IP Day 2026

Monday, July 20, 2026
Hosted by TPRI

The Tenth Annual Boston University Technology & Policy Research Initiative IP Day conference will highlight new research relating to intellectual property, the economics of innovation, technology commercialization and litigation. IP Day panels focus on emerging research themes, from both a legal and economic perspective, with an emphasis on topics that are relevant to both business and policy. Previous sessions have examined on patent prosecution, third-party litigation finance, standard essential patents, IP and antitrust, pharmaceutical patenting, and University technology transfer.

Program
(All times Eastern Daylight Time)

8:15-8:55       Breakfast

8:55-9:00      Greetings

9:00-10:20    Session 1: Patent Pools

“Incomplete Patent Pools” John Turner, Erik Hovenkamp and Jorge Lemus (U of Illinois)
“What Drives Formation, Growth, and Failure of Patent Pools? An Analysis of SEP Holders’ Joining Decisions” Joachim Henkel (TU Munich) and Pietro Fantini
Discussant: TBD

10:20-10:40   Break

10:40-12:00   Session 2: Pharma IP

“Valuing Pharmaceutical Drug Innovations” Gaurab Aryal (Boston University), Federico Ciliberto, Leland Farmer, Ekaterina Khmelitskaya
“Regulatory Design and Strategic Patenting under the Hatch-Waxman Act” Christina Laternser (Children’s Hospital of Chicago)
Discussant: Rena Conti

12:00-1:00    Lunch
 
1:00-2:00   Panel Discussion – How Will AI Change Patent Doctrine and Practice?

  • Lisa Larrimore Ouellette (Stanford University)
  • Pete Cuomo (Mintz)
  • Janet Freilich (Boston University)
  • Liujing Xing (Fish Richardson)

2:00-2:20      Break

2:20-3:40      Session 3: Standardization

“Specialization by Design” Vishan Nigam (Yale University)
“Scalable Expertise: How Standardization Drives Scale and Scope” David Argente, Sara Moreira, Ezra Oberfield, and Venky Venkatswaran (New York University)
Discussant: Tim Simcoe

3:40-3:55    Break

3:55-5:15      Session 4: Patent Litigation

“Unsealing the Settlements” Tomasso Alba (K. U. Leuven)
“Do Judicial Assignments Matter? Evidence from Random Case Allocation” Bernhard Ganglmair (Univ. of  Mannheim), Christian Helmers, and Brian Love
Discussant: TBD  

5:15-6:00    Reception