Partner Aydin Harston and associate Sheena Wang will serve as panelists on the session "Building Your IP Arsenal from the Ground Up: Real World Lessons for Fast-Moving Markets" at the AUTM 2025 Eastern Region Meeting taking place September 8-9, 2025, in Atlanta Georgia. Aydin and Sheena's session will take place on September 8.
The session dives into several recent patent disputes and discusses key takeaways for building a strong, strategic IP strategy in fast-moving markets. Part one of this session explores the plant-based meat sector as a case study in how early innovators can navigate the complex intersection of patents, trade secrets, and enforcement strategy in an emerging market. In part two, Aydin, Sheena, and their co-panelists from academia will discuss the importance of developing a strong patent portfolio for enforcement against competitors in a competitive market. In this part of the presentation, they will examine real-world legal battles involving industry giants to highlight the delicate balance between innovation and intellectual property protection in highly competitive commercial markets. Attendees will gain practical insights on how to maximize patent scope while preserving enforceability, when to rely on trade secrets instead of patents, how to position an IP portfolio to mitigate risk and support long-term business goals, and how to strategically approach a competitor’s patent portfolio. This session offers a roadmap for building a strong, strategic legal strategy in fast-moving markets.
University tech transfer powers the innovation economy, creating jobs, saving and enhancing lives, improving productivity, and offering solutions to environmental challenges. By moving discoveries from basic research laboratories to commercial partners capable of transforming the inventions into beneficial products and services, tech transfer makes the world a better place to live. AUTM's mission is to support and advance knowledge/technology transfer worldwide. From its inception in the mid-1970s as the Society of University Patent Administrators (SUPA), AUTM has developed best practices for university technology transfer offices and facilitated relations with industry to ensure that inventions with high commercial potential reach the marketplace for the benefit of people everywhere.
To learn more about the AUTM 2025 Eastern Region Meeting, please visit the event website.
