9:00AM-10:00AM

EU Patent Protection

Alexandra Brodie

Gowling WLG

After extensive efforts to harmonize IP protection across Europe, last year's Brexit vote brought a blast of new uncertainties that may not be soon resolved. This presentation will survey the current state of affairs, and strategies for managing IP rights in Europe while the smoke clears.

10:30AM-12:00PM

Global Technology Transactions

Victoria Lee/Anne-Marie Eileraas/Heather Yohn

DLA Piper/Avanade Inc./Pindrop

If legal support for technology transactions involves chess-like strategies that combine issues in IP, tax, regulatory and other practice areas, then global tech transactions are played on a 3-D board, with overlapping national and international regimes. This presentation will discuss how Silicon Valley companies have successfully navigated the many challenges of global tech transactions, with practical pointers for how to approach a new project and deal with inevitable surprises along the way.

1:30PM-2:15PM

Shiver Me Timbers! Using 337 to Make Pirates (or Your Competitors) Walk the Plank

Darryl Woo

Vinson & Elkins LLP

Like the familiar phrase, those that can't do, teach; the popular wisdom in Silicon Valley has been that companies that can't do, sue...for patent infringement. But with the growing maturity of large tech companies and the reality of today's worldwide market, smaller, innovative entrants are finding it increasingly necessary to shut down copycats quickly and effectively. Years of patent reform aimed at patent trolls, however, have made it all but impossible to protect valuable ideas and technology in markets that move at the speed of Moore's Law. Or has it? This program explores how an oft-overlooked forum, the ITC, can provide timely and effective real world relief against offshore pirates, or against your competitors who source their infringing goods from abroad.

2:20PM-3:05PM

Avoiding the Front Page: Drawing The Lines Between Aggressive Tax Positions and Criminal Conduct

Seth Farber & Lawrence Hill

Winston & Strawn LLP

The recent execution of search warrants at Caterpillar by IRS Agents investigating alleged tax crimes highlights the risks that major corporations face from aggressive tax enforcement. This presentation will overview the current global criminal tax enforcement environment, to underscore the types of risks that in-house counsel should be concerned about and to discuss management and mitigation of these risks:

• The Extraterritorialization of Tax and Other Crimes
• The Caterpillar Investigation
• Tax Avoidance vs. Tax Evasion
• Lessons Learned from Defending Corporations in Civil and Criminal Tax Investigations
• Managing Tax and Reputational Risk at the GC and Board Levels
• Development of Global Policies and Procedures To Minimize Risk
• Evaluation of Corporate Compliance Programs

3:30PM-4:30PM

Going Global: A Tookit for Tech Companies Entering Emerging Markets

Cynthia Jackson

Dentons

This presentation will address legal obligations that accompany business opportunities as tech companies enter emerging markets. We will explore the use of independent contractors, agents, payroll agents and employees as companies attempt to test the waters before taking a full plunge. In addition, we will address the vetting of such persons, partners, distributors and suppliers, as well as evolving data privacy, cybersecurity and human rights issues as your company's platform expands, or if necessary, retrenches. presentation