Securing Intellectual Property: Cisco, Endicott, IEC Electronics and AIA Lead Line-up of Presenters at IPC Conference

“Safeguarding IP goes well beyond nondisclosure agreements and contracts,” advises Fern Abrams, IPC director of government relations and environmental policy, “especially in the electronics industry where a significant amount of information about a product is embedded in its printed board. Protecting access to that IP is equally critical to protecting national security or an OEM’s competitive edge.”

The day-and-a-half conference will focus on aspects of physically protecting intellectual property, such as facility security, information technology safeguards, standardization and regulatory compliance, to help participants develop robust IP protection programs for their companies.

The conference will begin with an overview of IPC-1071, Best Industry Practices for Intellectual Property Protection in Printed Board Manufacturing, by Raj Kumar, vice president & chief technology officer, DDi Corp. Adding to the discussion on industry practices, Kirsten Koepsel, director of Legal Affairs & Tax at Aerospace Industries Association, will explain how companies can develop a comprehensive corporate IP policy. Also, Duane Reeves, president, Gateway Security, will discuss effective ways to comply with the ISO/IEC 27002 IP standard; and Frank Pisciotta, president, Business Protection Specialists, Inc. will highlight best practices of physical security.
Sharing more insight into industry best practices, experts from Cisco Systems, Endicott Interconnect Technologies and IEC Electronics Corp., will provide a panel discussion on their unique experiences in vendor management.

Other conference topics include the intricacy and essentials of maintaining IP protection during a crisis by Jim Fuller, vice president PCB Engineering at Endicott Interconnect Technologies, and developing an IP protection employee training program by Jos Purvis, risk management specialist at Cisco Systems, Inc.

A number of legal issues will also be covered at the conference. Jason Mirabito, a partner at Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky & Popeo, P.C., will discuss what a nondisclosure agreement can and cannot protect. In addition, Kerry Scarlott, a director at Goulston & Storrs, will provide an overview of International Traffic in Arms Regulations compliance.

Abrams will close the conference with an introduction and overview of IPC’s new IP protection certification program. This program is being developed specifically for the electronics manufacturing industry to help companies safeguard critical data.