[Hybrid] Startup IP Myths: What Every Founder Should Know with David Jakopin

​This session is offered both in-person and virtually. If you are joining us in-person, it will be at Pillsbury (2400 Hanover Street)

​Intellectual property can make or break an early-stage company - yet it’s often misunderstood. In this workshop, Pillsbury will break down common startup IP myths and clarify what every entrepreneur should know about protecting their innovative ideas. Learn the fundamentals of patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets, and how to strategically position your company’s IP from day one to support fundraising, partnerships, and long-term growth.

​About the speaker:

​A strategic thinker, the head of Pillsbury’s Silicon Valley Intellectual Property group brings a broad knowledge base and creativity to provide practical advice and concrete implementations on difficult issues.

David Jakopin advises clients on significant disputes, from pre-litigation through appeal. He has a strong technical background in electronics, semiconductors and communications, along with a depth of understanding in civil procedure, trial strategy, licensing, negotiations and general IP-focused corporate representation. This diverse background, along with his hands-on approach, proves highly valuable when advising clients on significant disputes, offering implementable case-specific solutions.

This background helps him assess a broad array of case-specific facts and associated law, and then execute: examples being a case dispositive claim construction, an inoperable suggestion of how the prior art operates, or a strategy that combined invalidity, damages and the lapse of time.

A partner since 1996, he is located in the Silicon Valley office and serves as the head of the Silicon Valley IP Group.