The Cleveland Intellectual Property Law Association
Please join us on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, for our first meeting of 2026. Register by 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 15, 2026.
Location:
Downtown Marriott
1360 West Mall Drive
Cleveland, OH 44114
Take escalator off main lobby up one floor. You will see the CIPLA registration table as you exit the top of the escalator.
Valet parking is available to CIPLA members for a discounted rate of $20 if you register and prepay your parking with your registration. Parking vouchers will be available at the meeting registration table for those who prepay for valet parking.
Agenda:
Committee CLE Meetings (4:30–5:30 p.m., CLE accreditation will be applied for):
1) Copyright, Computer Software, and Media Law Committee (1.00 hr CLE credit)
Topic: Inside the Song: Musicological Evidence in Copyright Cases
Speaker: Dr. Joe Bennett, Forensic Musicology
Dr. Joe Bennett has been analyzing and transcribing popular music for international publication since 1994. He has written 30 books, including transcription, teaching and reference works (published worldwide by Music Sales Group), and more than 300 academic and media articles, relating to song analysis, guitar techniques, music similarity, music copyright law, and songwriting. He is currently a professor at Berklee College of Music in Boston USA, and the resident musicologist for BBC Radio in the UK and internationally.
He will speak to CIPLA about how lawyers can engage with a musicologist, his musicological process, and modern music copyright infringement cases.
2) Licensing and Transactions Committee (1.00 hr CLE credit)
Topic: Licensing Programs and Critical IP License Terms
Speakers: Sheryl Love, Savant Lighting
Kerry Barrett, Cleveland Cavaliers
Seasoned IP transactions and in-house lawyers, Sheryl Love and Kerry Barrett will discuss the key licensing terms that parties negotiating IP transactions must keep in mind. They will share their experiences negotiating deals, including identifying traps for the unwary.
Cocktail Reception (5:30–6:15 p.m., open bar)
Dinner (6:15–7:45 p.m., 1.00 hr CLE accreditation will be applied for):
Keynote Topic: What is New at the PTAB?
Keynote Speaker: Judge Kalyan Deshpande, USPTO's Acting Chief PTAB Judge (visiting from Washington, D.C.)
Judge Kalyan Deshpande leads the PTAB as it conducts post-grant trials, including inter partes reviews, post-grant reviews, covered business method patent reviews and derivation proceedings, and as it hears appeals from adverse examiner decisions in patent applications and reexamination proceedings. He joined the Board in 2008. Prior to becoming the Acting Chief Judge, he served as a patent attorney, Administrative Patent Judge (APJ), Lead Judge, Senior Lead Judge, Vice Chief Judge, and Deputy Chief Judge.
Mr. Deshpande, in addition to handling a substantial number of post-grant trials and ex parte appeals, has played an instrumental role in implementing and leading the precedential and informative decision designation processes, the director review process, and the director discretionary processes. Mr. Deshpande also has managed the APJ hiring and on-boarding processes, the Legal Experience and Advancement Program (LEAP), and the Judicial Law Clerk program. Mr. Deshpande detailed at the U.S. Senate for Senator Chris Coons.
Before joining the Board, Mr. Deshpande worked in software development for Accenture and supply chain management at the early-stage food services company. He earned a law degree from The Ohio State University and a degree in biomedical engineering from Case Western Reserve University.
Dinner Entrée Options:
- Red Wine Braised Short Ribs (truffle-mushroom risotto, broccolini, braising jus)
- Seared Salmon (crispy fingerlings, haricot verts, lemon-dill butter)
- Roasted Butternut Squash (Mediterranean spices, quinoa, baby spinach, dried cherries, pistachios, citrus vinaigrette)
Each entrée is accompanied by a Mixed Greens Salad and Strawberry Marble Cheesecake for dessert.
Cost:
- Members: Dinner CLE, Committee CLE, and prepaid valet parking – $65; Dinner CLE and Committee CLE – $45; Committee CLE only – Free,
- In-House Members: Dinner CLE, Committee CLE, and prepaid valet parking – $55; Dinner CLE, Committee CLE – $35; Committee CLE only – Free
- Student Members: Dinner CLE, Committee CLE, and prepaid valet parking – $40; Dinner CLE and Committee CLE – $20; Committee CLE only - Free
- Non-Members: Dinner CLE and Committee CLE – $75; Dinner CLE only - $55; Committee CLE only – $30
Cancellations:
Any cancellations must be received by 5:00 p.m. on January 15, 2026. Please email smgerber@jonesday.com with any cancellation—no fax or telephone cancellations will be honored.
