IP Litigation North America 2026

Sterne Kessler’s Nirav Desai and Deborah Sterling, Ph.D. will speak at IP Litigation North America 2026, hosted by Kisaco Research in Boston, MA. Bringing together three dedicated industry tracks under one roof, the conference serves as a premier forum for IP litigation professionals navigating the legal, business, and technological developments shaping North America’s most dynamic industries.

Pharma & Biotech Patent Litigation Track

Deborah will join the “The PTAB Today: How Policy Shifts are Reshaping Invalidity Strategy” panel of former PTAB faculty and experienced PTAB litigators to examine how institution standards are being applied in practice, why certain challenges are proving less viable than before, and when alternatives such as ex parte re-examination may offer a more effective path. Discussion topics include:

• Why challengers are re-assessing IPR risk and turning to ex parte re-examination, including trade-offs around timing, estoppel, and examiner workload.
• How patent owners are using PTAB uncertainty to influence parallel litigation and settlement leverage.
• Practical guidance on selecting and sequencing invalidity tools in the current PTAB environment
• Consider venues in alternative jurisdictions such as the EPO and UPC.

Tech & Innovation Patent Litigation Track

Nirav will participate in the panel “AI in Intellectual Property: Case Studies, Lessons Learned, and What Comes Next” exploring recent AI-related patent cases and examining how courts are shaping litigation and portfolio strategy going forward. Topics include:

• How are parameters around patent eligibility evolving in AI cases?
• How litigation strategy and outcomes vary across a range of tech sectors including AI-enabled hardware, software, multifunction innovation products and MedTech.
• Address new evidentiary and regulatory considerations for handling AI in regulated technologies such as SaMD.
• How are infringement theories being used in AI patent litigation?
• A review of recent cases like Nueral AI, LLC v. NVIDIA Corp., and Solos Technology’s complaint against Meta and EssilorLuxottica.