Provisional Program

Saturday 17th November
0800-2000 1000-1200 1200-1700 1400-1700 1830-1900 1900-2200	Registration, Information and Tour Desk Open Joint Meeting of the Executive Committee and the Advisory Committee (Invitation Only) Presidential Ad Hoc Committee Meetings and Lunch (Invitation Only) Workshop Group and Website Group Meetings (Invitation Only) Opening Ceremony Welcome Reception Hospitality Suite Open
Sunday 18th November
0800-1730 0900-1200 1200-1400 1400-1700 1900-2300	Registration, Information and Tour Desk Open Standing Committee Meetings – Patents, Trade Marks, Designs, Copyright, Anticounterfeiting, Emerging IP Rights (Parallel Sessions) Presidential Special Lunch (Invitation Only) Lunch for Delegates and Accompanying Family Persons Patent Workshop and IP Practice Workshop (Parallel Sessions) Discover Australia Night Hospitality Suite Open
Monday 19th November
0800-0930	Registration, Information and Tour Desk Open Excursion Day-Tours Free Dining Evening – Local Restaurants
Tuesday 20th November
0800-1730 0900-1200 1200-1400 1400-1700 1900-2300	Registration, Information and Tour Desk Open Council Meeting (Councillors Only) Group Photograph at conclusion of morning session of Council Meeting Lunch for Delegates and Accompanying Family Persons Council Meeting re-convenes (Open to all Delegates) Final Banquet Hospitality Suite Open

 

The Business Sessions

The business sessions for the 54 th Council Meeting are on Sunday 18 November and Tuesday 20 November.

All Delegates are invited to attend any of the concurrent Standing Committee Meetings held on the Sunday morning (0900 to 1200 hours) and the concurrent Workshops held on the Sunday afternoon (1400 to 1700 hours).

The Tuesday morning session (0900 to 1200 hours) of the Council Meeting is only open to current Councillors, whereas the Tuesday afternoon session (1400 to 1700 hours) of the Council Meeting is open to all Delegates.

Standing Committee Meetings
0900 to 1200 hours Sunday 18 November

During each Standing Committee Meeting, there will be discussion of the following as a “Special Topic” in addition to regular reports from Recognised Groups:

Anti-Counterfeiting Committee
“Sales of Counterfeits On-line – Who is liable and what remedies are available against them?”

Copyright Committee
“The Four C’s - Carbon, Capitalism, Climate Change and Copyright”

Designs Committee
“The Relationship between Trade Marks and Designs”

Emerging IP Rights Committee
“Nanotechnology – A Case Study”

Patents Committee
“Patent Harmonization”

Trade Marks Committee
“Trade Mark Usage – Infringement versus Non-Use – How Do They Compare?”

Workshops
1400 to 1700 hours Sunday 18 November

Our panellists are experts in the field. The Workshops will include opportunities for lively and controversial debate with the audience!

Patent Workshop – “What is Obvious may not be Obvious”
The central question of what is obvious (and thus not inventive) sometimes attracts different answers depending on the country in which the question is asked. While the global convergence of patent laws and practices appears to be widely supported, is it surprising to find differences in such a fundamental concept? What approaches are likely to be adopted by tribunals in different jurisdictions? The decisions of the Dutch and the UK Courts have diverged in the recent case of Conor Medsystems v Angiotech. What will the US Courts say? Come along to share, or challenge, the wisdom of our panel of experts.

IP Practice Workshop – “Effective IP Strategy in a Knowledge Based Economy”
Intellectual assets and liabilities have become increasingly important in many of our clients’ balance sheets. Effective preservation and enforcement of IP rights, as well as avoidance of IP related disputes, are crucial in the profitability or even survival of many present day businesses. However, IP issues are not easy to handle. They involve complicated facts, multi-jurisdiction considerations and technical concepts which are difficult to grasp. Our panel of experienced practitioners and advisers will provide their thoughts on how best to assist our clients when steering them through these murky IP waters.