Register by June 30, 2026, and save $100 on the 2026 Midwest IP Institute.
MINNEAPOLIS
Thursday, September 18, 2025 - Friday, September 19, 2025
9:00 AM - 4:45 PM | Check-In: 8:30 AM
Minnesota CLE Conference Center
600 Nicollet Mall # 370
3rd Floor, City Center
Minneapolis, MN 55402
An Impressive Faculty Roster Includes –
The 2025 Institute features an outstanding faculty committed to providing the best and most practical education for you.
You’ll also hear from senior in-house counsel about the IP-related and other business issues that concern them. These speakers – and the entire faculty that also includes outside advisory counsel, litigators, and academics – are contributing their diverse insights and perspectives to deliver top-quality education, spotting and analyzing the issues that matter and offering real-world advice and practice tips.
The 2025 Midwest IP Institute Features –
Can’t attend the live in-person event?
View the online replay Monday & Tuesday, October 27 & 28, 2025.
8:30 – 9:00 a.m.
CHECK-IN
Coffee, Continental Breakfast & Conversation
9:00 – 9:05 a.m.
WELCOME & ANNOUNCEMENTS
9:05 – 9:50 a.m.
2025 IP Year in Review: Supreme Court Highlights and More
A fast-paced and fun review of significant Supreme Court decisions related to patents, trademarks and copyrights.
– Felicia J. Boyd
9:50 – 10:00 a.m.
BREAK
10:00 – 11:00 a.m.
2025 IP Agency Updates and Insights
11:00 – 11:15 a.m.
BREAK
11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
IP at a Crossroads: The Future of Innovation, Enforcement and Global Trade
In a rapidly evolving legal and technological landscape, intellectual property law faces mounting pressures – from AI-generated inventions and international enforcement disputes to trade policy and the rise of IP reform movements. This panel brings together senior IP counsel from 3M, Fluke and REI, along with a former USPTO Director and a former Federal Circuit judge, to examine how innovation can be protected amid global economic shifts and philosophical challenges to the IP regime itself. Join us for a wide-ranging, forward-looking discussion on the future of intellectual property and its role in commerce, policy and society.
– Minnie Alexander, Andrei Iancu, Kathleen M. O’Malley & Kevin H. Rhodes
– Caldwell A. Camero (moderator)
12:15 – 1:15 p.m.
LUNCH (provided to all attendees)
Courtesy of the Sponsoring Firms
Join your colleagues for a light lunch and refreshments at Fogo de Chão.
1:15 – 2:15 p.m.
BREAKOUT SESSION A
001
2025 Federal Circuit Roundup: Key Takeaways for Patent Practitioners
– Andrei Iancu, Sarah E. Jack & Kathleen M. O’Malley
– John A. Dragseth (moderator)
002
The Impact of the New Trademark Fee Structure on Trademark Practice
– Tucker A. Chambers, Scott W. Johnston & Hannah R. Lutz
– Tiffany A. Blofield (moderator)
003
The First 72 Hours: How to Respond to IP Infringement Letters
– Mark J. Odegard & Keith Toms
2:15 – 2:30 p.m.
BREAK
2:30 – 3:30 p.m.
BREAKOUT SESSION B
101
Patent Damages 2025 – Lessons from New Virtual Marking Cases, Daubert Gatekeeping Decisions, and More
– Terrance C. Newby & Keiko L. Sugisaka
102
2025 Trademark Law Year in Review: Trade Dress, Territorial Extent of Rights, Dilution, and Genericness
– Sarah A. Lockner, Timothy D. Sitzmann & Ann Dunn Wessberg
103
Corporate AI Use: Policies and Vendor Terms to Limit Risk of IP Infringement, Loss of IP Rights, Data Privacy Violations, and Data Breach
– Michael R. Cohen
3:30 – 3:45 p.m.
TAKE A BREAK – Grab a beverage, chat and turn in your Prize Drawing Entry Form!
3:45 – 4:45 p.m.
BREAKOUT SESSION C
201
Obtaining and Enforcing AI Patent Claims – Assessing Eligibility at the USPTO and in the Courts
– Nikola Datzov
202
How to Avoid and Respond to Failure-to-Function-as-a-Trademark Refusals
– Jacob M. Abdo & Danielle N. Suess
203
Patent Monetization: From Offensive and Defensive Strategic Acquisition to Enforcement
– John Wayne Pint
– Christopher M. Turoski (moderator)
4:45 – 5:30 p.m.
RECEPTION
Courtesy of the Sponsoring Firms
Food, Fun and a Chance to Win Big Prizes!
Register for a chance to win 1 of 5 Super Staycation Packages! The prize drawing will take place at the reception on Thursday, September 18, and you must be present at the reception during the prize drawing to win. Any person may receive and submit an entry form on Thursday, September 18, at the Institute registration desk until the reception begins at 4:45 p.m. Registration for the 2025 Midwest IP Institute is not required. The following individuals are not eligible to win: employees of Minnesota CLE and the Minnesota State Bar Association, as well as family members of those employees.
8:30 – 9:00 a.m.
Coffee, Continental Breakfast & Conversation
9:00 – 9:45 a.m.
Artificial Intelligence and the Boundaries of Fair Use: Emerging Trends in Copyright Law
As generative AI tools transform the creative and technological landscape, courts across the country are being called to decide whether their use infringes copyright or falls under fair use. This presentation explores the legal tensions at the heart of these disputes, examining recent court decisions, key legal principles, and the evolving boundaries of copyright in the age of AI.
– O. Joseph Balthazor, Jr. & Emily Chapius
9:45 – 9:55 a.m.
BREAK
9:55 – 10:55 a.m.
Inside Minnesota IP: Meet the Inventors, Artists and Entrepreneurs
Hear from:
– Allison E. Cole, Lucas M. Hjelle, Jon Kreidler, John Sanger, Garrett M. Weber & Dillon M. White
10:55 – 11:05 a.m.
BREAK
11:05 a.m. – 12:05 p.m.
BREAKOUT SESSION D
301
Recent PTO Developments Impacting Patent Practice – Including PTAB Discretionary Denials and New Prior Art Documents Fee Structure
– Nathan Kelley, Scott A. McKeown & Cyrus A. Morton
– Timothy E. Bianchi (moderator)
302
2025 Copyright Law Year in Review: The Discovery Rule, the Fair Use Doctrine and the Copyright Office’s AI Report
– David E. Lamb, Miriam Lord & Ruth Rivard
303
Don’t Let Comparative Advertising Go from Clever to Costly: How to Avoid Trademark Infringement and Disparagement
– Patrick J. Gallagher, Renee Kraft & Mayura I. Noordyke
12:05 – 1:00 p.m.
LUNCH BREAK (on your own)
1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
BREAKOUT SESSION E
401
Advanced Tips and Advice for Global Patent Prosecution
– Alan M. Koenck
402
The Trademark Playbook for New Sports Brands
– Matthew W. Bergeron & Catherine Lake
– Jeffrey Cadwell (moderator)
403
Aligning Outside Counsel’s Use of AI with Client Expectations
– Spiwe Jefferson, Emily Puchalski & Kate S. Razavi
– Dan Louismet (moderator)
2:00 – 2:15 p.m.
BREAK
2:15 – 3:15 p.m.
Mental Health and Substance Use in the Legal Profession and in the Practice of Law
1.0 mental health / substance use credit applied for
Legal professionals are exposed to experiences that can lead to higher stress and greater consequences than those in many other careers. There is a clearly recognized continuum where unresolved chronic stress becomes a predictor for substance use problems and mental illness, particularly depression and anxiety. By understanding this continuum, the impact of our exposure to trauma, and the facts about addiction and mental illness, lawyers can reduce their risk and, hopefully, get help earlier when there is a mental health, substance use, or related problem. By knowing these risks, we can also support each other. This program will present signs, symptoms, risk factors, and recovery regarding these challenges, along with well-being tools. The presenters will also provide information on Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers and other resources.
– Joan Bibelhausen & Vincent L. Pham
As a special bonus, Institute attendees may attend the following webcasts for FREE! A coupon code, along with instructions on how to register for free at www.minncle.org, will be provided at the Institute. Times are CST.
Thursday, November 13, 2025
9:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Elimination of Bias: Cultural Humility in the Legal Profession
2.0 elimination of bias credits applied for
– Hannah Dufek
Thursday, December 4, 2025
9:00 – 10:00 a.m.
Patent Law and Public Health Policy: A Fireside Chat with Sapna Kumar
1.0 standard CLE credit applied for
– Sapna Kumar
– Ralph Hall & Christopher M. Turoski (co-moderators)
LIVE IN-PERSON
Thursday & Friday, September 18-19, 2025
Minnesota CLE Conference Center
600 Nicollet Mall, Suite 370
Seventh Street & Nicollet Mall, Third Floor City Center
Minneapolis, Minnesota
ONLINE REPLAY
Monday & Tuesday, October 27-28, 2025
Attend online
Online replay includes all plenary and breakout sessions. A moderator will be available to answer questions by email.
$495 MSBA members / $495 paralegals / $595 standard rate
Other discounts that may apply:
Scholarships available!
Need-based scholarships are available for in-person and online seminars. For further information or to obtain a scholarship application, contact us at 800-759-8840 or customerservice@minncle.org.
INSTITUTE:
Minnesota CLE is applying to the Minnesota State Board of CLE for 10.5 total CLE credits, including 1.0 mental health/substance use credit. The maximum number of total credits attendees may claim for this program is 10.5 credits. Minnesota CLE is an accredited sponsor in Wisconsin and North Dakota.
2 FREE POST-INSTITUTE WEBCASTS:
Minnesota CLE is applying to the Minnesota State Board of CLE for 2.0 elimination of bias credits for the post-Institute webcast on November 13 on Cultural Humility in the Legal Profession. Minnesota CLE is applying to the Minnesota State Board of CLE for 1.0 standard CLE credit for the post-Institute webcast on December 4 on Patent Law and Public Health Policy. These webcasts will be free for all attendees of the 2025 Midwest IP Institute. This free bonus applies to the in-person and online replay attendees for this conference.
