PTAB Bar Association Hosts Thought Leader Summit in California and Virginia - October 8, 2025

The 2025 PTAB Bar Association Thought Leader Summit was held on October 8, 2025, as a bi-coastal experience in Virginia and California.  The PTAB Bar Association thanks Acting Chief Judge Kalyan Deshpande (in Virginia) and Acting Vice Chief Judge Michelle Ankenbrand (in California) for their keynote remarks, and thanks Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) for his recorded remarks at both venues.  Panelists in Virginia and California discussed the latest trends and developments in discretionary denials. Judges and staff from the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) participated in engaging and dynamic discussions at the Round Table events in both venues. The Thought Leader Summit was a wonderful opportunity to network and learn from fellow practitioners, in-house counsel, industry experts, and judges.

About the PTAB Bar Association
The PTAB Bar Association is a voluntary bar association of over 700 members, most of whom are in private and corporate practice. Members represent a broad spectrum of individuals, companies, and institutions involved in practice before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (“PTAB”) of the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (“USPTO”) and in patent, administrative, and appellate law more generally.  The Association is dedicated to helping secure the just, speedy, and inexpensive resolution of every PTAB proceeding, and serves as an avenue for constructive dialogue between the bar community, the PTAB, and other stakeholders.