The Dobrusin Law Firm’s Theresa Orr moderated the “Key Opportunities and Concerns for Legal Departments in an Evolving Industry” panel at the Autolex: Autonomous Vehicle Legal Forum, organized by Managing Intellectual Property and Benchmark Litigation in Detroit, Michigan on September 25, 2018. 

At the forum, attendees and presenters discussed the increasing reality of autonomous vehicles on the automotive industry as they continue to disrupt the current landscape.

“Key Opportunities and Concerns for Legal Departments in an Evolving Industry” panel topics included:

• Legal department do’s and don’ts for unleashing the potential for innovation
• Opportunities and risks in a robust R&D environment to be “first to market”
• Fighting the theft of trade secrets
• Coping with the M&A activity of OEMs
• Can auto companies monetize features directly? What are the fee models and ‘consumer terms’ likely to look like?

The panelists were: Jason Skinder, global patent counsel, Aptiv; Antun Peakovic, director of IP, Schaeffler; and William Orlewicz, general counsel, Magnum Manufacturing. 

Theresa has 27 years of experience practicing law, including 26 years registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). She has experience in prosecution and litigation in all areas of intellectual property, including 10 years’ experience as in-house counsel. For the past three years, she was VP and General Counsel at NSK Americas, Inc. and prior to that was Associate General Counsel there. Prior to that, she had three years as Chief Patent Counsel and General Counsel at HoMedics, Inc., a consumer products company. 

For more information about the forum, click here.