portfolios, navigating trade secret risks, maximizing brand value through licensing and collaborations, and addressing the IP challenges posed by generative AI. Learn how leading organizations are approaching valuation, enforcement, and litigation funding to strengthen their IP posture and drive business growth.
Designed for IP professionals navigating the intersection of law, technology, and enterprise value, this summit delivers actionable insights and benchmarking opportunities that elevate your IP program from reactive to strategic. From cross-border litigation and portfolio monetization to brand enforcement and proprietary information governance, you’ll hear how innovators across sectors are aligning IP strategy with business outcomes. Whether you manage patents, trademarks, trade secrets, or licensing initiatives, the Seattle IP Strategy Summit is your opportunity to connect with peers, gain forward-looking perspective, and walk away with the tools to turn your company’s IP into a lasting competitive advantage
This event is co-located with the AI Governance & Compliance Summit, providing attendees with access to both tracks for a comprehensive experience. By joining, you’ll enjoy a full day of thought-provoking IP and AI sessions, doubling your networking reach and cross-disciplinary insights under one roof.
* 5.5 HRS WA CLE
- Company-vs-Company Patent Wars: Offensive + Defensive Playbooks
- Portfolio Pivots: Prosecution & Management for an Enforcement-Friendly Era
- Trade Secrets that Survive Court Scrutiny
- Monetization in a Warmer Enforcement Climate
- Patent Owner Playbook 2026: Enforcement After PTAB Shifts
- Brand Protection & Enforcement in the Digital Age
- Defensive IP Playbooks in a Patent-Owner Friendly Era
- Copyright, Confidentiality & Control: Redefining Ownership in the Modern Enterprise
- Using Your Full Arsenal: Leveraging Every IP Asset to Strengthen Competitive Position
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Chief Intellectual Property Counsel
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Chief Legal Officer / General Counsel
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Deputy, Associate & Assistant General Counsel
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Vice President / Director of Intellectual Property
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Vice President / Director of IP Strategy
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Vice President / Director of Licensing & Commercialization
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Head of Litigation & Dispute Resolution
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Intellectual Property, Trademark & Copyright Counsel
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Patent Counsel & Patent Portfolio Managers
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Corporate Counsel & Legal Operations Leaders
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Director of Business & Legal Affairs
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Counsel, Privacy & Technology Transactions
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Licensing, Commercialization & Business Development Executives
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IP Valuation, Risk, and Monetization Specialists
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Compliance, Brand Protection & Anti-Counterfeiting Leaders
Agenda
Dive deep into the strategies shaping IP law, innovation, and enterprise value. Whether you focus on litigation, portfolio management, or commercialization, you’ll gain actionable insights from leaders who are redefining how companies protect, leverage, and monetize their most valuable assets. This is where IP strategy becomes business strategy. Two distinct tracks—one unified conversation about the future of IP.
One-to-One Meetings begin. If interested in participating, email info@centerforceusa.com
Corporate patent litigation has entered a new phase of complexity and intensity. As operating companies increasingly face peers, suppliers, and cross-industry challengers, the playbook for balancing assertion and defense has evolved. From cross-licensing pressure to insurance, countersuits, and global coordination, this discussion reveals how leading IP teams protect innovation while advancing business objectives in an environment of rising filings and multi-forum battles.
This panel will explore:
- Navigating cross-licensing demands, indemnity, and supply-chain leverage as part of litigation strategy.
- Coordinating PTAB, district court, ITC, and UPC proceedings without overextending teams or budgets.
- Lessons learned from in-house leaders on what truly moved settlement numbers and what didn’t.
- How today’s surge in operating-company disputes is reshaping risk tolerance and deal dynamics.
Alexey Titov is an Intellectual Property Director at Stryker, a leading medical device company. His primary interests include defining IP strategy and patent development processes that maximize the business value of patent portfolios. Prior to joining Stryker, Alexey worked at a variety of intellectual property organizations including an IP consulting firm, a university technology transfer office, and a premier technology development company. Alexey is an inventor on 31 U.S. issued patents, has contributed a chapter to a book “Intellectual Property in Academia: A Practical Guide for Scientists and Engineers,” and is an author of several papers in the field of high energy and nuclear physics. He holds a Ph.D. in physics from the Rockefeller University, NY, and an M.S. in physics from Kharkov University, Ukraine.
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.
The era of automatic filing is over. As litigation costs rise and global enforcement accelerates, IP leaders are re-engineering their portfolios around strategic strength, not size. This session unpacks how in-house counsel are pruning, clustering, and continuing only the assets that can deliver injunctions, drive damages, and support sustainable enforcement across key venues.
This panel will explore:
- Realigning patent families toward assets with high enforcement and injunction potential.
- Drafting and continuation strategies that preserve optionality across U.S., UPC, and §337 landscapes.
- Building metric-driven reviews that tie spend to enforcement ROI and executive accountability.
- How fast-track proceedings at the UPC and active PTAB filings are influencing prosecution strategy.
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.
If interested in participating, email info@centerforceusa.com
Trade secrets remain one of the most valuable and most vulnerable corporate assets. Courts are increasingly demanding proof of real, not cosmetic, protection efforts. This session dives into how companies are operationalizing “reasonable measures,” documenting proprietary know-how, and preparing to prove misappropriation in an era of mobility, collaboration, and remote work.
This panel will explore:
- What “reasonable measures” actually meet today’s legal standard and how to implement them.
- Distinguishing improper means from lawful reverse engineering — where specificity wins cases.
- Structuring documentation and evidence to make protection demonstrable and defensible.
- How proactive asset management programs reduce exposure and strengthen courtroom credibility.
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.
After years of cautious enforcement, the IP landscape is heating up again. With U.S. patent litigation on the rise and global venues offering faster paths to judgment, IP owners are reassessing how to convert their portfolios into financial and strategic leverage. Today’s most successful programs treat monetization as a disciplined enterprise function, integrating legal, finance, and business development to extract value without reputational risk. This session brings together senior IP and licensing leaders to unpack what a “warmer” enforcement environment really means for operating companies and how they’re adapting their strategies to seize opportunity while managing exposure.
This panel will explore:
- Designing licensing programs that align with venue pressure points and timing asset sales for maximum leverage.
- Managing engagement with NPEs and other stakeholders to avoid reputational and relational blowback.
- Structuring internal governance that connects BD, finance, and litigation teams around shared revenue objectives.
- Understanding how enforcement climate shifts by venue and sector—and what that means for owners seeking results.
If interested in participating, email info@centerforceusa.com
The balance of power at the PTAB is shifting, and patent owners are responding accordingly. Recent USPTO guidance and Director-level decisions have widened the scope for discretionary denials, creating new uncertainty and new opportunity for operating companies. As the PTAB recalibrates what qualifies for review, in-house teams are reassessing how to approach enforcement, settlement leverage, and portfolio readiness. This session takes a forward-looking look at what “file or fight” means in 2026 and how corporate patent owners are adjusting strategy in a world where early dismissal is no longer guaranteed.
This panel will explore:
- How changes in discretionary-denial practice and “settled expectations” are reshaping filing and enforcement calculus.
- Coordinating PTAB posture with district court and ITC strategy to maximize leverage.
- Case studies from in-house teams on how new PTAB trends have helped—or hindered—real-world outcomes.
- What these shifts mean for litigation funding, valuation, and settlement strategy in 2026.
From counterfeit goods to social-media impersonation and AI-generated fakes, brand protection now demands both global coordination and digital sophistication. Companies across sectors are integrating legal, marketing, and technology teams to preserve brand equity and consumer trust. This conversation explores how household names are building resilient enforcement frameworks that safeguard reputation in a hyper-connected world.
This panel will explore:
- Detecting and dismantling online counterfeiting networks across platforms and jurisdictions.
- Balancing proactive enforcement with authenticity and customer experience.
- Leveraging technology, from image recognition to data analytics, to stay ahead of infringers.
- Coordinating legal, marketing, and compliance functions for unified brand defense.
Caldwell Camero is Associate General Counsel, Global Trademarks & IP for Fluke. She leads the trademark team providing support for the Intelligent Operating Solutions, Precision Technologies, and Advanced Healthcare Solutions segments of Fortive, a provider of essential technologies for connected workflow solutions. Caldwell also manages the patent work for the Fluke Health division, which includes Landauer (dosimetry), RaySafe (radiography), and Fluke Biomedical. Caldwell’s 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.
For years, defendants relied on the PTAB as a shield. But with discretionary denials expanding and patent owners gaining new traction, that playbook is changing fast. In-house litigation leaders are rethinking how to defend efficiently in a landscape where early dismissals are harder to secure and multi-forum disputes are the new normal. This session examines how companies are adjusting budgets, insurance, and settlement frameworks to stay competitive and how leading defense counsel are modernizing their tactics to contain costs and risk.
This panel will explore:
- How companies are rebalancing defensive budgets and risk models in light of reduced PTAB certainty.
- Coordinating readiness across ITC, UPC, and district court actions when early settlements are less likely.
- Insurance, indemnity, and design-around strategies that in-house peers are successfully deploying.
- Law firm innovations in validity challenges, discovery management, and exposure control in a post-IPR-first world.
In an era of digital collaboration and outsourced creativity, the boundaries of ownership and authorship have never been more contested. Businesses are confronting how copyright, confidentiality, and internal governance intersect as new cases redefine control over creative and proprietary information. This session brings together leaders who are modernizing corporate frameworks to protect what companies make, design, and share.
This panel will explore:
- How current copyright and proprietary information cases are reshaping internal risk policies.
- Defining ownership and authorship across employees, vendors, and third-party collaborators.
- Protecting proprietary content while enabling innovation, speed, and cross-functional collaboration.
- Building enterprise-wide awareness and compliance mechanisms that actually prevent loss of IP value.
The strongest IP strategies aren’t built in silos — they’re orchestrated across every available protection. From patents and trade secrets to licensing, trademarks, and copyrights, today’s leaders are integrating their entire portfolio into a cohesive system that deters competitors and amplifies business value. This closing discussion unites perspectives from across industries to illustrate how a coordinated IP arsenal creates both a shield and a sword in the global innovation race.
This panel will explore:
- How to combine patents, trade secrets, and licensing in a unified protection strategy.
- When to patent, when to keep confidential, and how to use each choice to reinforce the other.
- Building cross-functional alignment between legal, R&D, and business units around IP strength.
- Measuring portfolio effectiveness through competitive outcomes and long-term resilience.
If interested in participating, email info@centerforceusa.com
Rotating, 20-minute discussions hosted by a topic expert
Roundtable 1: Global IP Strategy: Managing Enforcement and Filings Across Jurisdictions
Roundtable 2: IP Valuation and Risk: Communicating Portfolio Value to the C-Suite
Roundtable 3: Protecting Trade Secrets in the Age of Remote Work and AI Collaboration
Roundtable 4: Brand Integrity in a Borderless Market
Speakers
Alexey Titov is an Intellectual Property Director at Stryker, a leading medical device company. His primary interests include defining IP strategy and patent development processes that maximize the business value of patent portfolios. Prior to joining Stryker, Alexey worked at a variety of intellectual property organizations including an IP consulting firm, a university technology transfer office, and a premier technology development company. Alexey is an inventor on 31 U.S. issued patents, has contributed a chapter to a book “Intellectual Property in Academia: A Practical Guide for Scientists and Engineers,” and is an author of several papers in the field of high energy and nuclear physics. He holds a Ph.D. in physics from the Rockefeller University, NY, and an M.S. in physics from Kharkov University, Ukraine.
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 Camero is Associate General Counsel, Global Trademarks & IP for Fluke. She leads the trademark team providing support for the Intelligent Operating Solutions, Precision Technologies, and Advanced Healthcare Solutions segments of Fortive, a provider of essential technologies for connected workflow solutions. Caldwell also manages the patent work for the Fluke Health division, which includes Landauer (dosimetry), RaySafe (radiography), and Fluke Biomedical. Caldwell’s 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.
Sponsors
Foster Garvey
Klarquist
Klarquist is one of the oldest and largest intellectual property specialty firms based in the Pacific Northwest. The firm’s more than 60 attorneys and patent agents represent clients across the nation and the globe who are at the cutting edge of technology and innovation. Klarquist is routinely ranked in the top tier of IP firms in the US and the world, and the firm’s attorneys often receive individual recognition for their technical and legal expertise.