OCIPLA February 2025 Luncheon
2025-02-20 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Andrei’s Conscious Cuisine, 2607 Main Street, Irvine, CA, United States
Topic: Patent Year in Review
Speaker: Mark Lemley is the William H. Neukom Professor of Law at Stanford Law School and the director of the Stanford Program in Law, Science and Technology. He is also a senior fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research and affiliated faculty in the Symbolic Systems program. In addition to teaching, he also litigates and counsels clients in all areas of intellectual property, antitrust, and internet law in his role as of counsel at Lex Lumina.
Date: Thursday, February 20, 2025
Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm
Location: Andrei’s Conscious Cuisine, 2607 Main St, Irvine, CA 92614
Paper to accompany talk (added February 20, 2025)
Registration:Member: $55.00Non-Member: $80.00Student Member: $20.00

OCIPLA March 2025 Luncheon
2025-03-20 12:00 - 13:00 | Andrei’s Conscious Cuisine, 2607 Main Street, Irvine, CA, United States
Topic: Patent Law Developments at USPTO and in Congress
Speaker: Andrei Iancu
Andrei Iancu is a partner at Sullivan & Cromwell and one of the leading voices in intellectual property law and innovation policy. He is a former Undersecretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), a position to which he was confirmed unanimously by the Senate. Andrei has decades of experience representing plaintiffs and defendants in IP matters across the technical and scientific spectra, including medical devices, genetic testing, therapeutics, the Internet, telephony, TV broadcasting, video game systems and computer peripherals. He represents clients in litigation and trials before the district courts, the U.S. International Trade Commission and the USPTO, the Federal Circuit and U.S. Supreme Court, and also counsels clients on obtaining, licensing, enforcing and defending against IP rights globally.
Date: Thursday, March 20, 2025
Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm
Location: Andrei’s Conscious Cuisine, 2607 Main St, Irvine, CA 92614
Registration:Member: $55.00Non-Member: $80.00Student Member: $20.00

OCIPLA April 2025 Luncheon
2025-04-16 12:00 - 13:00 | CA
Topic: Building and Protecting a Strong Brand Identity
Date: Wednesday, April 16, 2025
Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm
Location: Sheppard Mullin, 650 Town Center Drive, Tenth Floor, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Registration:Member: $55.00Non-Member: $80.00Student Member: $20.00

SPEAKERS

Sui Q. Duong, Pure Storage
Sui Q. Duong is Director of Legal Marketing, Trademark, & Copyright at Pure Storage Inc., where he leads the company’s legal marketing, trademark, copyright, and domain name functions. Valued at over $20 billion USD and founded in 2009, Pure Storage is a pioneer in developing all-flash data storage hardware and software solutions.Prior to his role at Pure Storage, Sui was Principal Trademark Counsel with Patterson + Sheridan LLP where he assisted a range of clients across the technology and consumer products industries to identify, protect and enforce their trademark rights and develop their brand strategy. Sui has also held positions at Western Digital Corporation, where he served as Director for that company’s trademark function covering the WD, SanDisk, and HGST (formerly Hitachi Global Storage Technologies) brands, and at the USPTO, where he began his career as a trademark examining attorney.

Eunice Yu Moller, Topgolf, Callaway Brands Corp
Eunice Yu Moller is a senior paralegal in the intellectual property department at Topgolf Callaway Brands Corp., which is comprised of multiple household brands such as Callaway Golf, Topgolf, Odyssey, travisMathew, Jack Wolfskin, and Toptracer. She has worked as a paralegal since 2012 and has significant experience in trademark and copyright prosecution. Prior to working at Topgolf Callaway Brands Corp., Eunice was at various law firms such as Cooley LLP, Fish & Richardson P.C., and IPLA LLC. She has had experience working with clients in the fields of retail, technology (i.e. software and mobile applications), gaming, medical, research, cannabis, apparel, restaurant, skincare, and pharmaceuticals. Yu Moller is a senior paralegal in the intellectual property department at Topgolf Callaway Brands Corp., which is comprised of multiple household brands such as Callaway Golf, Topgolf, Odyssey, travisMathew, Jack Wolfskin, and Toptracer. She has worked as a paralegal since 2012 and has significant experience in trademark and copyright prosecution. Prior to working at Topgolf Callaway Brands Corp., Eunice was at various law firms such as Cooley LLP, Fish & Richardson P.C., and IPLA LLC. She has had experience working with clients in the fields of retail, technology (i.e. software and mobile applications), gaming, medical, research, cannabis, apparel, restaurant, skincare, and pharmaceuticals.

Nicole Townes, Friedland Cianfrani LLP
Nicole has represented a wide range of clients in trademark, trade dress, copyright and licensing counseling and litigation, as well as false advertising, unfair competition, trade secret and patent litigation. Her practice includes domestic and international trademark selection and clearance, prosecution, and procurement. She has also been responsible for managing worldwide trademark portfolios and enforcement for a number of large clients. She also has experience as in-house trademark counsel for one of the largest companies in the world.
Nicole’s practice includes representing clients in opposition and cancellation proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. In addition, Nicole has experience assisting clients in combatting counterfeit and gray market goods and working with customs. She also has experience with domain name disputes and notice and takedown procedures for social media sites and domestic and foreign ecommerce websites. She has extensive experience drafting and negotiating license agreements and other intellectual property related agreements.
Nicole has represented both plaintiffs and defendants in litigation and clients across a diverse range of industries, including, for example, food and beverage, fashion and beauty, home furnishings, entertainment, software, engineering services, and medical device. Nicole has been involved in obtaining favorable outcomes for clients through mediation and arbitration proceedings and negotiated settlements.
Nicole has served as the President and long-time board member of the Orange County Intellectual Property Law Association. She has also served as the President of the Orange County Bar Association Intellectual Property Section. Nicole is currently a member of the Designs Committee for the International Trademark Association.
Prior to joining the firm, Nicole was an associate at Latham & Watkins, an associate and partner at Knobbe Martens, and was Corporate Counsel (IP) at Amazon, Inc.

Cheryl Withycombe, AbbVie Inc.
Cheryl Withycombe has been practicing international trademark and copyright law for more than 25 years. She is currently in-house counsel at AbbVie Inc. in Irvine, where she handles the worldwide portfolios for the corporate, oncology, immunology, and dermal filler therapeutic areas. She has been with AbbVie since its split from Abbott Laboratories in 2013. Prior to AbbVie, she was in the IP group at Abbott Laboratories and focused primarily on trademark prosecution and enforcement matters for their vascular and nutritional divisions. Prior to Abbott, Cheryl practiced within various law firms in Chicago, San Diego, and Tokyo, with a concentration on international trademark prosecution for a variety of clients.

OCIPLA Networking Reception - INTA 2025
2025-05-17 18:00 - 21:00 | Sally’s, 1 Market Place, San Diego, CA, 92101, United States
Join us for a networking reception hosted by OCIPLA during the 2025 Annual Meeting at the San Diego Convention Center for the International Trademark Association (INTA).
Date: Saturday, May 17, 2025
Time: 6:00pm – 9:00pm
Location: Sally’s, 1 Market Place, San Diego, CA 92101
Registration:This is a free event with limited spots available. Please note that registration for both INTA and this event is required, and advanced registration strongly recommended.

OCIPLA September 2025 Luncheon
2025-09-18 12:00 - 13:00 | CA
Topic: Top Trends in IP Litigation
Date: Thursday, September 18, 2025
Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm
Location: Rutan & Tucker, LLP
18575 Jamboree Rd 9th Floor, Irvine, CA 92612
Registration:Member: $35.00Non-Member: $60.00Student Member: $20.00

SPEAKER

Meredith Williams (Sivakumar)
Meredith Williams is a Partner at Rutan & Tucker, LLP, where she focuses on representing and advising clients in protecting their intellectual property rights. Meredith’s practice emphasizes trademark and copyright litigation, trade secret misappropriation, false advertising, and unfair competition, and she advises clients on how best to promote and defend their brands and other IP assets given novel legal issues raised by social media and advances in technology. Her experience representing both plaintiffs and defendants in federal and state court, in ex parte and inter partes proceedings before the USPTO and TTAB, and in domain name dispute and other takedown procedures gives Meredith a variety of tools to assist clients in both enforcing and defending their rights.

OCIPLA October 2025 Luncheon
2025-10-21 12:00 - 13:00 | CA
Topic: Trade Secrets Litigation: Avoiding Trouble, and Fighting When It’s Unavoidable
Date: Tuesday, October 21, 2025
Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm
Location: Knobbe Martens
2040 Main Street, Irvine, CA 92614
Registration:Member: $35.00Non-Member: $60.00Student Member: $20.00
Parking Included

SPEAKER

Matt is a trial and appellate lawyer representing clients in complex business and intellectual property disputes. Prior to founding the firm, Matt practiced law for seven years in international law firms.
Matt has written a number of articles on business litigation and co-authors California’s leading treatises on state and federal trial practice. In law school, he was Editor-in-Chief of the Minnesota Law Review. He is currently a co-author of the Rutter Guides on California Civil Trials and Evidence and California Federal Civil Trials and Evidence (both of which are published by Thomson Reuters).

OCIPLA November 2025 Luncheon
2025-11-13 12:00 - 13:00 | Fish & Richardson, 4685 MacArthur Court, Suite 350, Newport Beach, CA, 92660, United States
Topic: The Cutting Edge of AI Use in IP Legal Practice
Date: Thursday, November 13, 2025
Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm
Location: Fish & Richardson
4695 MacArthur Ct #1100
Newport Beach, CA 92660
Registration:Member: $55.00Non-Member: $80.00Student Member: $20.00
Parking included

PANELISTS
Arjun Sivakumar, Partner at Brown Rudnick
Kyre Stucklin, eDiscovery Manager at Rutan & Tucker
MODERATOR
Tyler Train, Principal at Fish & Richardson

Arjun Sivakumar, Partner at Brown Rudnick
Arjun Sivakumar is a first-chair trial attorney who focuses on complex commercial litigation in state and federal courts and arbitration tribunals. He has successfully represented individuals and companies in disputes involving technology, real estate, and business process outsourcing (BPO) companies. He has significant experience litigating fraud, breach of contract, and other business and financial disputes.
His expertise extends to the intersection of law and technology, as he is the Co-chair of the OCBA’s AI and Technology Committee and the Annual AI Symposium. He has spoken numerous times on the topic of AI in legal practice locally, statewide, and internationally, and in 2025, he was the winner of the Excellence in Litigation & Artificial Intelligence Award at the Bespoke Global Litigation Summit.

Tyler Train, Principal at Fish & Richardson
Tyler Train’s practice focuses on intellectual property litigation and counseling across a variety of technologies, with an emphasis on patent litigation in the medical device and medtech industry. Clients rely on Tyler for insightful, strategic representation in protecting and enforcing their most important innovations. Tyler has represented some of the world’s leading companies in U.S. District Courts nationwide, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, and the International Trade Commission.

OCIPLA Holiday Celebration 2025
2025-12-18 18:00 - 20:00 | Courtyard at The Boardwalk, 18565 Jamboree Rd, Irvine, CA, 92612
You’re Invited!
We are pleased to announce that registration is now open for the OCIPLA 2025 Holiday Celebration on Thursday, December 18, 2025.
Join us in the courtyard at The Boardwalk for an evening of holiday cheer. The event will take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., with a brief program at 7 p.m. (thanking our sponsors, welcoming our new Board members, and handing off the epic President’s sombrero).
Drinks and Soho Tacos dinner (tacos, beans, rice, & chips) will be served.The event will be held outdoors, so please dress accordingly; in case of rain, we will share indoor arrangements.
Member tickets are $15.
Non-member and guest tickets are $25.
We look forward to seeing everyone there. Whether or not you’re able to join, please share your thoughts with us using this short survey: OCIPLA 2026 Member Interest Survey
OCIPLA Board of Directors
Event Details
DATE: Thursday, December 18, 2025
TIME: 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
LOCATION: The Boardwalk – Courtyard: 18575 Jamboree Rd., Irvine, CA 92612
REGISTRATION:
Member: $15.00
Non-Member: $25.00
Guest: $25.00

OCIPLA January 2026 Luncheon
2026-01-13 12:00 - 13:00 | Sol Irvine, 1910 Main Street, Irvine, CA, 92614, United States
TOPIC: Tips and tricks for successfully filing or defending domain name complaints under the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP)
DESCRIPTION: Have a problem with cybersquatters infringing your brand in a domain name? Interested to learn the ins and outs of filing or defending a UDRP case with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)?
Date: Tuesday, January 13, 2026
Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm
Location: SOL Mexican Cocina
1910 Main St, Irvine, CA 92614
Registration:Member: $35.00Non-Member: $60.00Student Member: $20.00
In-House Counsel: FREE

SPEAKER
Willem Leppink, European intellectual property & marketing lawyer, Ploum (Netherlands)

Willem Leppink is a European intellectual property & marketing lawyer at the Dutch law firm of Ploum. He litigates and advises especially on trademark, design and copyright issues, domain names and unfair commercial practices, including comparative and misleading advertising. For 20 years, Willem has been a domain name panelist with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the Czech Arbitration Court. He is also a Legal Rights Objections (LRO) expert and a panelist for the Trademark Post-Delegation Dispute Resolution Procedure (Trademark PDDRP) with WIPO. He has been a panelist in over 400 domain name decisions. Willem is also a part-time lecturer in trademark law with the Leiden Law School in the Netherlands. He is a member of the executive committee of MARQUES, the European Association of Trade Mark Owners. He has been a member of the editorial boards of the Journal of Intellectual Property Law and Practice (Oxford University Press) since its inception. Willem is a member of the advisory committee on trademarks and designs of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs.

OCIPLA February 2026 Luncheon
2026-02-18 11:30 - 13:00 | 2040 Main Street, Irvine, CA, 92614, 2040 Main Street, Irvine, 92614, United States
TOPIC: Navigating Ethical Minefields in IP Practice: Conflicts, Candor, and Compliance for Patent and Trademark Attorneys
Date: Wednesday, February 18, 2026
Time: 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM
11:30 AM – 12:00 PM: registration, lunch, networking
12:00 – 1:00 PM: program
Location: Aptus Court Reporting
2040 Main St, Irvine, CA 92614
This ethics CLE, delivered by Emil J. Ali of McCabe & Ali LLP, provides a comprehensive overview of key ethical issues facing intellectual property lawyers, both in private practice and in-house. Attendees will explore the regulatory authority of the USPTO, dissect the complexities of IP conflicts—including subject-matter conflicts and in-house ethical dilemmas—and examine candor obligations in patent and trademark prosecution and litigation.
The session also addresses the USPTO’s continued focus on candor and signature requirements, as well as tips for California practitioners dealing with CTAPP. Join Emil as he takes you through practical examples, and best practices to uphold ethical standards, avoid malpractice, and navigate the evolving ethics landscape of IP law with confidence.
Registration:Member: $15.00Non-Member: $30.00Student Non-Member: $20.00
In-House Counsel: Register for a free membership and enjoy member pricing!
Registration fee includes parking validation.

SPEAKER
Emil J. Ali, Partner, McCabe Ali LLP

Emil J. Ali is a partner at McCabe & Ali, LLP where he focuses his practice on helping lawyers
understand their obligations under state and federal law. As a registered patent attorney, a
significant focus of his practice involves advising lawyers and law firms on all aspects of the
intersection of IP and ethics matters. Emil’s work includes counseling clients on lateral
transitions, malpractice avoidance, expert opinion and testimony, and respondent’s defense
work before various bars and courts. You can view his musings on IP ethics issues at
www.ipethicslaw.com.

OCIPLA March 2026 Luncheon
2026-03-24 11:30 - 13:00 | Rutan, LLP, 18575 Jamboree Road, 9th Floor, Irvine, California, 92614, United States
TOPIC: AI Tools for IP Practitioners
Date: Tuesday, March 24, 2026
Time: 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM
11:30 AM – 12:00 PM: registration, lunch, networking
12:00 – 1:00 PM: program
1.0 hour CLE credit for Technology
Location: Rutan, LLP, 18565 (not the main building) Jamboree Road 1st Floor (Huntington conference room), Irvine, CA, 92612
Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming a core competency in legal practice. In 2026, AI tools are available to enhance practitioners’ capabilities for every aspect of litigation, as well as IP clearance and prosecution programs (for copyright, patent, trademarks, etc.).
While these AI tools open up new opportunities, the sheer volume and variety of options present attorneys in law firms and in-house teams alike with a difficult balancing act, weighing cost effectiveness, risk management, and attorney productivity. In short: what are the best tools out there, and how can they improve the value of legal work without generating liability?
In this session, Kyre Stucklin and Allen Kim, along with moderator Meredith Williams, will share practical insights on how AI is being used in real-world litigation and IP practices today. Drawing from hands-on experience, they will explore how all attorneys—and especially IP practitioners—can approach AI adoption with confidence, selecting tools that deliver real value and reliable results.
Registration:
Member: $15.00
Non-Member: $30.00
Student Non-Member: $20.00
In-House Counsel: Register for a free membership and enjoy member pricing!
Lunch will be provided.

OCIPLA April 2026 Luncheon
2026-04-15 11:30 - 13:00 | Knobbe Martens Irvine Office, 2040 Main Street, Irvine, CA, United States
TOPIC: Recent and Emerging Developments in UK Intellectual Property Law and Practice
Date: Wednesday, April 15, 2026
Time: 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM
11:30 AM – 12:00 PM: registration, lunch, networking
12:00 – 1:00 PM: program
1.0 hour CLE credit for Technology
Location: Knobbe Martens, 2040 Main St., First Floor, Irvine, CA 92614
Join us for an insightful and timely program featuring Jason Dainty of HLK, as he explores the evolving landscape of intellectual property law in the United Kingdom.
This engaging presentation will provide valuable perspectives for practitioners, in-house counsel, and anyone interested in global IP trends. Jason will break down key developments, offering practical insights and comparisons relevant to U.S.-based professionals.
Program Highlights:

Litigating IP in the UKAn overview of the UK court system, how IP cases are handled, and key differences between UK and U.S. litigation.
Trade Mark UpdateA look at recent issues, notable cases, practice updates, and emerging trends shaping trademark law in the UK.
Unitary Patents & the Unified Patent Court (UPC)Insights into how the new system is functioning in its early stages and what it means for rights holders.
AI and IP: Stability AI v. Getty ImagesA discussion of the UK’s first major judgment on generative AI (November 2025) and its implications for the future of IP law.

Registration:
Member: $15.00
Non-Member: $30.00
Student Non-Member: $20.00
In-House Counsel: Register for a free membership and enjoy member pricing!
Lunch will be provided.

SPEAKER

Jason Dainty is an experienced IP practitioner from the UK, having been practicing in the field for over 25 years. He works out of HLK’s London and Leeds offices.
He advises on both UK contentious and non-contentious matters, as well as having extensive experience of brand protection and strategy. Jason advises major UK and international clients on worldwide IP protection and strategy, and mostly splits his time between brand/trade mark portfolio management and litigation matters.
As a litigator, he is active in the UK Courts and is currently running the only UK action concerning comparative advertising to have hit the Courts in over 15 years. Otherwise, he has litigated disputes involving trade marks, passing off, design rights, database right, confidential information, trade secrets, domain names and copyright, as well as patents.
He is a member of the International Trade Marks Association (INTA), and the Chartered Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys (CITMA).
Jason is a regular visitor to the US, having attended INTA since 2001, and separately to see clients, but he also spent his last summer after college and before the world of work in California, just up the road in Venice, walking a friend’s dog. Jason and his family were also visiting ranches in Texas long before Yellowstone made cowboys popular. He’s planning on returning to see friends in Georgia for July 4th.
HLK is a full service IP Law firm, and is one of the largest dedicated IP firms in the UK. It has offices in London, Leeds, Bristol, Glasgow and Munich and a full complement of IP lawyers, German lawyers, and UK, German and European Patent and trade mark attorneys. HLK covers all the IP rights, in all forms and context which enables it to take a more strategic and “right fit” approach to IP and portfolio management.

OCIPLA May 2026 Luncheon
2026-05-21 11:30 - 13:00 | Knobbe Martens Irvine Office, 2040 Main Street, Irvine, CA, United States
TOPIC: Funding IP Litigation With Other People’s Money: Opportunities and Pitfalls
Date: Thursday, May 21, 2026
Time: 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM
11:30 AM – 12:00 PM: registration, lunch, networking
12:00 – 1:00 PM: program
1.0 hour CLE credit
Location: Knobbe Martens, 2040 Main St., First Floor, Irvine, CA 92614

TOPICS

Procuring Insurance Coverage That Best Addresses IP Claims
Securing Funding To Pursue or Defend IP Claims
When insurer Coverage Denials support Bad Faith Recovery
Indemnity Claims Accessing Other People’s Money

Registration:
Member: $15.00
Non-Member: $30.00
Student Non-Member: $20.00
In-House Counsel: Register for a free membership and enjoy member pricing!
Lunch will be provided.

SPEAKER

David A. Gauntlett, Principal, Gauntlett Law

David A. Gauntlett is the principal of Gauntlett Law. He earned his J.D. from the University of California at Berkeley’s Boalt Hall School of Law in 1979, where he served on the California Law Review. He received his B.A., Magna Cum Laude, from the University of California at Irvine in 1976.
Mr. Gauntlett serves as lead counsel in intellectual property and antitrust insurance coverage disputes pending in more than 30 states. He is recognized for his work in precedent-setting coverage litigation involving patent, trademark, and copyright infringement, as well as trade secret misappropriation and unfair competition claims. He is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, the Federal Circuit, eleven U.S. Courts of Appeal, and 24 U.S. District Courts—including all federal districts in California, Florida, Illinois, New York, and Wisconsin.
His publications and quoted interviews include: ABA Intellectual Property, Litigation and TIPS Sections, ACCA, Appleman, Berkeley Center for Law and Technology, Beverly Hills Bar Association, BNA, California Law Review, Center for Intellectual Property, Computer Law Review, INTA, IPO, IP Watchdog, New Matter, Orange County Bar Association, Practical Lawyer, The National Law Journal, The Licensing Journal, The Recorder, The University of Texas, The Wall Street Journal, the World Trademark Review, and West Group.
Mr. Gauntlett has been an active member of the American Bar Association, serving on the Corporate Counsel Committee and Antitrust Committee of the Litigation Section, and has been appointed Vice-Chair of Insurance Coverage. He is also an engaged member of the Newport-Irvine home group of the ProVisors networking association.

OCIPLA June 2026 Luncheon
2026-06-24 11:30 - 13:00 | Fish & Richardson, 4685 MacArthur Court, Suite 350, Newport Beach, CA, 92660, United States
TOPIC: Navigating IP Issues in Healthcare and Life Sciences
Date: Wednesday, June 24, 2026
Time: 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM
11:30 AM – 12:00 PM: registration, lunch, networking
12:00 – 1:00 PM: program
1.0 hour CLE credit
Location: Fish & Richardson– 4685 MacArthur Court, Suite 350, Newport Beach, CA 92660
The panel will dive into the evolving challenges life sciences companies face in protecting intellectual property in a time when artificial intelligence is reshaping research and innovation.
PANELISTS:

Michael Amon, Fish & Richardson, Principal
Jessica Hudak, Edwards Lifesciences, Lead Counsel, Advanced Innovation and Technology
Nicole Williams, 10x Genomics, Senior Director of Intellectual Property and Litigation
Moderator: Tyler Train, Fish & Richardson, Principal

Registration:
Member: $15.00
Non-Member: $30.00
Student Non-Member: $20.00
In-House Counsel: Register for a free membership and enjoy member pricing!
Lunch will be provided.
