We are pleased to accept proposals for workshop and roundtable sessions for the LES 2026 Annual Meeting. The meeting will be held in San Diego, California, October 18-21, 2026.
*Proposals are due February 20, 2026*
TOPICS
Proposals should be directed to topics of practical significance to the LES community of IP/licensing professionals. Topics can range from basic to advanced, though, keep in mind that the majority of attendees will have at least a working familiarity with licensing and technology. We hope to offer a program facilitating that audience’s development through shared knowledge and experiences.
The theme of the annual meeting is “Keeping Licensing Classy in San Diego.” We welcome submissions on topics true to that, but we do not require it. Past annual meeting attendees have benefited from workshops and roundtable discussions in many areas, from emerging technologies to IP valuation to deal negotiations, and we invite those, as well.
Here are some suggested topics. You are welcome to use one of these in your proposal, but we invite you to be creative and come up with a topic of your own:
General Topic Areas:
- AI-Driven Drug Development and Data Licensing
- IP & Litigation Finance
- US Legislation and USPTO Policy Changes
- Strategic Partnerships in Life Sciences
- Navigating Biotech Patent Lifecycles and Portfolio Strategy
- Generative AI and Content Rights Management in Media & Entertainment
- AI Model Licensing
- Deep Tech IP Management and Monetization
- Current Issues in Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) and FRAND Licensing
- Defense Tech Dual Use IP Management and Monetization
- Technology Transfer and Export Controls in Aerospace & Defense
- Digital Commerce and Direct-to-Consumer Brand Strategies
- Life Sciences Cross-Border Licensing in China and Internationally
- Licensing Transformative Technologies from Academia and Federal Labs
- Brand Protection and Enforcement in the Digital Age
Guiding Questions:
- What role should AI play in drug discovery and how should licensing agreements address ownership of AI-generated ideas
- What strategic approaches can biotech companies adopt to optimize patent portfolio management across different lifecycle stages, from prosecution through patent term extensions and post-expiration market exclusivity
- How is litigation finance shaping IP litigation and monetization strategies?
- How are deal terms and partnership structures in cross-border life sciences licensing currently evolving?
- What are the valuation and licensing considerations for companies sourcing late-stage clinical assets to fill pipeline gaps?
- What are the implications of pending US IP legislation and USPTO policy guidance?
- How can content creators and rights holders structure licensing agreements that balance compensation for content vs. AI platforms?
- What lessons from recent generative AI litigation can inform licensing practices and risk mitigation strategies for media companies?
- How can defense contractors protect proprietary technology while meeting government requirements for technical data and software rights?
- What are the specific IP management considerations in deep-tech areas such as biotech, quantum, and AI that have long development timelines?
- As international defense collaborations increase, how can licensing agreements balance alliance needs with national security and export control requirements?
- What IP licensing frameworks best support dual-use defense technologies while balancing regulatory, security, and commercial considerations?
- How should companies and law firms respond to the shifting jurisdictional and regulatory approaches to FRAND negotiations, transparency requirements, anti-suit injunctions and other SEP topics?
- What are best practices for structuring licensing agreements that foster long-term collaboration and innovation between academia/federal labs and industry?
- How does industry identify and prioritize technologies with the highest commercialization potential from universities and federal labs?
- What strategies are most effective for brands expanding into e-commerce and direct-to-consumer channels while maintaining traditional retail partnerships?
- How can brand licensing agreements leverage AI and data analytics for consumer insights while protecting brand equity and managing privacy concerns?
- What licensing models are emerging for AI models and proprietary algorithms and how can licensors balance open-source pressures with the need for ROI?
In addition to a topic, your submission should include a synopsis, take-home points and other information requested on the submission form. That includes the proposed moderator and panelists, along with their titles and affiliations (e.g,. name of company, university, government laboratory, etc.). We also ask that you inform us if any of your speakers are lawyers for CLE purposes. In order to provide the best experience for attendees, moderators and panelists should bring a variety of viewpoints to a topic. Consider representatives from a cross-section of LES membership, including private industry, government, and academia; and, as appropriate, representing diverse perspectives, e.g., intellectual capital management, licensing, business development, legal, and regulatory viewpoints.
General guidelines for submissions follow. We thank you in advance for taking the time to submit your proposal. Our organizing committee will review it and those of others to build a program that best fits the needs of our membership. Typically, we have not been able to include every submission in our programs, and we therefore encourage you to make yours as complete as possible to give it the best chance for inclusion.
GUIDELINES (please read before submitting)
As part of the submission process, you will be asked to acknowledge your agreement to follow these commitments and convey them to the presenters associated with your submission.
Presenting a session at the LES Annual Meeting requires commitment to the organization on several levels:
- Educational – sessions must be of educational benefit to members, not promotional presentations
- Organizational – session leaders must secure speaker commitments, prepare presentation and CLE (see Section 4 below regarding CLE–qualified sessions) materials, and communicate logistics in a timely fashion. Please refer to the timeline below for specific expectations.
- Financial – workshop speakers are required to cover the cost of their participation by paying the registration fee. LES is a non-profit, volunteer-driven community of IP professionals that relies on the financial participation of meeting attendees to fulfill our mission and develop valuable content and events like the annual meeting.
Proposals will be reviewed by peers on the organizing committee. Factors included in the review will include:
- Completeness of submission, with all requested content and speaker information
- Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in speaker selection
- Speakers from diverse professional settings
- Interactivity with attendees as it relates to content delivery
- Applicability of topic across multiple industries, sectors, and interest groups
- Educational intent (no promotional presentations)
- Whether topic addresses or proposed content touches on theme of annual meeting
Due to time and space constraints, not all submissions can be selected for the meeting.
Each session at the 2026 Annual Meeting must comply with the following requirements:
- All moderators and speakers must register for the meeting and pay the registration fee.
- LES must be immediately notified in writing of any speaker changes, which are subject to approval by the Planning Committee. For presenters who must cancel, they must find a replacement speaker. Cancellations may impact future session selection.
- Each session must have at least 3 speakers. Panels must have a moderator and 3 or 4 speakers.
- There can be no more than one speaker from the same organization in any session.
- Each person can only speak in one session per meeting.
These conditions must be satisfied for session acceptance and maintained to make the final program. Non-conforming panels may be removed from the program.
Sessions can become CLE/RTTP/CLP eligible if acceptable written materials are provided. If you are interested in making your session CLE/RTTP/CLP eligible please indicate so in your proposal submission. You will also have to clarify if any of your speakers are lawyers.
Notification of acceptance will be sent to the submitter after the conclusion of review by April, 2026. At that time, submitters will be notified by email of their acceptance.
First, please download the template below.
Once the template is complete, click the below link and sign-in. Fill out your details and upload your abstract.
We look forward to receiving your submissions!
TIMELINE
| FEBRUARY 20 | Deadline for Proposal Submissions at 6 PM Eastern time |
| From APRIL 1 | Acceptance notifications sent via email to submitters; confirmations due within 7 days of notice |
| APRIL 15 | Session leaders must confirm all speakers in order to remain on the program |
| JUNE 1 | Speaker registration AND signed speaker agreement deadline |
For any questions about the LES Annual Meeting or the proposal submission process, please contact 2025 LES Annual Meeting Conference Office lesam@northernnetworking.co.uk