Professor Camilla Hrdy spoke yesterday, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) in Alexandria, Virginia. Prof. Hrdy was one of several academics, lawyers, and industry leaders invited to speak on the subject of artificial intelligence (AI) and trade secrecy.
The symposium, called “Trade Secrets and Artificial Intelligence,” was hosted by the USPTO’s Global Intellectual Property Academy. Along with Prof. Hrdy, speakers included Mark Abumeri, Attorney Advisor for the USPTO Office of Policy and International Affairs; David Almeling, Partner, O’Melveny & Myers LLP and Chair of the Sedona Conference Working Group 12 on Trade Secrets; Ken Corsello, U.S. Trade Secret Counsel and Patent Licensing Counsel at IBM Corporation; Laura Sheridan, Head of Patent Policy at Google; and John Villasenor, Professor of Law and Engineering, UCLA.
Prof. Hrdy and Mr. Corsello of IBM, pictured below, presented jointly on the role of trade secrets in AI research and development. They discussed various topics, including the importance of trade secrets in AI research and development; the types of information that might qualify as trade secrets; the overlapping roles of trade secrets, patent, copyright, and contract law for protecting AI technology; and recent cases involving trade secrets related to AI. Mr. Corsello also provided an engaging explanation of machine learning and “model weights,” an important emerging AI trade secret.
Speakers were introduced by Mary Critharis, Acting Chief Policy Officer and Director for International Affairs, Office of Policy and International Affairs, USPTO; and Skip Mark, Director, Global Intellectual Property Academy, USPTO, pictured below.
The full agenda can be viewed on the USPTO’s website.
