Interview with Brian McGinnis – Data as a Strategic Asset, Not a Compliance Burden – AI Governance and the Acceptable Use Policy – Website Tracking Tools and the Wiretapping Litigation Wave – IP Fridays Podcast – Episode 174

About this episode

The episode features an interview with Brian McGinnis discussing the importance of treating data privacy as a core business asset rather than a compliance burden.

My co-host Ken Suzan and I are welcoming you to episode 174 of our podcast IP Fridays! In today’s interview, Ken Suzan interviews Brian McGinnis, partner at Barnes & Thornburg and co-chair of the firm’s data security and privacy practice, about why companies need to stop treating data privacy as a compliance burden and start treating it as a core business asset. McGinnis argues that data is either a managed asset or an unmanaged liability, with no middle ground. But before we jump into this interview, I have news for you! The EPO saw a Record Year with 200,000+ Patent Applications in 2025:  German filings dropped 2.2% while China grew 9.7%, overtaking Japan for the first time. Germany remains Europe’s top patent nation but loses ground globally. SMEs and universities now account for nearly half of all Unitary Patents granted to European innovators. News from the UPC Court of Appeal: Non-Technical Features Count for Inventive Step. An April 17 ruling clarifies that all claim features must be evaluated in their combined effect, including non-technical ones. Companies with software-related or mixed-technology inventions pending at the EPO or UPC should reassess…

People in this episode

Host: Ken Suzan

Guest: Brian McGinnis

Topics covered

• data privacy
• AI governance
• website tracking tools
• intellectual property
• patent applications
• compliance burden

Keywords

• data as a strategic asset
• AI governance
• acceptable use policy
• website tracking
• wiretapping litigation
• patent applications
• EPO
• UPC
• Nokia
• FRAND

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Barnes & Thornburg, EPO, UPC, Nokia, Warner Bros., Paramount

Places: Germany, China, Japan

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