Event report: I3PM General Assembly 2017 at WIPO in Geneva

I3PM, the International Institute for Intellectual Property Management, recently held its biennial General Assembly at WIPO in Geneva.

Gordan Hyland, I3PM President, reports on how it went.

Here’s what Gordan writes:

“The General Assembly presents an ideal opportunity for the professional fellowship to "learn, network, socialize". The headquarters of the United Nations IP body was deemed a suitably symbolic venue to celebrate the 10th anniversary for what is primarily a pan-European Association comprising almost one hundred members from twenty two countries representing a cross-section of all forms of intellectual property, industry, law practice and consulting. The combination of awe inspiring views, a comprehensive day of presentations on leading edge IP subjects, and an off-site dinner made for a most memorable occasion.

After a “State of the Association” update by the exiting President, usual Board activities (Statutes tuning, aerating ideas for the future), Officer elections followed and activity moved on to hot topic presentations (copies of which are available on the I3PM website).

IP Management Education was addressed by Alexander Wurzer, Adjunct-Professor at CEIPI, Director of studies for MIPLM, who is not only an Advisory Board member but in some way a progenitor, or at least founding inspirer, of the Institute. Chantal Koller, Managing Director & Trademark Attorney at Novagraaf Switzerland reviewed best practices in the management of trademarks, touching on e.g. remarkable improvements with Asian clients’ in portfolio management techniques. Philippe Therias gave a unique fascinating insight into FOSS (Free & Open Source Software) company management processes being one of the subject matter pathfinders having been there from the very start with a key company behind its creation and evolution. Martin Chatel, Product & Quality Manager, Dennemeyer reviewed EPO’s validation agreements with a very interesting deep dive into the evolving patent/industry climate in Morocco.

After lunch WIPO also fielded presentations on patents, copyright and trademarks. Christine Bonvallet, Senior Legal Officer, updated on the latest PCT developments (including PPH and the possible integration into the PCT). Sara Amini, Senior Project Officer, reviewed WIPO tools for users of the Madrid System in an alive and engaging manner. Paolo Lanteri, Legal Officer, gave a thought-provoking insight into copyright in the digital environment at WIPO. The presentations were very interesting and stimulating to the point of insufficient time to field all the desired questions.

WIPO’s generous tour of their incredible New Conference Hall, an architectural splendour (really), rounded off the day before all retired to enjoy a good social dinner Swiss style after a walk down the hill toward the lake. Dinner conversation ranged from past post mortems to idealistic broad brushstroke future directions via germane short term realities. But overall what shone though is a friendly informal atmosphere, an enthusiasm for meeting and engaging with colleagues, a desire to do more in the future, as well of course to be on the cutting edge of the intangible asset economy, whilst maintaining mainstream relevancy.

I3PM is dedicated to promoting the field of IP Management and thereby enhance the emergence of a dynamic IP-driven economy. It does so by forming a unique experience pool in the management and realisation of value from intangible assets. The general object of the Institute is to study problems relating to the management of intellectual property and to the profession of the members of the Institute, to come to conclusions on these problems and to convey these conclusions to the authorities and other interested parties as recommendations or opinions or as drafts. The Association promotes the highest standards in ethics, education and professional excellence. Access to outstanding publications, education resources and career services help secure a professional advantage to advance members’ careers. Cooperation with other related bodies, e.g. Observership at WIPO, keep the Association abreast of the latest developments in the field, as does organizing conferences on specialized subjects, e.g. “IP Management Challenges Arising from Pervasive Digitalization”. The Institute’s Statutes require a General Assembly every second year with elections to officer posts being held, hot topics discussed and an opportunity to get together in a collegiate environment provided. Previous venues include Brussels, Munich and Strasbourg. An outstanding Advisory Board of industrial, academic and institutional representatives has been assembled. Subject matter experts, and luminaries, are present at all levels of the Association eager to participate and interact with each other. Ambitious but realistic plans exist for the coming years and great appreciation is felt towards all those who have expended effort along the journey so far. I3PM welcomes inquiries from prospective candidates and other IP associations, academia, industry etc. Contact is easy via the website or colleague-members."