Report on MIP International Women's forum

Former PermaKat Nicola Searle still takes a keen interest in the IPKat. She was kind enough to share this report on the recent MIP International Women's forum.

Last Wednesday, at the MIP International Women's forum, members of the IP community met to discuss all things IP. A morning panel on managing litigation strategies gave an international perspective. Karin Pomaizlova, Taylor Wessing, noted that online consumers are very naive and often do not know where a company is registered and which jurisdiction covers them. She took us through the key EU regulations and the case law in pursuing online civil tort based on conduct online. Case studies highlighted the challenges in determining the appropriate jurisdiction.

Her colleague, Judith Krens, then offered a country-by-country look. She observed that the time from application to trial is generally faster in the UK (1-2 weeks) and the Netherlands (1-8 weeks, depending on urgency), and a slower in Germany (6- 8 weeks). In making a decision on where to file, she noted that the costs of litigation in the UK are generally higher. She stressed that commercial considerations, such as market size and the presence of production facilities and distribution channels, are also very important.

Another session talked through brand management strategies, with some great examples of counterfeits and other issues with marks, such as--always think of potential transliteration problems. Panelists included Helen Saunders (INCORPO), Diane Hamer (BBC), Lia Young (Caterpillar) and moderator Rachel Alexander (Wiggins). The panel discussed as well the emerging role of social media as a marketing tool for counterfeiters. Strategies for combatting counterfeiting must be responsive and persistent. ‘Nimble’ is a key word.

Alas, I could not attend the afternoon sessions of very promising facilitated workshops. Participants discussed work- life management, inclusive cultures and the glass ceiling topics that are, as they should be, universally important to the IP community. If you are interested in developing a more inclusive workplace, here are some more resources (IPInclusive, and general advice.) MIP will be feeding findings from the workshops back into the IP community.

It is always a delight to attend events with good female representation. Some readers of IPKat have previously expressed strong views on women-focused (but not exclusively so) events. Sadly, the gender gaps in pay and career development persist. Recent studies find that networking, particularly women developing their own female networks (as can be seen in the picture below from the Forum), can make a significant difference career-wise. Well done on MIP for creating a space for addressing these issues.

Photo by Dr. N. Searle and is used with her permission.