Fordham frolics: will you be there?

Hugh Hansen. giving
someone "The Look"

The smashed lightbulb is an
apt symbol for that most
iconoclastic of IP events ...

This year's Fordham IP Conference takes place at Fordham University, New York, on 24 and 25 April.  with the motto "Learn, Debate, Have Fun", this IPKat-endorsed event truly delivers what it promises.  we all learn and we all debate: the only people who don't have so much fun are (i) anyone who finds it difficult to get up in time for the three 7.30 am Sunrise Seminars on the Friday morning and (ii) anyone who is afraid of being wrong, since Fordham exposes all our follies, our foibles and our prejudices.

The people who have the most fun are those who hate long, padded speeches and who are delighted when speakers are given just a small allocation of time in which to deliver their jewels of wisdom and then give someone else a chance to respond.  The other person guaranteed to enjoy himself is Fordham's irreverent, irrepressible, inventor and ringmaster, Professor Hugh Hansen, who at least has the kindness to share his fun with everyone else.

Who will be there? You can rub shoulders and/or cross swords with a host of judicial talent past and present, including [in alphabetical order]

• Hon. Mr. Justice Richard Arnold, Chancery Division, High Court, London 
• Hon. Annabelle Bennett, Federal Court of Australia, Sydney 
• Hon. Mr. Justice Colin Birss, Chancery Division, High Court, London 
• Hon. Denny Chin, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, New York
• Rt. Hon. Lord Justice Christopher Floyd, Court of Appeal, England and Wales 
• Dr. Klaus Grabinski, Federal Supreme Court, Karlsruhe
• Rt. Hon. Prof. Sir Robin Jacob, Faculty of Laws, University College London, London 
• Hon. Rian Kalden, Court of Appeal of The Hague, The Hague 
• Hon. Pauline Newman, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Washington D.C.
• Hon. Gerard F. Rogers, Chief Administrative Trademark Judge, Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, United States Patent and Trademark Office, Alexandria
• Hon. Allan Rosas, Court of Justice of the European Union, Luxembourg

There's also a stellar list of academics, administrators and national and international office folk. The IPKat will be represented in the persons of Blogmeister Jeremy and also Eleonora -- and it's not impossible that there will be others.  Naturally there will be some live blogging and tweeting, but there's no real substitute for being there yourself. So, if you've never been to Fordham, do make the effort. If you love IP, you'll never regret it.

This year's draft program looks like this
Provisional list of speakers (as of last week) here
Take a look at last year's conference here.