MATTHEW BERLIN
Partner at ArentFox Schiff

Matt counsels clients in a variety of corporate and complex commercial transactions primarily in the technology, health care, and retail industries. He advises clients of all sizes in a broad range of US and international matters, including mergers and acquisitions, strategic initiatives, joint ventures, technology transactions and licensing, and venture capital financing. Matt is a Co-Leader of the firm’s AI, Metaverse & Blockchain Industry Group where he helps identify key legal considerations for clients and provides strategic advice for AI-driven business innovations. His technology practice also includes representing Web3 clients in licensing and development initiatives, routinely helping clients launch new software and SaaS solutions.

PAMELA DEESE
Partner, ArentFox Schiff

Pam’s intellectual property representation includes counseling patent pools and other IP owners in developing and maintaining strategic licensing programs as well as maintaining IP portfolios. Her work also includes advertising review and litigation for consumer products companies. Among other things, she provides counsel with respect to the creation, negotiation and enforcement of licenses and related agreements, management of worldwide IP rights, as well as representation involving counterfeiting issues, privacy, sweepstakes and promotions, celebrity endorsements, and litigating related business disputes.

Pam also serves on the Board of Directors of Licensing International, which is the industry trade association for IP Licensing. Additionally, Pam is an adjunct member of the faculty of American University’s Washington College of Law, where she teaches IP Licensing. She is active in numerous professional associations. She holds membership in the American Bar Association’s Intellectual Property Law sections, the District of Columbia Bar Association, and the Pennsylvania Bar Association. Additionally, she is a member of the NY Intellectual Property Lawyers Association and Licensing International Association. She served as Vice Chair of the ABA Section of Science and Technology, Committee on Technical Standardization and Infrastructure for a decade and on the Licensing Journal’s Editorial Board and as the Trademark Licensing Columnist for nearly 20 years.

MAURA REGAN
President of Licensing International

Maura Regan joined Licensing International in 2016 and assumed the role of President in July 2018, bringing with her more than 20 years of experience in the global brand licensing and media industries. Licensing International is the premier association for the global brand licensing industry, and Maura is responsible for leading the organization in fostering the expansion of licensing around the world and creating greater awareness of the benefits of licensing to the business community at large.

As the former Head of Global Consumer Products at Sesame Workshop, the home of Sesame Street, Maura drove the non-profit organization’s strategic commercial initiatives with a focus on delivering significant unrestricted revenue to support its overarching philanthropic goals. Prior to Sesame Workshop, where she enjoyed an exhilarating 17-year tenure, Maura held executive positions with MTV Networks, Scholastic Entertainment, and The Jim Henson Company.

DAVID TACKEL
SVP of Product Strategy at Fox/Blockchain Creative Labs

David Tackel is a product strategy leader at BCL, the technology research and development arm of FOX Corp. In his current role, Tackel explores integration of emerging technologies across key FOX business units, mostly centered on developments in artificial intelligence and blockchain tech. Most recently, his primary focus has been on Verify, BCL’s open source blockchain protocol, designed for media companies to create guardrails and retain control of their content when licensing their IP to AI platforms, while also providing consumers with the ability to verify the authenticity of source material.

Before joining FOX and BCL, Tackel was Co-founder and COO of EdTech startup, Good Talk, an online language learning platform. Prior to that, he was an executive at CIVIC, building brand platforms and consumer experiences across Entertainment and Tech, working with companies like Snap, Ford, HBO, CNN and FOX, among others.

RAFFI TEPERDJIAN
Senior Counsel at Protocol Labs

Raffi Teperdjian is a corporate counsel at Protocol Labs, Inc., an open-source research and development lab that builds protocols, tools, and services to radically improve the Internet. Prior to going in-house, Mr. Teperdjian worked in the Washington, DC office of Ropes & Gray, LLP advising clients on matters dealing with emerging technologies across several practice areas including intellectual property (IP) transactions, IP litigation, privacy and cybersecurity, and asset management. During his legal academic career and currently as an attorney, Mr. Teperdjian regularly researches, publishes, and presents on emerging technology topics across a variety of legal subjects. His scholarship includes “The Puzzle of Squaring Blockchain with the General Data Protection Regulation” published in Jurimetrics for which he was awarded the Loevinger Prize as the article in Volume 60 that made the best contribution to the field of law, science, and technology. He also co-authored “A Structural Solution to Mitigating Artificial Intelligence Bias in Administrative Agencies” published in George Washington Law Review Arguendo.

Prior to, and concurrently with, Mr. Teperdjian’s study of the law, he worked on a variety of systems development and big data analysis projects in both federal and commercial information technology consulting. In addition to his present in-house role, he teaches Artificial Intelligence Law and Policy.

KRISTINE YOUNG
Partner at Mayer Brown

Kristine Young is a seasoned intellectual property attorney with extensive experience in brand licensing and AI. Multinational corporations, entrepreneurs, and individuals in sectors such as technology, retail, banking, entertainment, and hospitality rely on Kristine’s deep experience in trademark prosecution and enforcement, brand management, and AI-related intellectual property issues. She provides strategic guidance on brand licensing, handling partner selection, contract execution, and ongoing management, ensuring successful brand expansions. Kristine also advises on the legal complexities of AI, helping clients protect their IP assets, draft corporate policies, and address challenges posed by AI technologies. Clients trust her with transactional work, litigation, and enforcement matters before the USPTO, TTAB, and WIPO. Her expertise includes global anti-counterfeiting initiatives, false advertising enforcement, and corporate transactions. As a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) with a background in IT Risk Assurance, Kristine brings a unique perspective to her practice at Mayer Brown LLP.