OCIPLA

OCIPLA January 2024 Luncheon
2024-01-18 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Andrei’s Conscious Cuisine, 2607 Main Street, Irvine, CA, United States
Topic: Ethics in Review – Hot Topics for IP Attorneys
Join Emil J. Ali of McCabe & Ali, LLP as he returns to OCIPLA to present on current ethics issues that IP attorneys should be aware of. From the use of artificial intelligence in patent prosecution and IP litigation to the USPTO’s war on foreign trademark filings, this CLE will provide information on recent areas of focus for the USPTO’s Office of Enrollment and Discipline, the State Bar of California, as well as some best practices to avoid missteps in client relationships.
Date: Thursday, January 18, 2024
Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm
Location: Andrei’s Conscious Cuisine, 2607 Main St, Irvine, CA 92614
Registration:
Member: $55.00
Non-Member: $80.00
Student Member: $20.00

Our Speaker
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 February 2024 Luncheon
2024-02-15 12:00 - 13:00 | Andrei’s Conscious Cuisine, 2607 Main Street, Irvine, CA, United States
Topic: Steamboat Willie Enters The Public Domain. What does this mean for IP Protection of Mickey Mouse?
Richard Gilmore will discuss the history of copyright protection, Disney’s IP rights for the character, the impact on Disney’s enforcement now that the character has entered the public domain and the potential impact of these recent events on copyright and trademark laws.
Date: Thursday, February 15, 2024
Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm
Location: Andrei’s Conscious Cuisine, 2607 Main St, Irvine, CA 92614
Registration:
Member: $55.00
Non-Member: $80.00
Student Member: $20.00

Our Speaker
Richard Gilmore is a partner at Maschoff Brennan Gilmore Israelsen & Mauriel LLP, and a registered patent agent. He is involved in all aspects of intellectual property law, with a focus on patent and trademark application preparation and prosecution domestically and internationally. He represents large and small clients from a diverse range of industries and often works directly with in-house counsel to develop and maintain their worldwide patent and trademark portfolios. His patent practice includes utility and design patents, appeals to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Board of Appeals and Interferences, and reexamination proceedings. Rick speaks each year at the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) Annual Trademark Boot Camp, and has also taught many law school classes on patent and trademark issues. Rick is a three-time All-American swimmer, competing at a national and international level, at one point ranked as one of the top twenty-five swimmers in the world.

OCIPLA March 2024 Luncheon
2024-03-28 12:00 - 13:00 | Andrei’s Conscious Cuisine, 2607 Main Street, Irvine, CA, United States
**PLEASE NOTE THIS EVENT HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED TO THURSDAY, MARCH 28TH**
Topic: The Supreme Court’s Amgen v. Sanofi decision and the USPTO’s new guidance on enablement resulting from the Amgen decision
Description: Jeff Morton will discuss the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Amgen, Inc. v. Sanofi (Amgen) as well as the USPTO’s new (January 2024) guidance on enablement that has resulted from the Amgen decision. The decision sent shock waves through the patent world, particularly in the chemical and biotech segments, due to its invalidation of Amgen patents based on a lack of enablement. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has now issued much-anticipated patent examiner guidance that takes into account the implications of the Amgen decision, and it appears that the decision may have a more muted impact than originally anticipated.
Date: Thursday, March 28, 2024
Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm
Location: Andrei’s Conscious Cuisine, 2607 Main St, Irvine, CA 92614
Registration:
Member: $55.00
Non-Member: $80.00
Student Member: $20.00

OCIPLA April 2024 Virtual Event
2024-04-15 12:00 - 13:00 | Zoom
Topic: Patent Year in Review
Description: 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 as a founding partner of Durie Tangri LLP.
Date: Monday, April 15, 2024
Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm
Location: Virtual Presentation (Zoom link will be provided)
Registration:
Member: $20.00
Non-Member: $30.00
Student Member: $20.00

OCIPLA May 2024 Luncheon
2024-05-16 12:00 - 13:00 | Andrei’s Conscious Cuisine, 2607 Main Street, Irvine, CA, United States
Luck, Residue, Design? A Post-Mortem Deconstruction of a Copyright Infringement Trial
Topic: Hargis v. Pacifica Senior Living Management LLC pending in the district court for the Central District of California
Description: Our May Luncheon speakers will be John Tehranian and Taylor Foss of One LLP. They will discuss their recent landmark $6.3 million jury verdict in the copyright infringement case Hargis v. Pacifica Senior Living Management LLC pending in the district court for the Central District of California, where the jury found the senior care provider willfully infringed dozens of Hargis’ photographs.
Date: Thursday, May 16, 2024
Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm
Location: Andrei’s Conscious Cuisine, 2607 Main St, Irvine, CA 92614
Registration:
Member: $55.00
Non-Member: $80.00
Student Member: $20.00

SPEAKERS
John Tehranian, Founding Partner, One LLP
John is a founding partner of One LLP. His practice focuses on litigation, counseling and crisis management for clients in intellectual property, entertainment and constitutional matters. John has handled high-profile disputes and transactions involving numerous legends from the worlds of music (Bootsy Collins, Don Henley, B.B. King, Madonna), film (Luis Bunuel, Harold Lloyd), fashion (Jeremy Scott), theater (Stephen Sondheim), photography (David LaChapelle, Annie Leibovitz), literature (John Fante, Ernest Hemingway, Frank Herbert, Jules Verne) and athletics (Oscar de la Hoya, Tony Parker, Dean Potter). He has served as counsel in numerous published appellate decisions on copyright matters, including Mavrix v. LiveJournal, 873 F.3d 1045 (9th Cir. 2017), Direct Technologies, LLC v. Electronic Arts, Inc., 836 F.3d 1059 (9th Cir. 2016) and Mavrix Photo, Inc. v. Brand Technologies, Inc., 647 F.3d 1218 (9th Cir. 2011).
Variety’s Legal Impact Report has recognized John as one of the world’s top 50 entertainment lawyers, Billboard Magazine has identified him as one of the top music lawyers in the business, and he has been repeatedly honored as a Southern California Super Lawyer. He is also the recipient of the Wiley W. Manuel Award for Pro Bono Legal Services from the Board of Governors of the State Bar of California.
A graduate of Harvard University and Yale Law School, John began his legal career at O’Melveny & Myers LLP. He is the author of dozens of articles and two books: Whitewashed (New York University Press, 2009), which Publisher’s Weekly has lauded as a “consistently informative” work that “covers fresh legal and social territory,” and Infringement Nation (Oxford University Press, 2011), which the Harvard Law Review has praised for its “insightful critique of the copyright regime” and “convincing case for . . . reform.” His work has also appeared in such publications as the Yale Law Journal, Harvard Journal of Law & Gender, Northwestern University Law Review, Southern California Law Review, University of Pennsylvania Journal of Constitutional Law, Iowa Law Review, William & Mary Law Review, George Washington Law Review, Hastings Law Journal, U.C. Davis Law Review, University of Colorado Law Review, University of Connecticut Law Review, BYU Law Review, Utah Law Review, Berkeley Technology Law Journal and the Chronicle of Higher Education. John’s work has been widely cited in congressional testimony, federal, state and foreign court decisions, and briefs before the United States Supreme Court in such landmark intellectual property cases as Warhol v. Goldsmith (2022), Google v. Oracle (2021), Kirtsaeng v. John Wiley & Sons (2013), Golan v. Holder (2012), and MGM v. Grokster (2005).
A frequent commentator for the broadcast and print media, he has appeared on such television programs as ABC’s Nightline and has been quoted as an expert on legal issues in such publications as The New York Times, Harper’s Magazine, Financial Times, Los Angeles Times, Hollywood Reporter and Christian Science Monitor. He has also spoken at numerous national and international conferences and venues, from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, South by Southwest (SXSW), Fox Entertainment Group and International Creative Management (ICM) to the Royal Institute of Technology (Stockholm), Humboldt University (Berlin), and Monash University (Melbourne).
As an academic, John serves as the Paul W. Wildman Chair and Professor of Law at Southwestern Law School. He is also Affiliated Faculty at the Center for Security, Race and Rights at Rutgers University. He has previously served as a tenured Professor of Law at the University of Utah, S.J. Quinney College of Law, and as a Visiting Professor of Law at Loyola Law School. In 2023, he will be a Visiting Professor of Law at UCLA School of Law.

Taylor Foss, One LLP
Taylor C. Foss recently acted as lead trial counsel in One LLP’s groundbreaking $6.3 million jury verdict on behalf of architectural photographer Scott Hargis against Pacifica Senior Living Management LLC, who willfully infringed upon 42 of Hargis’ images. One LLP worked in partnership with the world’s leading copyright licensing compliance service, ImageRights International, Inc., on the case on behalf of the Plaintiff, Scott Hargis, a widely recognized architectural photographer. The victory came against Pacifica Senior Living, the thirteenth largest care provider in the United States, owns and operates multiple senior living facilities throughout the nation. Pacifica, despite being a large and sophisticated corporation with legal counsel and full knowledge of federal copyright law, continued to make new unauthorized uses long after it had been apprised of Hargis’ rights. In this case, the jury deemed all 42 infringements as willful and assessed against Pacifica the absolute maximum statutory damages per infringement allowed by law: $150,000 per image, totaling $6.3 million.
With over 15 years of litigation experience, Mr. Foss is an experienced IP litigator and trademark lawyer. He focuses his practice on trademarks, copyrights, patents, trade secrets, rights of publicity, and general business litigation, utilizing his intellectual property expertise across a broad range of industries. Mr. Foss has litigated patent infringement cases related to technologies as varied as polarized sunglass lenses, encrypted computer networks, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices.
Mr. Foss has substantial experience with trademark enforcement in federal court and before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Additionally, Mr. Foss prosecutes trademarks from applications to Office Actions to Opposition and Cancellation proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeals Board.
Mr. Foss has frequently counseled clients on a range of IP issues, including providing due diligence reviews of patents and other intellectual property portfolios and advising on the IP aspects of corporate transactions.
Outside the courtroom, Mr. Foss frequently provides pre-litigation advice, enabling companies to predict, achieve, or avoid outcomes that might arise from business transactions involving intellectual property.
Mr. Foss practices primarily in U.S. Federal Court for the Central District of California and is available to act as local counsel for out-of-state litigants that need a guide to the Local Rules and practices.

OCBA and OCIPLA Joint Session- In Living Color: Counseling Clients on Color Marks
2024-06-17 13:00 - 14:00 | Zoom
OCBA IP & Technology Law and OCIPLA Joint Session – In Living Color: Counseling Clients on Color Marks
This program will discuss how attorneys can counsel their clients to seek registration for color marks and demonstrate acquired distinctiveness along with practical considerations to meet that goal. The program will also discuss recent TTAB decision where a color mark was denied registration and federal court cases showing the difficulty in enforcing color marks.
Date: Monday, June 17, 2024
Time: 1:00pm – 2:00pm
Location: Live Webinar (Zoom)
Registration:
OCIPLA and OCBA IP & Technology Section Members: $0.00
OCBA Member (non-section): $25.00
Non-OCBA Member (Attorney): $35.00

SPEAKERS
Stacey C. Kalamaras, Founding Partner, Kalamaras Law Office
Stacey C. Kalamaras is a seasoned trademark attorney who has represented some of the world’s most well-known brands in more than 150 countries. She started her career as marketing and advertising executive working for multi-national corporations before attending law school in her mid-30s. As a lawyer, she has spent the bulk of her career working in big law, assisting companies of all sizes from start-ups to multi-national corporations identify, register, and protect their brands in the U.S. and abroad. She is the founding partner of Kalamaras Law Office, LLC in Chicago, Illinois, an intellectual property boutique providing trademark, copyright and advertising legal services to small and medium-sized businesses. Stacey has been recognized by her peers for the past five years as a Super Lawyer® for her outstanding knowledge and services in intellectual property law, a recognition given to just 5% of the lawyers in Illinois. Since 2018, she has educated over 6,000 lawyers on four continents on various
trademark and IP topics.

OCIPLA September 2024 Luncheon
2024-09-19 12:00 - 13:00 | Andrei’s Conscious Cuisine, 2607 Main Street, Irvine, CA, United States
International Trademark Filings – pros and cons of Madrid Protocol filings versus national filings.
Topic: International Trademark Filings – pros and cons of Madrid Protocol filings versus national filings.
Description: Our September Luncheon speaker will be Charlene Minx, founder of Minx Law. She will discuss International Trademark Filings – pros and cons of Madrid Protocol filings versus national filings.
Date: Thursday, September 19, 2024
Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm
Location: Andrei’s Conscious Cuisine, 2607 Main St, Irvine, CA 92614
Registration:
Member: $55.00
Non-Member: $80.00
Student Member: $20.00

SPEAKER
Charlene Minx, Founder, Minx Law
Charlene Minx is an intellectual property attorney and the founder of Minx Law, an IP boutique based in Los Angeles. Charlene counsels clients in all aspects of brand management and enforcement, including the selection, commercialization, and protection of global IP portfolios. Charlene’s clients include both iconic brands and emerging companies in entertainment and content, software, gaming, apparel and footwear, and consumer goods.
Charlene’s work includes guiding clients through complex IP transactions and providing IP specialist support on M&A transactions. On the enforcement side, Charlene has extensive experience representing clients in TTAB proceedings, in federal court litigation, and in managing cross-border IP disputes.
Prior to forming her own boutique firm in 2016, Charlene practiced in the intellectual property groups at Greenberg Traurig LLP and Steptoe & Johnson LLP. She is a graduate of USC Law School and UC Berkeley.

OCIPLA October 2024 Virtual Presentation
2024-10-30 12:00 - 13:00 | Zoom
Privacy Trends in America
Topic: Privacy Trends in America
Description: The US privacy landscape is changing, with new laws going into effect constantly. This program will discuss current trends in privacy law, including litigation trends and ways to mitigate risk.
Date: Thursday, October 30, 2024
Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm
Location: Virtual Zoom Presentation
Registration:
Member: $20.00
Non-Member: $30.00
Student Member: $20.00

SPEAKER

Snehal Desai is an associate in the Intellectual Property Practice Group in Sheppard Mullin’s San Francisco office. She is a Lead Associate of the Privacy and Cybersecurity Team and the firm’s Canada desk. She is also an active member of the Advertising Team, the Retail, Fashion, and Beauty Team, the Food and Beverage Team, and the Technology & Commercial Transactions Team.
Areas of Practice
Snehal Desai helps companies launch cutting-edge products and services in an increasingly complex and demanding legal and regulatory environment. She is the go-to outside product and commercial counsel for some of the world’s most prominent technology, gaming, social media, fintech, healthcare, retail and food service companies.
During multiple secondments as in-house product and commercial counsel, Snehal gained a deep understanding of business operations and the effective balancing of legal requirements and business realities. She leverages that knowledge and experience to work directly with internal business units, from engineering, quality control, and product management to advertising, marketing and communication, on the full range of legal issues that come into play during the conception, development and implementation of a new product or service. In particular, Snehal advises on a wide range of issues including privacy and data protection, advertising and brand recognition, digital transformation and cloud computing arrangements, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning into products and services, and technology licensing and distribution arrangements. Snehal also provides guidance on the privacy, technology, and commercial aspects of mergers and acquisitions, joint venture arrangements, financings, and divestitures.
Snehal’s experience includes:
Advertising: Snehal advises clients in conducting advertising campaigns, including environmental and sustainability claims, as well as other types of brand marketing claims. She also helps clients with the legal aspects of contests and sweepstakes and promotions.
Technology and Commercial Transactions: Snehal drafts and negotiates agreements regarding software, SaaS, technology services, logistics, marketing, outsourcing, intellectual property licensing, sourcing and distribution, procurement, strategic alliances, and other commercial and transactional matters.
Corporate Transactions: Snehal assists in various types of corporate transactions, including cross-border mergers and acquisitions, as a privacy and cybersecurity specialist.
Privacy and Data Protection: Snehal counsels clients on compliance with domestic and international privacy laws and regulations and helps clients implement compliance programs. She helps clients with drafting privacy policies and online terms of service for websites and mobile applications. She also counsels clients regarding cybersecurity breach response and best practices for mitigation.
Snehal is a passionate advocate for minority-owned small businesses and non-profits. She has an active pro bono practice focused on helping small businesses and non-profits with commercial contracts and privacy issues.

OCIPLA 2024 Holiday Celebration
2024-12-09 17:30 - 20:00 | Courtyard at The Boardwalk, 18565 Jamboree Rd, Irvine, CA, 92612
You’re Invited!
We are pleased to announce the OCIPLA 2024 Holiday Celebration on December 9, 2024.
Join us at Courtyard at The Boardwalk for an evening of holiday cheer. Drinks and hors d’oeuvres will be served. The event will take place from 5:30 to 8 p.m. and from 5:30 to 6:00 p.m., we will have a CLE presentation featuring Joe Cianfrani.
The event will be held outdoors.
Member tickets are $15.
Non-member and guest tickets are $25.
We look forward to seeing everyone there,
OCIPLA Board of Directors

Event Details
DATE: Monday, December 9, 2024
TIME: 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. – CLE presentation featuring Joe Cianfrani from 5:30 -6:00 p.m.
LOCATION: The Boardwalk – Courtyard: 18575 Jamboree Rd., Irvine, CA 92612
PRESENTATION:
The Federal Circuit has recently taken an important patent damages issue en banc involving the admission of damages expert testimony that relied on prior license agreements to support a reasonable royalty opinion. In the case of EcoFactor, Inc. v. Google LLC, the en banc Federal Circuit ordered the parties to brief whether a district court abused its discretion in admitting damages expert testimony under Rule 702 and Daubert that relied on prior lump-sum patent license agreements to determine a reasonable royalty. The presentation will discuss prevailing Federal Circuit damages law as it relates to the use of prior license agreements, and how Rule 702 and its recent revisions apply to testimony from experts who rely on such agreements.

Registration:
Member: $15
Non-Member: $25.00
Guest: $25.00

SPEAKER
Joe Cianfrani, Friedland Cianfrani LLP
Joe has focused on IP litigation for his entire 25-year legal career. In that time, he has successfully represented clients in high-stakes intellectual property disputes at both the trial and appellate levels. Joe combines a strong technical background with a thorough understanding of his clients’ business goals and then tailors the legal strategy to achieve those goals.
Joe’s practice primarily involves representing litigants in federal district court in patent and trademark cases, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), and before the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, where he served as a law clerk to Judge Arthur Gajarsa. Joe has represented clients on more than 50 appeals and petitions for inter partes review involving computer peripherals, optics, electronics, software, pharmaceuticals, DNA sequencing, and medical devices.
Before founding Friedland Cianfrani, Joe was a partner at Knobbe Martens for two decades, where he served as the Chair of the firm’s Litigation Department and the co-chair of the appellate practice group. Joe is a leader in the intellectual property bar community and has served on the Board of Directors of the American Intellectual Property Association and has chaired the Association’s amicus and legislative committees. He has authored numerous amicus briefs for the AIPLA and other bar associations on a variety of intellectual property issues and is a frequent lecturer on intellectual property law and litigation strategy. Joe is also an active community leader and has coached local high school mock trial teams for the past several years.
Joe has also been consistently recognized with numerous awards as a “Rising Star,” “Super Lawyer,” and “Best Lawyer,” including Lawyer of the Year award by Best Lawyers in 2021.

OCIPLA February 2025 Luncheon
2025-02-20 12:00 - 13:00 | 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
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
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
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, 4695 MacArthur Ct #1100, 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.
