Safeguarding critical IP in a high-risk era: WIPR Trade Secrets West 2026

An event for IP, legal and compliance leaders to address the growing threat of trade secret misappropriation heads to San Jose.

Senior in-house counsel, IP leaders and legal practitioners will gather in San Jose, California, on May 28 for WIPR Trade Secrets West 2026, a one-day event tackling one of the fastest-escalating risks faced by organisations.

Held at the Hilton San Jose, the event—organised by LSIPR’s sister title—brings together more than 100 senior professionals from across IP, compliance, investigations, cyber and technology functions, alongside 20-plus in-house speakers, to explore how organisations can prevent, detect and respond to trade secret misappropriation.

Trade secret risk is intensifying. With US federal trade secret filings reaching a record 1,552 cases in 2025 (a 20% year-on-year increase), organisations are under growing pressure to safeguard high-value know-how, strengthen internal controls and respond decisively when confidential information is compromised.

In-house priorities

As innovation accelerates and collaboration becomes more complex, trade secrets are emerging as a critical pillar of enterprise value. From AI-enabled exposure and employee mobility to cross-border enforcement and board-level oversight, legal teams are being challenged to rethink how trade secrets are governed, protected and monetised.

WIPR Trade Secrets West 2026 is designed specifically around the priorities and operational realities of in-house counsel. The programme combines strategic insight with highly curated peer exchange, enabling attendees to benchmark against leading organisations, share approaches with trusted counterparts and engage directly with cross-functional stakeholders.

The event will also feature authoritative perspectives from the judiciary, offering attendees a rare opportunity to understand how courts are approaching trade secret disputes in 2026 and how this is shaping litigation strategy.

Speakers include:

• Kathi Vidal—Former Under Secretary of Commerce for IP & Director, USPTO, Winston & Strawn
• Dan Housley—associate director—Copyrights and Transactions, Kyndryl
• Ada Wong—executive director, IP, Revolution Medicines
• Laurel Beeler—Magistrate Judge, Northern District of California
• Subroto Bose—head of IP, Astera Labs
• Peter Jovanovic—legal director, IP, Dell
• Katie Nolan-Stevaux—associate general counsel, Genentech
• Bao Tran—VP, IP & general counsel, Cisbay
• Rose James—global senior director, IP, Expedia Group
• Olga Zimmerman—senior director, IP, Allogene Therapeutics

Across expert-led sessions, case law analysis and interactive discussions, attendees will gain practical guidance on topics including governance frameworks, litigation strategy, AI risk, collaboration models and enforcement readiness.

The agenda covers a wide range of critical issues, including:

• Global trade secret developments across China, Europe and the UK
• Trade secret case law trends and judicial interpretation
• AI-driven risks and emerging legal frontiers
• Litigation strategy, including pleadings, motions and damages
• Trade secret monetisation through licensing and partnerships

Real-world applications

A key highlight of the event is its strong focus on real-world applications. Through benchmarking sessions and roundtable discussions, attendees will gain direct insight into what leading in-house teams are doing to identify, protect and operationalise trade secrets in fast-moving organisations.

Sessions such as “Guardians of the Secret Sauce” will enable legal leaders to compare strategies, share practical challenges and uncover what is working in practice, while the Trade Secret Exchange roundtables provide a highly interactive forum for peer-to-peer discussion on topics ranging from cross-border protections to cybersecurity measures.

Here’s what some of the industry leaders speaking at the event have said:

Katie Nolan-Stevaux, associate general counsel at Genentech

“Trade secrets are the primary currency of innovation in our sector. The most effective role for legal isn’t to act as a police force, but as a preservationist of that value. We need to move beyond ‘locking doors’ and build frameworks that allow organisations to move quickly without devaluing what they’ve created.”

Dan Housley, associate director—Copyrights and Transactions, Kyndryl

“The digitisation of workplaces and the rise of AI tools have tipped the scales in favour of trade secrets. At the same time, many organisations still lack auditable processes for how those secrets are handled, which creates real risk when it comes to enforcement.”

Bao Tran, VP, IP & general counsel, Cisbay.

“Nine-figure verdicts and significant damages awards have pushed trade secret risk firmly onto the board agenda. Companies are now treating trade secrets as a core strategic asset—but many still lack the system-level evidence needed to prove they are properly protected.”

Hongming Liu, senior IP counsel, Tencent America

“One of the biggest blind spots is the invisible nature of trade secrets—the ideas that haven’t yet been written down. Protecting those requires consistent internal policies and awareness across the organisation.”

David Barton, senior conference producer, WIPR

“Trade secrets have moved from being an overlooked area of IP to a central pillar of enterprise risk and value. This event is designed to give in-house leaders the practical tools, peer insight and strategic perspective they need to protect their most critical assets in a world shaped by AI, mobility and increasing legal complexity.”

Delegates will benefit from a highly targeted audience of senior in-house counsel and legal leaders, a 1:1 ratio of in-house to private practice attendees, and more than five hours of dedicated networking opportunities.

The event also offers practical, experience-led insights from industry practitioners, interactive roundtables designed for peer exchange and problem-solving, and a focused, one-day format delivering high-impact learning.

Interested parties can sign up for the event at: https://events.newton.media/Tradesecrets-West-2026/home

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