Shabnam Malek Related seminars and products

Chief Legal Officer

Nuka Enterprises, LLC

Shabnam Malek has a broad practice but takes greatest pleasure in advising clients on how best to grow, navigate risk, resolve disputes, and how to think creatively in balancing business needs and legal concerns. Shabnam is recognized as an expert in the field of cannabis intellectual property and clients and colleagues seek her out for her expertise in addressing particularly thorny and novel legal issues. She’s a creative thinker looking for solutions that help her clients succeed. Shabnam truly enjoys the role of counselor to start-ups, woman-owned companies, large, global companies as well individuals.

Shabnam is a co-founder and the founding President of the International Cannabis Bar Association. Today, INCBA boasts a membership base of over 700 individual attorney members and a strong international presence. She currently sits on the governing board of INCBA and helps plan the educational curriculum of the organization with a focus on INCBA’s flagship event, the Cannabis Law Institute. Shabnam is also the Chair of the PLI Cannabis Business Law program and an Adjunct Professor at the University of New Hampshire School of Law. Shabnam recently joined the editorial board of Law360’s Cannabis Editorial Advisory Board.

In addition to serving the business community, Shabnam developed a robust pro bono practice representing imprisoned women before the California Board of Parole Hearings as well as representing houseless San Francisco residents through the Coalition on Homelessness.

Shabnam regularly speaks and writes on the topics of trademarks, brand expansion, regulated industries such as cannabis and hemp, and the role of women in creating change. Her professional affiliations include holding a seat on the Board of Directors of the International Cannabis Bar Association and a committee role with the International Trademark Association.  She is an active member of the California Lawyers' Association, the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Lawyers Guild, the Queen’s Bench, and the Bar Association of San Francisco. Shabnam was named a Northern California Rising Star three years in a row by Super Lawyers Magazine.

Mary Shapiro, JD, MBA Related seminars and products

Managing Director

Evoke Law, PC

Mary Shapiro
Evoke Law, PC
mary@evoke.law

Mary Shapiro, Managing Director of Evoke Law, PC, based in San Francisco, California, is an intellectual property attorney specializing in trademark, consumer protection, copyright, and internet law.

For 20 years prior to her legal career, Mary served in a variety of marketing positions in the book industry, including roles in retail, distribution and publishing. Mary started her legal career in 1999 at Townsend and Townsend and Crew LLP. There, Mary supported businesses in a variety of industries: technology, medical device, pharmaceutical, wineries, non-profit foundations, and consumer products.
Her cannabis practice began in earnest in 2009, offering specialized legal services in intellectual property and consumer protection. Mary strives to assist cannabis operators in selecting strong and enforceable brand names, with her day-to-day work encompassing clearing, filing, prosecuting, enforcing, and licensing trademarks in the U.S. and internationally.

In 2016, Mary rebranded the firm to Evoke Law, continuing to specialize in serving the cannabis industry. By registering brands and enforcing intellectual property rights, businesses are positioned to expand their brands nationally and globally. In the consumer protection arena, Evoke Law guides cannabis operators through the complex compliance issues associated with packaging and labeling, recalls, and advertising. The firm encourages clients to carefully view each decision from the vantage point of its overall marketing strategies and business objectives, as well as the company’s risk tolerance level.

Mary has been a leader in bridging intellectual property law, state cannabis regulations, and the cannabis marketplace. In 2015, Mary was a founding Board member of the National Cannabis Bar Association (NCBA), which now has over 700 active members. She currently serves as the Board Secretary, co-chairs the organization’s worldwide expansion (as the International Cannabis Bar Association (INCBA), and is in a leadership role in the Continuing Legal Education program. In 2016-2017, Mary collaborated with industry advocacy groups and fellow legal colleagues, to persuade the California Secretary of State to allow registration of trademarks for cannabis products and services. In early 2018, with the assistance of a technical advisor and expert witness testimony, Evoke Law provided the USPTO with irrefutable scientific evidence that the mature stalks do indeed produce CBD in appreciable quantities without the commingling from other plant parts, including any ‘resinous’ secretions, which debunked the USPTO’s incorrect internal position on this matter, and resulted in the federal registration of a client’s trademark for a hemp-derived product.

Evoke Law provides pro bono assistance to Marijuana Policy Project, Americans for Safe Access, California Cannabis Industry Association, International Cannabis Bar Association, and Cannabis Marketing Association. Mary is also a First 50 supporter of Women Grow, and regularly speaks at industry conferences including MJBiz, NCIA, CCIA, INCBA, Women Grow, and Emerald Cup.
 

Jason Moscovici Related seminars and products

Partner, Lawyer, Biochemist

Robic, LLP

Jason Moscovici is a partner, lawyer and biochemist with ROBIC, LLP, a multidisciplinary intellectual property law firm from Quebec, Canada. His IP practice specializes in regulated industries such as food, alcohol, cannabis, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, cosmetics, natural health products, advertising and consumer products.

Jason’s focus on the valorization and enforcement of intellectual property, as well as the numerous compliance issues that orbit regulated industries, have allowed him to quickly become one of the most trusted legal advisors to the emerging cannabis industry. His perspectives on compliance, intellectual property and the commercial hurdles related specifically to cannabis are routinely solicited by stakeholders in this space.

Jason leads ROBIC`s cannabis group and sits on the life sciences committee of the firm.

Dale Hunt, PhD, JD Related seminars and products

Patent Attorney / Founder

Plant & Planet Law Firm

Dale C. Hunt, PhD, JD, provides guidance and expertise on patents and intellectual property matters. Dale has extensive experience with patent protection, with a technical emphasis in life sciences (cellular biology, genetics, genomics, immunology, microbiology, molecular biology, pharmaceuticals, protein engineering, stem cells, transgenics and vaccines); environmental technology (alternative energy, carbon-emissions credits and exchanges, oil and gas technologies, solar energy, natural products and water purification systems); materials and manufacturing (filters and filtration systems, metal fibers and alloys); medical devices and procedures (nucleic acid diagnostics, sensors and instrumentation and surgical devices and methods); and plants (agriculture, plant genetics, plant patents and plant-variety protection).  Dale also has experience with patent portfolio management and strategy advice, international intellectual property matters, right-to-practice and product-launch opinions, intellectual property due diligence, and licensing.

Dale also started a Cannabis IP practice to aid clients in establishing strong intellectual property protection for their legal marijuana strains, products and businesses. The approaches to such protection include U.S. plant patents and utility patents; state and common-law trademark strategies, protection, and enforcement; and federal trademark protection for federally legal allied products and services. His expertise also extends to other forms of protection for Cannabis businesses, including licensing of intellectual property, which can encompass protection of know-how and trade secrets related to cultivation and processing techniques; international plant breeders’ rights and related commercialization and enforcement strategies; as well as various other approaches that have been successful for his clients in the fruit and floral markets but which Cannabis companies have yet to attempt.

Having started as a botanist and plant geneticist, Dale continued his study of plant biology at the cellular and molecular level, completing a PhD at UC San Diego. Dale then went on to UC Berkeley for law school.  In addition to his diverse patent practice as described above, he has worked his entire career helping clients protect and commercialize their proprietary plant varieties in the U.S. and over 20 foreign countries. Dale has spoken on IP protection at the Marijuana Business Convention in Washington, D.C.  He has also been interviewed for and quoted in numerous news articles and by national media outlets on the topic of marijuana and patenting.

Amanda Conley Related seminars and products

Founder

Conley Law

Amanda R. Conley is the founder of Conley Law PC, a boutique intellectual property and advertising law firm. She helps creative entrepreneurs across a variety of industries protect, leverage, and enforce their intellectual property. Amanda specializes in helping clients navigate highly-regulated industries such as cannabis, hemp, dietary supplements, and new and emerging technologies. She also advises on advertising, marketing, website, and labeling compliance in addition to providing general transactional legal services. 

Prior to founding Conley Law, Amanda was a founding partner at Brand & Branch LLP and co-founder of the International Cannabis Bar Association. She runs the Provisors Bay Area Cannabis Affinity Group, and is an active member of the California Lawyers Association. 

Amanda graduated from New York University School of Law after getting an MA in Sociology at the University of Colorado. Before attending law school, Amanda researched and published in the field of quantitative demography, and taught undergraduate-level sociology courses.

Michael Sharp Related seminars and products

Associate General Counsel, Intellectual Property

Aurora Cannabis Enterprises Inc.

Michael is a barrister and solicitor called to the bar of the Province of Alberta and is also a registered Canadian and U.S. Patent Agent and a registered Canadian TradeMark Agent.

Michael is the past Chair of the Technology and Intellectual Property Law Section – North Alberta Branch of the Canadian Bar Association, as well as a member of the Law Society of Alberta, Intellectual Property Institute of Canada, and past member of the Licensing Executives Society.

Before becoming a lawyer, Michael graduated from the University of Alberta with a M.Sc. in medical genetics, specializing in the molecular pathogenesis of developmental glaucoma. He then attended law school in order to pursue a career in IP Law.

Preferred Areas of Practice:
Intellectual Property (IP) Law including: Patents, Trademarks, Designs, Copyrights, Associated IP Contractual Agreements and IP Litigation

Luke Zimmerman, Esq., LL.M Related seminars and products

Founder | Attorney

Law Office of Luke S. Zimmerman APC

Luke Zimmerman, Esq. LL.M. founded the Law Office of Luke S Zimmerman APC in 2013 and focuses his practice on assisting clients with trademark, copyright, and other intellectual property related issues.

Luke founded the intellectual property section at Oaksterdam University and regularly teache at the school. He has written articles for a variety of cannabis publications on the issues of intellectual property. He is also a regular speaker at cannabis events and has lectured internationally about emerging intellectual property issues in the global cannabis industry. Luke was identified as a subject matter expert in the field of intellectual property by the CDFA and participated on the Appellations of Origin working group. He is also a life-time member of the National Cannabis Bar Association.

Luke believes there is a need for drug policy reform in the United States, which is why he offered pro bono representation, through the 2014 Clemency Project, to a federal inmate serving a life sentence for criminal charges related to a nonviolent drug offense. He was successful in assisting the inmate to receive a commutation from President Barack Obama.

Luke holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Oregon, a Juris Doctor from Thomas Jefferson School of Law, and a Masters of Laws focused on international trade and investment law from the University of Amsterdam. Luke is currently enrolled in a Masters of Laws program focused on international intellectual property at ITC-ILO School of Development, a member of the WIPO Academy, in Turin Italy researching issues relating to the international harmonization of the Nice Classification System as it relates to cannabis trademarks.

Marcelo Pomeranz Related seminars and products

Associate

Cooley LLP

Dr. Marcelo Pomeranz’s practice focuses on the development and execution of world-wide intellectual property strategies for biotech and pharmaceutical companies. He has extensive experience in securing, defending, and challenging patents to provide clients with the necessary protection and freedom to operate to monetize their inventions. He has extensive technical experience in plant biology, RNA silencing, CRISPR gene editing, strain engineering, plant-derived medicines, molecular biology and systems biology. Marcelo is also an expert in cannabinoid biology and chemistry, representing clients in all areas of cannabinoid research, including cannabis and hemp breeding and genetics, cannabinoid and terpene biosynthesis, synthetic cannabinoid chemistry, cannabinoid and terpene extraction and detection, and cannabinoid formulation and pharmacology. He successfully secured the first patents to THC-containing plants in the US, Canada, and Europe. He holds a PhD in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology. Marcelo's doctoral research focused on elucidating mechanisms for AU-rich mediated RNA degradation and the formation of RNA processing bodies and stress granules in plants. After his graduate work, he undertook a postdoctoral fellowship at The Ohio State University Center for Applied Sciences and the Arabidopsis Biological Resource Center. His postdoctoral work focused on the discovery of gene regulatory networks and developmental expression programs using next-generation sequencing and mathematical modeling. Marcelo was awarded the American Bar Association's Award for Excellence in intellectual property law. He has authored and co-authored numerous publications appearing in Biochimica et Biophysica Acta, The Plant Journal, Plant Physiology and Plant Signal Behavior.

Natalie Rizkalla-Kamel Related seminars and products

Partner

Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP

Natalie Rizkalla-Kamel is a Toronto-based Gowling WLG partner specializing in intellectual property litigation, trademark prosecution, strategic global trademark portfolio management, and transactional intellectual property work.

Natalie has a broad range of experience in all aspects of IP litigation at all levels of Court, with a focus on contentious work in the areas of patents, trademarks, and copyright. She has acted for clients from various industries, including: retail, cosmetics, manufacturing, cannabis, financial services, and pharmaceuticals. She is dedicated to understanding her clients' business interests and goals, developing an effective litigation strategy, and advising them toward favourable outcomes in each case.

Natalie is also a registered trademark agent in Canada, and her practice involves advising clients with both small and large portfolios on the acquisition, protection, and enforcement of their trademark rights in Canada and globally.

Given the legalization of recreational cannabis in Canada in 2018, Natalie has also developed a niche practice at Gowling WLG in the cannabis sector. She assists Canadian cannabis clients in developing brand strategies, and has been called on to represent clients in trademark disputes (both in and out of court) with respect to their cannabis brands in Canada. She has also has assisted clients with numerous manufacturing and licensing transactions in the cannabis space. Natalie has actively published and presented about cannabis branding and trademarks, and was recently interviewed by the World Trademark Review about brand strategy and trends for cannabis within the Canadian landscape for an article entitled, "Cannabis retailers have their work cut out for them in terms of trademark and brand strategy" (April 30, 2021).

Natalie is an active member of the IP community, and participates in writing on new developments in intellectual property law. She also serves on the committees of several professional associations, including the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada, the Canadian Bar Association (Intellectual Property Section), and the International Trademark Association. She also sits on the CLE Board, and is vice-chair of the International Action Group of the American Bar Association (Intellectual Property Section).

In 2017, Natalie was named a Lexpert "Rising Star: Leading Lawyer Under 40" for being at the top of the legal profession in Canada, as well as in recognition of her professional achievements and contributions to the community. She is consistently ranked as a World Intellectual Property Review (WIPR) Leader, and was most recently ranked in World Trademark Review 1000 (2022), the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory (2022) for Intellectual Property and Intellectual Property Litigation, Chambers Canada 2023 for Intellectual Property and Best Lawyers in Canada 2023.

Prior to joining Gowling WLG, Natalie received an MSc in Civil Engineering from Queen's University, under a National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) scholarship, and worked as a structural engineer. She is licensed as a Professional Engineer (PEng) in Ontario.

Sheila Gibson Related seminars and products

Patent and Trademark Attorney

Aura IP Law, PC

Sheila Gibson is the founder of Aura IP Law. She started her career in Intellectual Property (IP) at a nationally recognized IP boutique and practiced at several top-tier law firms over her first 16 years as an attorney. She has worked with clients in many different industries, such as biotech, medical device, agriculture, food packaging, pharmaceutical, green technology, mechanical, sports innovation, beverages, and more. Sheila has counseled clients from the research and development stage to startups to small- and medium-sized businesses to large, publicly traded companies. She has advised her clients in all aspects of IP, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, branding, licensing, IP transactions, IP agreements, opinion work, due diligence, and product launch.

Having always been passionate about the treatment of diseases but feeling drawn toward a career in business she worked in the biotech industry prior to attending law school and pursuing a career in IP. Thus, she brings a unique combination of strong science and IP experience with a solid understanding of her clients’ business needs. Rather than tackling her clients’ IP objectives in a vacuum, she uses her clients’ business objectives and considerations to guide her IP strategy and recommendations in order to achieve her clients’ goals.

In addition, having received exposure to all aspects of intellectual property including some of the most complex prosecution, litigation, and transnational issues at her prior law firms, she learned to approach each matter with big-picture thinking that includes an eye toward global strategy and avoiding possible future pitfalls and/or litigation. Thus, her approach to her clients’ matters is multi-faceted with each facet of every legal issue receiving her careful attention and scrutiny.

Now free from the constraints of Big Law, she is able use her unique skill set and approach to provide more efficient and tailored legal services for her clients.

Hannah Stitt Related seminars and products

Founder & Shareholder

Tectonic Law PC

Hannah Stitt is an intellectual property litigator and the founder of Tectonic Law (based in San Francisco, California). She provides services to businesses and entrepreneurs innovating in the following areas: Health & Wellness (including the cannabis industry), Internet and Information Technology (including cryptocurrency and blockchain industries), Creative Arts & Media (including publishing and digital art), and Environmental Sustainability. Ms. Stitt focuses her practice on litigation and disputes involving brands, trademarks, copyrights, privacy rights and related business claims. Her clients are both domestic and international, and of all sizes from startup to conglomerate.

Ms. Stitt graduated with Honors from the University of California Davis, earning degrees in both Religious Studies and Film Studies. She went on to earn her J.D. from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco (formerly Hastings), receiving a certificate of concentration in the area of intellectual property law. She has been named a Super Lawyer/Northern California Rising Star by her colleagues in the legal profession continuously since 2019 (a distinction granted to less than 2.5% of lawyers).

A core value of both Ms. Stitt’s is providing services to folks impacted by the drug war and “left behind” by current medical and recreational markets opening up across the country. Between October 2016 and December 2021, Ms. Stitt was a volunteer member of the Prisoner Advocacy Network (a project of the San Francisco Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild) (PAN). While with PAN, Ms. Stitt assisted California prisoners to navigate the intricacies of the civil administrative legal system in order to meet their basic needs and human rights. This work exposed her to the system-imposed inequities experienced by the US’ most vulnerable population. She brings her pro bono experiences holding the government to account into her day-to-day practice for private clients.

Ms. Stitt was an active member of the Ethics Committee for the International Cannabis Bar Association (INCBA) between January 2018 and December 2022. She contributed significantly to the Ethics Committee’s proposed model rules of professional conduct for attorneys serving clients in regulated cannabis markets, and pushed the committee to develop a model evidentiary rule to protect attorney work product. Her advice and counsel has shaped the market.

Please send her an email, or a message through tectoniclaw.com.

Laura Schniedwind Related seminars and products

Director and Lead Counsel, Product

Pax Labs, Inc.

Laura Schniedwind is a cannabis business attorney at PAX Labs, Inc., a leading global cannabis brand on a mission to enhance people’s lives through exceptional cannabis experiences. With experience in both start-up and global corporate environments, she provides strategic and legal partnership across the company, including product, sales, operations, business development, marketing, R&D, government affairs, and finance teams.

Her work enables the company to commercialize cannabis consumables and cannabis vaporization hardware within highly regulated frameworks on a global scale. She leads a high-performing compliance team that identifies trends and helps develop strategies and policy proposals to further the interests of PAX and our communities.

Laura has extensive experience working with companies of all sizes experiencing major growth in regulated industries. She has held a variety of legal positions serving the cannabis industry, including outside general counsel, sole practitioner, and of counsel. Prior to working for the cannabis industry, Laura was in-house counsel to a privately-held global company engaged in the development, manufacture, and sale of semiconductor analysis equipment, where she gained experience establishing a company-wide export compliance program, oversaw the implementation and alignment of company policies across subsidiaries, and worked with various stakeholders to draft agreements and help drive business forward. Following the company's acquisition by a public company, she decided to leverage her experience working with companies experiencing transition in regulated industries, and established a solo practice focused exclusively on the cannabis industry. After nearly two years running a successful solo practice, she joined a boutique firm Brand & Branch LLP, focused on advising cannabis and hemp businesses on intellectual property licensing, regulatory compliance, and commercial transactions, a role in which she served as outside counsel to PAX.

Based in Oakland, California, Laura is a Bay Area native and a graduate of the University of California, San Diego and the University of San Francisco School of Law. Prior to law school, Laura was a translator for detained immigrants seeking asylum in the United States. 

Henry Bian Related seminars and products

Director | Legal Counsel (Intellectual Property)

Cronos Group Inc.

Henry is a lawyer called in the Province of Ontario and a registered Canadian patent agent. He loves to dive in and learn about all the intricate details about clients’ technologies and business, and translates this knowledge to provide creative and novel strategies to advance the business.

His interest in intellectual property law started while a student at the University of Waterloo, where he became a patented inventor on a co-op job. After graduating with a B.A.Sc. in chemical engineering, he attended law school to further this interest.

As in-house counsel, Henry has built systems to manage IP portfolios, liaise with the business to identify and protect new technologies, and help build new and existing brands.

Dr. Anja Geitmann Related seminars and products

Dean - Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

McGill University

Professor Geitmann is the Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (AES) and Associate Vice-Principal (Macdonald Campus) of McGill University. Under her leadership McGill has positioned itself to be a leader and convener of stakeholders in food safety, food security, sustainable agriculture, and environmental stewardship. Since the legalization of cannabis in 2018, numerous research projects related to cannabis have been launched at the Faculty, and since 2020, the Faculty operates a graduate student training program (Quality Assurance and Quality Control for Cannabis) funded through a CREATE grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. Under Dr. Geitmann's leadership the McGill Research Centre for Cannabis was established, a joint endeavor between McGill's Faculties of AES and Medicine.

Pearl Chan Related seminars and products

Chief Legal and Operating Officer

Hill Incorporated

Pearl is the Chief Legal and Operating Officer at Hill Incorporated, a TSX-V listed company with 2 business lines focused on the sale of alcohol-free beverages, and the licensing of DehyraTECH cannabis biodelivery technology rights. At Hill, she leads the company's legal, compliance and operational functions.

Prior to joining Hill Incorporated, Pearl led California-focused public cannabis company Origin House as its Canadian general counsel in its M&A, commercial and securities legal activities, including leading the company in its $1.1B sale to U.S. multi-state operator Cresco Labs, in then the largest-ever public company acquisition in the U.S. cannabis sector.

Rachael Dickson Related seminars and products

Founder and Visiting Assistant Professor

Catalytic Law and Suffolk University Law School

Rachael Dickson is a trademark attorney with expertise in acquiring federal trademark registrations for cannabis and hemp companies at the USPTO. She regularly advises other trademark attorneys on their applications and searching trademarks using USPTO's TESS (Trademark Electronic Searching System) tool. 

From 2017-2021, Rachael was a trademark examining attorney at the US Patent and Trademark Office, where she specialized in examining cannabis trademarks as part of a select controlled substance work group. In this role, she was awarded a 2020 USPTO Customer Service Award and managed to win a TTAB case for the USPTO in abstentia (In Re Harbor Hemp Company LLC, 2022). Rachael has spoken on cannabis trademark issues on several occasions, most notably as a solo speaker at MJBizCon 2022 ("The NewlyWeed Game: Who Wants a Cannabis Trademark?") and at the Suffolk Law Intellectual Property Conference in 2022 ("High Hopes: Cannabis Trademarks at the USPTO"). 

Rachael is also a visiting assistant professor at Suffolk University Law School, where she runs the Intellectual Property and Entrepreneurship Clinic. She is currently working on an article on the lawful use requirement in trademark law which compares the USPTO's current treatment of applications to register cannabis trademarks with the US Patent Office's treatment of applications to register alcohol trademarks during Prohibition (1920-1934). 

Rachael formerly served as contract counsel with PharmaCann in Illinois, where she wrote state license applications for expansion to other states, trained dispensary, cultivation, and security employees on applicable regulations, worked with state agency officials, and performed a million other cannabis business start up tasks (including trimming buds for a few days alongside the founders!). (2015-2016)

Rachael is also a history aficionado who has spoken at TudorCon on three separate occasions (mostly about historical intellectual property). She can be found talking about trademarks, history, and cats primarily on Twitter, but also on Instagram, TikTok, and as of 07/2023, BlueSky and Threads, all under the screen name TudorsandTMs.

Rachael holds a degree in history and minors in electronic journalism and music from George Mason University (2010, cum laude) and a JD and certificate in Cyberlaw from DePaul University Law School (2015, cum laude). She is licensed in Illinois, Washington, DC, and (very soon!) Massachusetts.

Arturo Revilla Related seminars and products

Associate

Chevez, Ruiz, Zamarripa y Cia., S.C.

Bilingual and fully trained attorney with an international academic and cultural background. I hold a law degree from law faculty of Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) and a LLM from the Georg-August Universität Göttingen (Germany). Completed the program International and Comparative Business Law at Bucerius Law School in Hamburg, Germany. I have broad and solid experience dealing with intellectual property matters (filing & prosecution, contentious, consultancy, transactional, etc.). Likewise, I possess thorough knowledge on IT, privacy, E-commerce and consumer protection affairs.

I approach the cases with a result-oriented, analytical, and practical perspective to comply with any required deadlines and exceed the client’s expectations.

Jeffrey Merk Related seminars and products

Partner

Aird & Berlis LLP

With extensive experience in a broad range of corporate finance and commercial matters, Jeffrey offers clients a practical and business-minded approach to solving legal and regulatory challenges. He is skilled at isolating what is truly important in a complex business transaction and in identifying solutions. Jeffrey takes great care in tailoring his service to each client and providing strategic and insightful judgment to effectively further their business objectives.

Jeffrey is co-Practice Group Leader of the firm's Capital Markets Group and co-Chair of the Life Sciences Group. He is also a member of the firm's Corporate/Commercial, Mergers & Acquisitions/Private Equity and International Groups, as well as the Cannabis and Mines & Minerals Groups. He practises corporate law with an emphasis on public and private financings, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance and ongoing general corporate and commercial activities. Jeffrey’s experience includes numerous cross-border securities offerings (public and private), acting for U.S. buyers of Canadian entities or assets; acting for U.S. financiers of acquisitions in Canada; acting for Canadian sellers to U.S. buyers, and acting as Canadian counsel in connection with large, internationally-led transactions. He frequently advises mining, private equity, industrial, cannabis and psychedelics clients.

Jeffrey has recently been featured in the media with respect to the legal, regulatory and investment context for psychedelics in Canada.

In 2007, Jeffrey completed a six-month secondment with the Corporate Finance Branch of the Ontario Securities Commission where he was responsible for reviewing and clearing prospectuses and considering applications for relief from the requirements of the Securities Act (Ontario).

Joseph A. Bondy Related seminars and products

Founding Principal

The Law Offices of Joseph A. Bondy

Named one of America’s Top 100 Attorneys and one of the Top 100 Criminal Trial Lawyers by the American College of Trial Lawyers, Joseph Bondy is an internationally-recognized expert in criminal litigation. With over 25 years of superlative trial and federal sentencing experience, Bondy has advised thousands of clients in complex criminal defense, cannabis business and advocacy, and crisis management matters. The New York Times has described him as “eloquent and armed with the serene demeanor of a surgeon,” saying that “his oratorical intensity hovers at the evangelical.” High Times dubbed Bondy “one of the nation’s preeminent cannabis attorneys,” and his outstanding talent for defense strategy has been hailed by such outlets as CNN, Politico, and New York Law Journal, as well as legal analysts from around the world. Bondy’s unique approach to criminal defense and public media strategies were particularly praised on a global level while he represented Lev Parnas, a Guiliani associate connected to the Ukraine scandal leading to Donald Trump’s first impeachment. Bondy and Parnas’s interview on The Rachel Maddow Show (MSNBC) was its highest audience-drawing episode of all time, earning an Emmy nomination; and a subsequent feature on Anderson Cooper 360 was one of that program’s most-viewed episodes of the year.

Bondy serves on the Board of Directors for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) and is a Vice President and Board Member of the Cannabis Cultural Association (CCA). A graduate of Columbia University and Brooklyn Law School, Bondy was a member of a team of attorneys on the seminal case Washington v Barr (2019), originally Washington v Sessions (2017), which took action against the Department of Justice with the aim to legalize cannabis federally. He is the founder of In The Know 420, a well-known early podcast on cannabis law, policy and industry. Bondy is also a lifetime member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and serves on the faculty of Cardozo Law School’s Intensive Trial Advocacy Program (ITAP). 

Specialties: Defense of complex criminal cases, Cannabis business and licensing.

Dr. Jayashree Mitra Related seminars and products

Shareholder

Carlton Fields, P.A.

Dr. Jayashree Mitra focuses on patent litigation, including Hatch-Waxman patent litigation. She represents clients in federal court and before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board and the International Trade Commission in a full range of patent litigation, including Hatch-Waxman actions, inter partes review, post-grant review proceedings, and trade secret disputes. She also advises clients in the cannabis industry and psychedelic industry on regulatory compliance, helping them align their IP strategies to comply with FDA and DEA regulations and guidance.

Jayashree is well known for her detailed understanding of the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, cannabis, psychedelics, and emerging technology sectors. A former neuropharmaceutical researcher at Yale University, Jayashree's technical knowledge extends to small molecules, protein therapeutics, protein conjugates, vaccines, injectables, biologics, and biosimilars, as well as blockchain and data privacy. She has particular insight into the science underlying innovative cannabis technology products and psychedelics. Her research in neuropharmacology at Yale specifically involved analyzing the effects of psychoactive substances on the developing brain.

She also has experience handling antitrust matters, as well as intellectual property due diligence and technology agreements for mergers, acquisitions, and other corporate transactions. She is recognized as a certified information privacy professional (CIPP/US) by the International Association of Privacy Professionals.

Jayashree engages in extensive pro bono work, including criminal appeals and death penalty cases.

Dr. Giovanna Toti Related seminars and products

Group Legal Counsel

Arsenalia GmbH

Experienced Legal Consultant admitted to the Italian Bar with a demonstrated history of working in the law practice industry. Skilled in Intellectual Property, Competition Law, Trademark and Patent registration and protection, International Trade Law, Arbitration, Commercial Contract Drafting. 

Strong legal professional background with a L.L.M. in International Trade and Investment Law from the University of Amsterdam and work experience in leading Law firms in Cyprus and Dubai.

Currently focused on domestic-international trademark registration and on strategic development and protection of IP assets.

Bryan Khan Related seminars and products

Consultant

University of the West Indies

Dr. Khan is an economist specialising in economic development policy, media regulation, cultural industries, international trade, and intellectual property policy. Based in Trinidad and Tobago, he works with the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) in various teaching capacities, and has some 15 years of experience in the field of the economics of intellectual property law. 

Enrico Bonadio Related seminars and products

Reader in Intellectual Property Law

City, University of London

Enrico Bonadio is Reader at City, University of London. He teaches, researches and advises in the field of intellectual property (IP) law.

His current research agenda focuses on the intersection between IP and technology, protection of non-conventional forms of creativity as well as IP protection in the agricultural sector, amongst other areas. He has two monographs – ‘TRIPS and genetic resources’ (Jovene 2008) and ‘Copyright in the Street – An Oral History of Creative Processes in the Street Art and Graffiti Subcultures’ (Cambridge University Press 2023).

He is also the author, editor or co-editor of the following books:

- 'Cannabis and Intellectual Property' (with N. Corthésy and Yentyl Williams) (Elgar forthcoming 2025)

- ‘Intellectual Property Bites’ (with Andrea Borghini) (monograph) (Routledge forthcoming 2024)

- ‘Non-Fungible Tokens and Copyright’ (edited with C. Sganga) (Routledge, forthcoming 2024);

- ‘The Future of Geographical Indications: European and Global Perspectives' (edited with A. Zappalaglio) (Elgar forthcoming 2024);

- ‘A Research Agenda for Patent Law’ (edited with N. Shemtov) (Elgar, forthcoming 2024); ‘

- A Research Agenda for Copyright Law’ (edited with C. Sganga) (Elgar, forthcoming 2024);

- ‘Information Technology Law’ (textbook - with U. Kohl and A. Charlesworth) (Routledge, forthcoming 2024);

- ‘Music Borrowing, Creativity and Copyright’ (edited with C. Zhu) (Hart Publishing forthcoming 2023);

- ‘The Cambridge Handbook of Investment-Driven Intellectual Property’ (edited with P. Goold) (Cambridge University Press 2023);

- ‘Intellectual Property Excesses – Exploring the Boundaries of IP Protection’ (edited with A. O’Connell) (Hart Publishing 2022);

- ‘The Subjects of Artistic and Literary Copyright’ (edited with C. Sappa) (Elgar 2022);

- ‘Protecting Art in the Street – A Photographic Guide to Copyright in Street Art and Graffiti’ (photographic book) (Dokument Press, 2020);

- ‘The Cambridge Handbook of Copyright in Street Art and Graffiti’ (edited) (Cambridge University Press, 2019);

- ‘Non-Conventional Copyright – Do New and Atypical Works Deserve Protection?’ (edited with Nicola Lucchi) (Edward Elgar, 2018);

- ‘The New Intellectual Property of Health – Beyond Plain Packaging’ (edited with Alberto Alemanno) (Edward Elgar, 2016).

Enrico also authored more than one hundred articles, case notes and book chapters touching various aspects of IP law. He is the Deputy Editor in Chief and Intellectual Property Correspondent of the European Journal of Risk Regulation (EJRR) (Cambridge University Press), as well as Member of the Editorial Board of NUART Journal; CitAI (Artificial Intelligence Research Centre at City, University of London); Centre for Creativity enabled by AI, funded by UKRI’s Research England and City, University of London, which has been awarded £7.6 million over 4 years; Law Society of England and Wales; ATRIP (International Association for the Advancement of Teaching and Research in Intellectual Property); BLACA (British Literary and Artistic Copyright Association).

Enrico has been delivering classes and talks in more than 130 universities and institutions spanning six continents. He is (or has been) Visiting lecturer at (amongst others) the WIPO LLMs in Intellectual Property at: (i) University of Turin / ILO, Italy (2008- to date); (ii) Ankara University, Turkey (2017 - to date); (iii) Tongji University, Shanghai, China (2019); Visiting Professor in Intellectual Property law at Universite’ Catholique Lyon (France) (2011-to date); Distinguished Guest Professor at Keio University, Tokyo (Japan) (2019 – 2022); Visiting Professor at the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences (2022-2024); Visiting Professor at the University of Hannover (Germany) (September 2022); Visiting Scholar at Hokkaido University, Sapporo (Japan) (October-November 2019); Visiting Research Fellow at Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv (Israel) (December 2018 and April 2019); Visiting Professor in Intellectual Property Law at University of Turku (Finland) (2013 -2017); September 2016 – December 2016: Visiting Scholar at CUNY Law School, New York (US); September 2013 – December 2013: Visiting Scholar at the University of Melbourne (Australia). Enrico has also delivered lectures at various WIPO IP law Summer Schools, organised in Prague, Odessa, Ankara, Teheran, Dubrovnik and Riyadh.

Timothy L. Alger Related seminars and products

Owner

Alger Law APC

Timothy L. Alger is a civil litigator, mediator, and owner of Alger Law APC. Formerly the head of litigation, employment law and trademarks at Google and an equity partner at three major law firms, Mr. Alger has represented leading internet, media, entertainment and advertising companies in litigation over trademarks, copyrights, unfair competition, contracts, free speech, defamation and privacy. Mr. Alger also represents legal cannabis businesses in civil litigation and regulatory disputes with governmental entities. Recent representations in this industry include civil litigation over trademarks, contracts, relocation of a cannabis dispensary, excessive fines on cannabis cultivators, civil rights violations by law enforcement agencies, and ownership and management disputes in cannabis business partnerships.
Mr. Alger makes himself available to mediate disputes among businesses and individuals. His expertise in the cannabis industry and 33 years in commercial litigation makes him a valuable resource for resolution of disagreements without the high cost of litigation in court.

Margret Knitter, LL.M. Related seminars and products

Partner, Lawyer

SKW Schwarz, Germany

Margret Knitter advises her clients in all matters of intellectual property and competition law. This includes not only strategic advice, but also legal disputes. Her practice focuses on the development and defense of trademark and design portfolios, border seizure proceedings and advice on developing marketing campaigns. She advises on labelling obligations, packaging design, marketing strategies and regulatory questions, in particular for cosmetics, detergents, toys, foodstuffs and Cannabis. She represents her clients vis-à-vis authorities, courts and the public prosecutor's office.

In the field of media and entertainment, she mainly advises on questions of advertising law, in particular product placement, branded entertainment and influencer marketing. She is a member of the board of the Branded Content Marketing Association (BCMA) for the DACH region and Co-Chair of the European INTA Bulletins Committee.

Anthony Parker Related seminars and products

Commissioner, Plant Breeders' Rights

Canadian Food Inspection Agency

Enabling investment and innovation in plant breeding through the granting of intellectual property rights. Supporting producers access to the newest and best performing plant varieties. Proudly serving Canada's agriculture, horticulture, and ornamental/nursery sectors, both domestically and internationally.

Poonam Tauh Related seminars and products

Partner

MBM Intellectual Property Law LLP

Poonam Tauh’s practice focuses on the drafting and prosecution of pharmaceutical, chemical, biochemical, petrochemical, and polymer patent applications in Canada and around the world. Her range of patent expertise extends to oil & gas, clean technology, cosmetics, personal care, pet care and consumer household products. Poonam also has expertise in the Patented Medicines (Notice of Compliance) Regulations, particularly on issues relating to timing, information and drug submission requirements for listing a patent on the Patent Register. Poonam also has extensive experience in prosecuting industrial design applications, and applications relating to plant breeders' rights.

Poonam works closely with clients and corresponds regularly with a broad network of foreign associates to coordinate the worldwide management and strategic positioning of clients’ international patent portfolios. She is also involved in the preparation of legal opinions relating to validity, infringement, patentability and freedom-to-practice. Poonam also has extensive experience in prosecuting industrial design applications.

Poonam has a broad research background including practical experience in synthetic organic, polymer, analytical and organometallic chemistry. Poonam’s doctoral research related to the investigation of anti-cancer therapies, with a focus on the synthesis of building blocks for target drugs such as Taxol. She has also worked on the synthesis of drug analogs, as well as developed new reaction techniques useful in synthetic organic and polymer chemistry. Poonam has several publications related to her research in organic chemistry in such journals as the Journal of Organic Chemistry, and has presented her research at domestic and international conferences.

Poonam is a Registered Canadian Patent Agent and also has limited recognition to represent Canadians in patent matters before the USPTO.

Gretchen L. Temeles Related seminars and products

Counsel

Feldman Legal Advisors PLLC

Gretchen L. Temeles, Ph.D., of counsel, is an experienced intellectual property (IP) attorney and scientist who assists clients in the cannabis and psychedelics space in formulating comprehensive global IP strategies to further their business goals. She also advises clients in the biotechnology, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries. Her experience includes patent portfolio management, both U.S. and international patent prosecution, patent landscape analyses, freedom-to-operate searches, IP due diligence, non-infringement and invalidity opinions, trade secret analyses, European opposition proceedings, and transactional work, including material transfer agreements, sponsored research agreements and licensing agreements.
Dr. Temeles’ experience as a scientist in the biotechnology industry is foundational to her IP practice and the practical, real-world approach she brings to solving legal problems. She was a group leader in a biotechnology company focused on small molecule drug discovery in therapeutic areas that included neurological disorders, inflammation, cancer, and infectious disease. Previously, she held research positions at the University of Pennsylvania, and Merck Sharpe and Dohme Research Laboratories. Dr. Temeles is a co-inventor on two U.S. patents and has authored peer-reviewed scientific papers. She holds degrees from Temple University Beasley School of Law (J.D.); Yale University (Ph.D., Biology); and the University of Pennsylvania (B.A., cum laude).

Katie Paterno, JD Related seminars and products

Director, Legal

Canopy Growth Corporation

Katie is in-house counsel for Canopy Growth Corporation, a world-leading cannabis company focused on unleashing the power of cannabis to improve lives. In her role, Katie oversees Canopy's global intellectual property portfolio and serves as a strategic advisor to the company on brand development, protection, and enforcement, in addition to advising the business on commercial and compliance related matters.

Katie obtained her Juris Doctor from the University of New Brunswick, and currently resides on the beautiful east coast of Canada in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Thomas Verborgh Related seminars and products

Intellectual Property Attorney

GEVERS

Thomas gives legal and strategic advice on the protection of intellectual property with a focus on trademarks. He also assists clients in dispute resolution and drafting IP related contracts. Before joining GEVERS in 2020, Thomas worked as a trainee-examiner through the Pan-European Seal traineeship at the EUIPO.

Thomas is am a member of the Belgian chapter (ABA – BVA) of ALAI is the Association littéraire et artistique internationale who focuses on copyright. He won the ALAI European Authors’ right Award of 2020.

Brendon Roberts Related seminars and products

Independent Contractor (consultant)

GanjaPapa Solutions Inc.

Mr. Roberts, Founder and Director of GanjaPapa Solutions, brings over 20 years of progressive horticulture experience throughout North America, Latin America, and the Caribbean region. He currently serves at VP, Horticulture & Biotech Business Development at Pagroda Agricultural Solutions. A Leading Biotech company exploring multiple aspects of physiological plant growth, based in the USA.

A former secondary school agricultural science teacher within the Ministry of Education, he has held senior management positions at many cannabis organizations. Namely, Vida Cannabis, Zenabis Global, BZAM Management & Nymera Holdings. He also serves as the Master Grower and Quality Assurance Manager at Sugar Cane Cannabis.

A seasoned horticulturist, Mr. Roberts played a leading role in Canada's forest renewal programs by growing over 20 million trees annually, in collaboration with federal and provincial governments alongside mainstream forest companies in Ontario, Canada.

He has completed an Applied Agricultural Science diploma as well as a degree in International Agricultural Development from the University of Guelph, Canada's premier institution for Agricultural Sciences.

Nick Costanza Related seminars and products

Vice President - Legal

Cann Social Tonics

Nick is the Vice President of Legal at Cann Social Tonics (www.drinkcann.com), a leading THC-infused beverage brand in the US and Canada. Prior to joining Cann Social Tonics, Nick was an Intellectual Property Litigation and Cannabis Associate at Goodwin Procter LLP and Sideman & Bancroft LLP in San Francisco, California, where Nick advised clients on a wide range of cannabis (including hemp) regulatory
and intellectual property matters, assisted the firms in founding their respective cannabis practice groups, and represented clients with respect to various intellectual property litigation and dispute resolution matters.

Soody Tronson Related seminars and products

Founding Managing Counsel

STLG Law Firm

Soody Tronson is a counsel, serial entrepreneur, inventor, and trusted advisor with over 25 years of interdisciplinary operational experience in innovation, technology, management, law, and advocacy in start-ups, Fortune 100 companies, and non-profits. Soody counsels domestic and international clients in intellectual property and technology transactions in various sectors, including hardware, software, medical devices, and alternative energy. Soody lectures on IP, licensing, technology transfer, and entrepreneurship domestically and internationally. 

She formed the boutique intellectual property law firm STLG after holding technical and management positions at Schering Plough and HP; practicing law at Hewlett-Packard, a successfully acquired medical device start-up, and the national law firms of HellerEhrman, and Townsend and Townsend. 

Soody has served in board, advisory, and leadership capacities with several organizations, including the Association for Women in Science (AWIS) national accelerator (Stem2Market); California Lawyers Association Executive Committee of the Intellectual Property Section, Licensing Executives Society USA/Canada, and the Palo Alto Area Bar Association. She is an active member of several Silicon Valley Leadership Group committees, including Technology & Innovation, Health, Education, and the Women Executive Forum. 

Soody is listed in the IAM Strategy 300: The World’s Leading IP Strategists 2019.  She was honored as one of the 100 Women of Influence 2020 by the Silicon Valley Business Journal. In 2022, Soody was appointed to the Northern California District Export Council (NorCal DEC) by the Secretary of Commerce. 

She has been a commissioner with the city of Menlo Park, CA. She is an active, hands-on volunteer with several civic organizations, including Defy Ventures, an entrepreneurship, employment, and character development training program for currently and formerly incarcerated men, women, and youth.  

She is the co-author of the book "Women Securing the Future with TIPPSS for IoT: Trust, Identity, Privacy, Protection, Safety, Security for the Internet of Things" and an inventor of several patents and applications. Soody is the CEO of Presque, a wearable health-tech platform in the maternity space. One of her most fun ventures has been as co-founder of HighNote Coffee.

Craig Abruzzo Related seminars and products

Chief Legal Officer

Kiva Brands, Inc.

Craig Abruzzo currently serves as Chief Legal Officer of Kiva Brands, Inc., the market leader in premium cannabis edibles. Kiva’s award-winning chocolates, mints, chews and gummies are the most precise, discreet, and delicious on the market. Kiva has become the most recognized edible brand in cannabis with a loyal customer base throughout hundreds of dispensaries in 11 States. Craig established the foundation of his in-house legal practice during his 6 years at IGN Entertainment, Inc. culminating in its sale to Fox Interactive in 2005. Craig then joined Associate Content (AC) as its fifth employee as General Counsel. While at AC he oversaw the growth of the company to over 90 employees and its eventual sale to Yahoo! in 2010. After serving his time at Yahoo!, Craig joined Birchbox as General Counsel in 2012. In his 4 years at Birchbox, Craig oversaw the expansion of Birchbox’s business from 60 employees to over 350 employees across 5 countries and scale to over 1.5 Million subscribers. As the Dodgers did decades before, Craig left the friendly confines of Brooklyn, for the sunshine of LA to join Thrive Market, Inc. as its General Counsel where his remit included, among other things, IP strategy, HR, Corporate Development and Compliance.

After 4 years at Thrive Market, Craig moved to his current role as Chief Legal Officer at Kiva Brands where he oversees legal operations, IP strategy, FSQA and compliance. Craig has a bachelor's degree in International Relations with a focus in Economics from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. Prior to graduating Syracuse, Craig took an 18 month leave of absence to travel and study Mandarin in China and Taiwan. After graduation he attended the Brooklyn Law School where he obtained his Juris Doctor.

Craig currently lives in Los Angeles with his beautiful wife, and his two lovely children. Francesca, who is nine, and Jasper, who is seven.