Day 1 – Thursday, September 24, 2026

8:30 – 9:00 a.m.
CHECK-IN & CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST

9:00 – 9:05 a.m.
ANNOUNCEMENTS

9:05 – 10:00 a.m.
25 Years That Changed IP: The Most Significant Developments of the Past Quarter Century and the Next Wave of Change
– Mike Adlin; Pirkey Barber PLLC
– Jon Garon; Shepard Broad College of Law, Nova Southeastern University
– Molly Kocialski; Holland & Hart LLP
– John F. Marsh; Bailey Cavalieri
– Felicia J. Boyd; Norton Rose Fulbright (moderator)

10:00 – 11:00 a.m.
USPTO Patent and Trademark Updates
– Barry Schindler; Acting Commissioner for Patents, USPTO
– Amy Cotton; Deputy Commissioner for Trademark Examination Policy, USPTO
– Jacob M. Abdo; Greenberg Traurig, LLP
– Logan J. Drew; Robins Kaplan LLP

11:00 – 11:15 a.m.
BREAK

11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
BREAKOUT SESSION A

001
2026 Federal Circuit Roundup: Key Takeaways for Patent Practitioners
– John A. Dragseth; Fish & Richardson
– Molly Kocialski; Holland & Hart LLP

002
2026 Trademark Year in Review: Descriptive Fair Use, Evidence of Confusion, Failure-to-Function Refusals and More
– Holley C.M. Horrell; Greene Espel PLLP
– Timothy D. Sitzmann; Winthrop & Weinstine, P.A.

003
How Much Clearance Is Enough? Managing IP Risk Before Product Launch
– Craig Lervick; Larkin, Hoffman, Daly & Lindgren, Ltd.
– Mark J. Odegard; Best Buy

12:15 – 1:15 p.m.
JOIN US FOR LUNCH – Food & Fun at Fogo!
For all attendees, compliments 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 B

101
Patent Enforcement in the New Discretionary Denial Era: Strategies Amid Changing Leverage in Patent Disputes
– Jeffrey D. Blake; Merchant & Gould P.C.
– Dena VanDeVoort Ehrich; 3M
– Cyrus A. Morton; Robins Kaplan LLP
– Sherry Roberg-Perez; Fortress Investment Group
– Timothy E. Bianchi; Schwegman Lundberg & Woessner, P.A. (moderator)

102
2026 Copyright Law Year in Review: Secondary Copyright Liability, Human Authorship, AI Training and More
– Michael Druckman; Assistant General Counsel, U.S. Copyright Office
– Ruth Rivard; Stinson LLP
– Ann Dunn Wessberg; Fredrikson & Byron, P.A.

103
Keeping Trade Secrets “Under Lock and Key”: How to Implement Protections That Fit the Risk and the Business
– Randall E. Kahnke; Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP
– John F. Marsh; Bailey Cavalieri
– Austin J. Spillane; Nilan Johnson Lewis PA
– Andrew Peterson; St. Croix Hospice (moderator)

104
AI "Think Tank" Roundtable
Facilitated. Will not be recorded. Limited seating.
– Jon Garon; Shepard Broad College of Law, Nova Southeastern University
– Ann McCrackin; AI-Enabled Attorney®
– Dan Tysver; Forsgren Fisher McCalmont DeMarea Tysver LLP

2:15 – 2:30 p.m.
BREAK

2:30 – 3:30 p.m.
BREAKOUT SESSION C

201
AI Use in the Inventive Process: Benefits and Challenges for Inventors
– Amol Ajgaonkar; Sulba Solutions LLC
– Vernon Guthrie; Schneider Electric USA
– Rick Nelson; Kinney & Lange
– Alan M. Koenck; Kinney & Lange (moderator)

202
TM Search and Clearance in the AI Era: Opportunities and Risks
– Cathy Dahl; Dorsey & Whitney LLP
– Garrett Weber; Cozen O'Connor

203
From Muse Image to Prediction Markets to Flock: What Today’s and Tomorrow’s Tech Headlines Mean for IP Lawyers
– Caldwell A. Camero; Fluke Corporation
– Justin O. Kay; Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP
– Hiep Pham; Cargill
– Nikola Datzov; School of Law, University of North Dakota (moderator)

204
Patent Prosecutor "Think Tank" Roundtable
Facilitated. Will not be recorded. Limited seating.
– Thomas R. Hipkins; Fredrikson & Byron P.A.
– Mai Lauer; Westman, Champlin and Koehler, P.A. 
– Ann M. Mueting; Mueting Raasch Group

3:30 – 3:45 p.m.
BREAK

3:45 – 4:45 p.m.
UPL, MDP and MJP: Defining What Lawyers Do and Where They Can Do It
1.0 ethics credit applied for
– Thomas E. Spahn; McGuireWoods LLP

4:45 – 5:30 p.m.
Celebrating 25 Years!
Reception and Prize Drawing
Courtesy of the Sponsoring Firms

Food, Fun and a Chance to Win Big Prizes!
Register for a chance to win 1 of 7 Super Staycation Packages! The prize drawing will take place at the reception on Thursday, September 24, 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 24, at the Institute registration desk until the reception begins at 4:45 p.m. Registration for the 2026 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.

Day 2 – Friday, September 25, 2026

9:00 – 9:45 a.m.
Inside Minnesota IP: Meet the Inventors, Artists and Entrepreneurs (PART 1)
– Toni Halleen, Author: The Surrogate, The Good Samaritan; Schaefer Halleen LLC
– Kyle R. Kroll, Abstract Painter; Winthrop & Weinstine, P.A.

9:45 – 10:30 a.m.
My Favorite AI Tools for IP Work
– Larina Alton; Lewis Brisbois
– Ann McCrackin; AI-Enabled Attorney®
– Dan Tysver; Forsgren Fisher McCalmont DeMarea Tysver LLP

10:30 – 11:15 a.m.
Inside Minnesota IP: Meet the Inventors, Artists and Entrepreneurs (PART 2)
– Benjamin D. Kirk; Ballard Spahr LLP
– Josh Maslowski; Stigma THC
– Mark Ostrom; Joy Collaborative
– Jason Tarasek; Vicente LLP

11:15 – 11:30 a.m.
BREAK

11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
BREAKOUT SESSION D

301
The Patent Dispute Leverage Map: How to Test – and Recalculate – Settlement Value
– Loren Hansen; Lathrop GPM
– Terrance C. Newby; Maslon LLP

302
DuPont’s Abrupt AI Obituary: Are There Only Two Likelihood of Confusion Factors Left to Balance?
– Stephen R. Baird; Greenberg Traurig, LLP
– Tucker A. Chambers; Ecolab
– Mary Beth Myles; Greenberg Traurig, LLP
– Thomas Reichert; Simmons School of Law, Southern Illinois University

303
The IP Licensing Stress Test: Will the Proposed Deal Still Work When the Product, Relationship, or Business Changes?
– Gretchen M. Baker; Patterson Companies, Inc.
– Sarah A. Lockner; Ecolab
– Kevin W. Weber; Winthrop & Weinstine, P.A.

304
In-House "Think Tank" Roundtable
Facilitated. Will not be recorded. Limited seating.
– C. Michael Geise; General Mills
– Dina Khaled; Former General Counsel
– Mayura Iyer Noordyke; Medtronic

12:30 – 1:15 p.m.
LUNCH BREAK (on attendees’ own)

1:15 – 2:15 p.m.
BREAKOUT SESSION E

401
Is Your Client Actively Inducing Patent Infringement? How to Reduce That Risk in Product Launches, Licensing, and Customer-Facing Materials
– Doowon R. Chung; Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP
– Sarah E. Jack; Fish & Richardson

402
Understanding Dupe Culture: Trade Dress, False Advertising, Influencers, and Brand Enforcement
– Craig S. Krummen; Greenberg Traurig, LLP
– Stephen Lee; Target
– Tricia Ann-Olson Zachary; Ovaile Law Group

403
AI That Actually Saves Time, Improves Work Product, and/or Reduces Outside Legal Spend: In-House IP-Work Use Cases, Guardrails, and Lessons Learned
– David D. Axtell; Stinson LLP
– Tucker A. Chambers; Ecolab
– Sandra K. Nowak; Solventum 

404
Patent Litigation Trends in 2026 "Think Tank" Roundtable
Facilitated. Will not be recorded. Limited seating.
– Phillip W. Goter; Barnes & Thornburg LLP
– Samuel T. Lockner; Carlson Caspers Vandenburgh & Lindquist, PA
– Adam R. Steinert; Fredrikson & Byron P.A.

2:15 – 2:30 p.m.
BREAK

2:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Minnesota’s Great Outdoors: A Prescription for Preventing Burnout
1.0 mental health/substance use credit applied for
– Judge Keala C. Ede; Minnesota Court of Appeals
– David Motzenbecker; Motz Studios Forest Bathing Experiences
– Sheila Niaz; Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP
– Jon Tynjala; Executive Director, Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers

2 Bonus Post-Institute Webcasts!

Attend the post-Institute webcasts listed below for free, and earn up to 3.0 additional credits. Instructions on how to register for free will be distributed to attendees at the Institute.

Monday, November 16, 2026
12:00 – 2:00 p.m. (Central time)
For Attorneys Advising on IP Matters – 20 “Crossover” Practice Tips on Advertising, Antitrust, Data Privacy and Cybersecurity Law
2.0 standard CLE credits applied for
– Kerry L. Childe; KLC Law, LLC
– James J. Long; Maslon LLP
– Rita A. O’Keeffe; Marketing Architects
– Dan Ongaro; Hogan Lovells Cadwalader

Tuesday, November 17, 2026
9:00 – 10:00 a.m. (Central time)
AI Judging: Dystopian Fantasy or New Reality? Results of Using AI to Decide 1,000+ Federal Appeals
1.0 standard CLE credit applied for
– Nikola L. Datzov; University of North Dakota School of Law

LIVE IN-PERSON
Thursday & Friday, September 24-25, 2026
Minnesota CLE Conference Center
600 Nicollet Mall, Suite 370
Seventh Street & Nicollet Mall, Third Floor City Center
Minneapolis, Minnesota

ONLINE REPLAY
Monday & Tuesday, October 26-27, 2026
Attend online
Online replay includes all plenary and all breakout sessions except the "Think Tank" Roundtable breakouts. A moderator will be available to answer questions by email.

$495 MSBA members / $495 paralegals / $595 standard rate

Other discounts that may apply:

• Season Pass Discount
• New Lawyer Discount

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 CLE credits, including 1.0 ethics credit for the 3:45 p.m. plenary on Day 1, and 1.0 mental health/substance use credit for the 2:30 p.m. plenary on Day 2. 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.

3 HOURS OF FREE POST-INSTITUTE WEBCASTS:
Minnesota CLE is applying to the Minnesota State Board of CLE for the credits as listed below. These bonus webcasts will be free for all in-person and online replay attendees of the 2026 Midwest IP Institute.

• 1.0 standard CLE credit
  The AIth Circuit v. The 8th Circuit – Comparing AI Adjudication v. The Actual Results of 1,000+ Appeals
• 2.0 standard CLE credits
  For Attorneys Advising on IP Matters – 20 “Crossover” Practice Tips on Advertising, Privacy, Cybersecurity and Antitrust Law