AIPPI D&I Committee Webinar
13 November 2026 - 13 November 2026 | Webinar | AIPPI
This webinar will examine intersectionality in the workplace, addressing how overlapping factors such as gender, race, disability, age, LGBTQ+ identity and mental health shape employee experiences and legal exposure.
It will reframe burnout as an organisational risk rather than an individual failure, highlighting employer responsibilities relating to workload distribution, pay equity and the often-overlooked burden of emotional labour.
The session will also explore caregiver stress and the importance of inclusive, flexible work arrangements that align with evolving legal standards and the duty of care.
Finally, it will outline the legal and reputational risks organisations face when structural stressors are ignored, emphasising proactive compliance strategies and equitable workplace practices.
The webinar will conclude with a moderated Q&A session and a summary of key takeaways.
Mine Akarsu, Akarsu Law Firm, Turkey • Moderator
Mine Akarsu is an attorney at law and trademark attorney, with experience in IP law since 2014. Her practice covers all aspects of intellectual property, with a particular focus on trademark prosecution and litigation. Mine holds a law degree from Istanbul University and an LL.M. from Istanbul Bilgi University. She is the founder of Akarsu IP, a boutique intellectual property firm in Istanbul, where she works with her team.
Alongside her legal practice, she has volunteered with a women’s rights organisation in Türkiye since 2012 and is active in the feminist and queer movements. She brings both professional experience and a personal commitment to equality and inclusion to discussions on intersectionality and systemic inequality. A member of AIPPI since 2016, Mine has contributed to several Standing and Study Committees and is currently a member of Diversity & Inclusion Committee.
Shruti Costales, Shruti Law PLLC, USA • Speaker
Shruti Costales Shruti Costales is the Owner & Founder at Shruti Law PLLC®. She is a licensed US patent attorney and has worked in private practice, in-house, and with the Federal Government as a patent examiner with the US Patent and Trademark Office. Shruti has 20+ years of deep legal experience in patent application drafting and prosecution, patent counseling, patent litigation, and IP transactions. She also has extensive experience in complex commercial transactions including drafting and negotiating XaaS agreements and handling FED/SLED agreements, supply chain agreements, security requirements agreements, data privacy agreements, and AI transactions. Her experience includes working in the electrical & computer technologies, mechanical technologies, chemicals/materials technologies, and life sciences/healthcare technologies. Shruti has a BS in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University and a JD from Franklin Pierce Law Center (now the University of New Hampshire School of Law).
Shruti is currently one of the Vice-Chairs of the Intellectual Property Owners Association’s (IPO) Artificial Intelligence (AI), Data, and New Emerging Technologies Committee. Over the last decade, Shruti co-led IPO’s Diversity Equity and Inclusion and Women in IP committees where she co-authored many white papers, guides, and toolkits on various DEI topics. Recently, Shruti co-authored the AI Transactions Toolkit and the Data Use Agreement Template – both for IPO’s AI/D/NET Committee. Finally, Shruti is currently the Vice Chair of the Patent Pathways® Board of Directors.
Niclas Gajeck, Noerr, Germany • Speaker
Niclas Gajeck is an Associated Partner at Noerr, where he litigates a wide range of complex patent disputes before German courts and the UPC. Niclas’ clients include government agencies and industry leaders in the telecommunications, automotive, and medical devices industries, car manufacturers as well as market-leading producers of consumer electronics. Beyond litigation, his practice encompasses advice at the intersection of IP and competition law, on trade secret protection, and the strategic licensing of IP, AI and data.
Jéssica Pinheiro Oyarzábal, SKO, Brazil • Speaker
Jéssica Pinheiro Oyarzábal is attorney at law and partner at SKO Oyarzábal Trademarks and Patents, involved in litigation and responsible for the International Department dealing with national and international clients for protecting their IP abroad. Beyond daily practice, she believes in the importance of associative work to promote IP in regional or international basis. She is part of the Young AIPPI Committee (YAC), Co-Coordinator of ABPI Young Member Committee and Member of the Council at ABPI Board (2026-2027).