IP Section Resumes Annual Conference With Full Day Meeting at Bar Center

At the State Bar Center in June, the IP Section held its first Annual Conference in many years.  The resumed Annual Conference was a tremendous success with nearly 90 people registered to attend and a day full of insightful and engaging presentations.  Attendees started the morning with a panel called Copyright and AI 2025.  Alcide Honore (Honore Law LLC) and Jelani Miller (The Miller Law Group, LLC) discussed recent efforts by courts and legislators to address the interplay of AI and copyright law. This 2025 update also included practical guidance regarding disclosure of AI-generated content and contract drafting considerations.

The copyright presentation was followed by a trade secrets panel called Winning Early: Do’s and Don’t’s When Applying for TRO’s and Preliminary Injunctions in Trade Secrets.  This panel was moderated by Neil Weinrich (Berman Fink Van Horn) and featured Alison Ballard (Buchalter), Lea Dearing (Berman Fink Van Horn), and Michael Elkon (Fisher Phillips). The panel provided an overview of options and considerations for early relief in trade secrets cases in light of the fact-specific nature of litigating both the existence of a trade secret and whether it has been misappropriated.  The presentation also covered practical considerations for avoiding trade secret misappropriation claims and discussed the interplay of trade secrets and restrictive covenants. 

A panel of in-house attorneys presented next in a session called Navigating Ethics while Protecting Intellectual Property; Legal Issues and Updates from an In-House Perspective.  This panel featured Pratik Jhanb (World Pay), Elizabeth Lester (Equifax), and Allen Torng (Southwire Company) and was moderated by Justin Charles Ward (Blue Force Gear, Inc.). This ethics presentation focused on the AI-related challenges presented to companies and provided an in-house perspective on managing this rapidly evolving technology. The panelists discussed the importance of in-house counsel adopting policies and educating business people regarding use  of AI and duties to disclose such use.  

After lunch, Josh Curry (Lewis Brisbois) moderated a panel called Patent Damages at a Crossroads.  The panel featured Brandon McFarland (J.S. Held) and Mitch Stockwell (Kilpatrick) discussing an overview of patent damages, including a review of recent Federal Circuit Cases.  The panelists walked through the methodologies for calculating and proving damages in a patent case, as well as a practical analysis of the relevant factors in calculating a reasonable royalty. 

Doug Isenberg (Giga Law) addressed the group in the next session entitled State of the Uniform Domain Dispute Resolution Policy: Where Domain Disputes Stand After 25 years.  Mr. Isenberg discussed both the history of the UDRP and its likely future.  He also provided the group with practical guidance on the timing, costs, and logistics of UDRP proceedings.  The presentation included a review of recent UDRP cases, as well as statistical data on where UDRP claims are being filed and the outcomes.

The last session of the day was a professionalism presentation with judges from the United States District Court, Northern District of Georgia. The presentation entitled A View From the Bench: Balancing Zealous Advocacy with Civility in Complex Civil Litigation featured panelists Hon. Leigh Martin May, Hon. William M. Ray, II, Hon. Sarah E. Geraghty, and Hon. Tiffany R. Johnson and was moderated by Jason H. Cooper (The Sladkus Law Group) and David Hricik (Mercer University).  The panelists discussed common issues with written discovery, including related to proportionality and appropriateness of responses and objections, and depositions, including improper instructions not to answer and unprepared 30(b)(6) designees.  The judges also discussed use of AI by practitioners and provided a word of caution to attorneys who utilize AI to prepare documents submitted to the court.

Attendees also had opportunities throughout the day to socialize and network with presenters and other attendees, including at a reception at the Glenn Hotel following the presentations.