Like companies around the world, IP Counsel Cafe has had to adapt to meet the needs of the moment. Whether I'm speaking with intellectual property counsel from companies in India, Japan, Europe or the U.S., we are facing the same COVID-19 pandemic and have rapidly found new ways to get our jobs done. What has struck me is how COVID-19 has amplified the importance of innovation.

In January, newspapers began reporting on a mysterious coronavirus in Wuhan, China, over 7,000 miles away. Reading the tea leaves, I pictured this coronavirus spreading invisibly around the globe as international commuters unwittingly went about their lives. I immediately canceled my own international flights, bought surgical masks and waited. IP Counsel Cafe's annual meeting was scheduled to take place in Palo Alto in late April. By early March, IP Counsel Cafe was one of the first organizations to postpone its annual meeting, as global companies in the Bay Area swiftly perceived the approaching public health crisis, ordered shelter in place, and mandated work from home (WFH).

After the initial chaos of companywide transitions to WFH, we faced a great deal of uncertainty. Trial dates had been postponed, filing deadlines were extended, everything was in limbo as different states and countries announced their own rules. However, one thing was clear: we needed a path forward. This meant we had to innovate.