Keynote Speakers

International Keynote Speakers

Alan Kasper:

Alan J. Kasper is a senior partner in Intellectual Property Law firm of Sughrue Mion, PLLC, Washington D.C. where he has been practicing law since 1985. Mr. Kasper graduated from the State University of New York at Buffalo with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and obtained a JD at the Georgetown University Law Center. His practice includes domestic and international patent law. He represents clients in litigation, renders opinions on patentability, validity and infringement and provides counseling on matters involving licensing, proprietary rights protection, contracting and export control. He is a member of the Board of Directors and previously served as chair of the International and Foreign Law Committee and the IP Practice in Japan Committee. Mr. Alan Kasper is the President elect of AIPLA and will be the President of AIPLA for the term beginning 2010.

Chid S. Iyer:

Mr. Iyer is a partner of International Law Firm of Sughrue Mion PLLC and is involved in all aspects of patent practice including litigation, prosecution and client counseling in a variety of technologies including chemical, pharmaceutical, electrical design, electromechanical devices and software. He perused degrees from the Georgetown University Law Center (J.D. 1997), University of Tennessee (M.S. Computer Science, 1988), University of Akron (M.S.Ch.E 1986) and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay, India (B.Tech. Chemical Engineering, 1984). Chid has conducted and presented in various workshops and seminars on patent practice at various locations in U.S, Korea, Japan, and India. He is currently chairing the AIPLA subcommittee on IP practice in India.

John F Rabena:

John F. Rabena is a senior partner of Sughrue Mion PLLC, Washington D.C. office, and a member of the firm's Management Committee. He specializes in intellectual property litigation and has represented clients in a wide variety of technologies. He has handled cases in the United States International Trade Commission (USITC) as well as the U.S. District Courts. He also teaches trial skills seminars with the National Institute of Trial Advocacy and Georgetown University. In addition to litigation, John's practice includes license negotiation, infringement and validity opinions, and patent prosecution.

Michael R. Dzwonczyk:

Michael has over 15 years experience successfully representing multinational companies in patent litigation, including trials and appeals of patent cases and Section 337 cases at the International Trade Commission. His interference practice has included topics in chemistry and biotechnology including hormone and gene therapeutics, as well as anticholesterics. Michael also counsels clients on IP issues, including validity and infringement of IPR, licensing and contract matters and Hatch-Waxman issues. He has lectured on numerous topics including strategies for drafting pre-litigation opinions, pharmaceutical litigation strategies, experimental and exempt uses after Merck, and Patent Law Reform. He serves as Chair of FCBA's amicus committee and Vice-Chair of the AIPLA Chemical Practice Committee.

Maniak (Miku) H. Mehta:

Miku Mehta is a partner of Sughrue Mion PLLC, Washington D.C. Mr. Mehta's area of focus includes technology fields such as computer software and hardware, networks, Internet-related applications, optics, mechanical engineering, business processes and medical devices. His area of legal focus is the preparation of new patent applications, the prosecution of patent applications before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and Appeals to the U.S. Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences. He has also prepared opinions in the areas of patentability, infringement and product clearance. Mr. Mehta is also a Foreign Law Advisor to Japan Office. Mehta has published scores of articles and teaching and has spoken on various Patent issues in United States and abroad including India.

Thayne Forbes:

Thayne read Mathematics at Oxford University before qualifying as a Chartered Accountant with Binder Hamlyn in London in 1986. He persued PG Intensive Diploma at the Chartered Institute of Marketing and is now a fellow of both the Institutes. Thayne was one of the key IP specialists in the UK practice, e.g. he was the UK representative on the global steering committee responsible for developing international training and best practice in valuations. Thayne's strategy, valuation and forensic accounting work has covered brands, other intangible assets, businesses and shares. These have been required across a wide range of industry sectors both in the UK and international markets for a variety of business reasons, such as brand strategy, sale or purchase, business re-organisation or dispute resolution.