Wednesday, November 4, 2026
8:30 AM-9:00 AM
Registration and networking
9:00 AM-9:10 AM
Welcome address: Senior representative, IAM
9:10 AM-9:40 AM
Keynote interview: Insights from the busiest court at the UPC
Tobias Pichlmaier
Legally Qualified Judge, Munich Local Division, Unified Patent Court
Agathe Michel-de Cazotte
Partner, Carpmaels & Ransford
9:40 AM-10:30 AM
Masterclass: Injunction spotlight: emerging practice and pitfalls
- Preparing your injunction case at the UPC
- Testing the limits of long-arm jurisdiction
- What the case law tells us so far
Clemens Heusch
Head of Global Litigation and Disputes, Nokia
Murielle Khairallah
IP Vice President, Valeo
Johannes Druschel
Partner, Finnegan
10:30 AM-11:00 AM
Networking break
11:00 AM-11:50 AM
Panel: How the UPC impacts patent value
- Damages in focus: what the first decisions reveal
- The court’s role in patent licensing campaigns
- Leveraging litigation funding at the UPC
11:50 AM-12:40 PM
Masterclass: UPC harmonisation: Court of Appeal rulings in focus
- EPO alignment? Inventive step, plausibility and claim interpretation
- The most significant questions that need to be answered
- Appeals to watch out for
Nicole Williams
Senior Director, IP and Litigation, 10x Genomics
Giovanni Trabucco
Senior IP Counsel, Meril
Frédéric Chevallier
Partner, McDermott, Will & Emery
12:40 PM-2:00 PM
Lunch and networking
2:00 PM-2:50 PM
Lightning talks: The UPC toolkit in practice
A series of 15-minute presentations led by subject matter experts.
Patent opt-out patterns revealed
Presented by:
Protective letters: tactics and takeaways
Presented by:
Mastering the front-loaded system
Presented by:
2:50 PM-3:40 PM
Focus session: Pharma patent strategy at the UPC
- Why pharma companies should embrace the UPC
- Navigating opt outs, SPCs and unitary patents to maximise protection
- Building preliminary injunction strategies
James Horgan
Chief IP Counsel International Litigation and Policy, Merck Sharp & Dohme
Jiri Slavik
Vice President, IP, Adalvo
Shohta Ueno
Director Dispute Resolution, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc
Elisabeth Greiner
Partner, df-mp
Charlie French
Partner, Bristows
3:40 PM-4:10 PM
Networking break
4:10 PM-5:00 PM
Panel: The UPC’s role in the wider SEP landscape
- Key lessons from evolving case law and decisions
- Using the UPC alongside other European courts
- The UK-UPC jurisdictional battles redefining SEP disputes
Farnaz Massoumian
Lead Patent Attorney, Vodafone
Alex Orsi
VIce President Legal, Associate General Counsel IP, HP
5:00 PM-5:50 PM
Panel: The EPO and the UPC: balance, alignment and the way forward
- Harmonisation and divergence – the verdict so far
- Deploying parallel proceedings as a strategic tool
- Oppositions and revocations: building a winning validity strategy
Anna Bacchin
Legal Member, Boards of Appeal, European Patent Office
András Kupecz
Presiding Judge, Munich Central Division, Unified Patent Court
5:50 PM-6:00 PM
Closing remarks: Senior representative, IAM
6:00 PM-7:00 PM
Drinks reception
