Sunday Surprises

November is here, autumn is in full gear and so is this issue of Sunday Surprises with new IP events and new opportunities.

Events

This Kat is always amazed by the colours of the leaves in autumn.

4iP Council - Licensing Negotiation Groups: what, why, how

4iP will hold an online webinar to discuss the proposed formation of Licensing Negotiation Groups (LNGs) of implementers that would collectively negotiate and license standard essential patents (SEPs). The discussion will cover topics such as the formation, practical operation, and the risks of LNGs, as well as some less restrictive alternatives to get the implementers involved in the formation of SEP royalties. The webinar will take place on 23 November 2021 at 4:00pm, CET. Registration can be made here.

Competition Law Association: 22nd Annual Burrell Lecture and Dinner

The Competition Law Association will hold the 22nd Annual Burrell Lecture and Dinner at the Institute of Directors (London, UK) on 2 December 2021 from 6:15pm to 10:30pm, GMT. At the event, the speaker, Rt. Hon. Lord Justice Arnold, will deliver a lecture entitled “Divergence of UK Law from EU Law after Brexit: The Example of Intellectual Property”. Details about this and other events are available here. 

International Trademark Association’s (INTA) 2021 Annual Meeting

The International Trademark Association will hold its annual meeting from 15 to 19 November 2021. The event will be a hybrid online and in-person meeting and consist of five days of fully virtual education, and committee meetings. The schedule of the event, pricing, and further information can be found here.

MARQUES - Coexistence Agreements: Online Workshops

MARQUES will host two online Coexistence Agreement workshops. They are scheduled to take place on 30 November 2021 at 11:00 am, CET (sold out), and 6 December 2021 at 4:00pm, CET with a duration of 90 minutes. The workshops are aimed at junior IP practitioners and participants will be presented with a hypothetical case study involving two brands and invited to discuss how to negotiate a coexistence agreement to benefit both of them. Registrations are open and further information can be found here. 

oriGIn – 2021 Biannual Meeting-Virtual 

The Organization for an International Geographical Indications Network will hold its Biannual Meeting virtually on 23 November 2021 (from 3:00pm to 4:30pm, CET) and 24 November 2021 (from 3:00pm to 5:30pm, CET). The panels will be a Statutory General Assembly and an Online conference on international issues related to GIs, respectively. The event is open to registration and further information can be found here. 

UCL - AI: Reinventing Inventorship?

The annual seminar of UCL Institute of Brand & Innovation Law (IBIL) in association with the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA) will take place online and discuss the impact of artificial intelligence on inventorship on 01 December 2021 from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm (GMT). The starting point of the discussion will be the pending appeal before the UK Supreme Court in Thaler v Comptroller General [2021] EWCA Civ 1374. More information about the event and registration is available here.

UNION­-IP Designs Commission – Round table

The Union of European Practitioners in Intellectual Property (UNION-IP) will hold a round table on the topic “Unity in Design Law - a common invalidity trap” on 12 November 2021 from 1:30pm to 4:45pm (CET) in Amsterdam. The round table will have panels discussing contemporary topics on the matter. Further details about the event can be found in the leaflet available here.

UNION-IP Christmas Dinner - The Honourable Mr. Justice Mellor

UNION-IP is also holding a Christmas Dinner in London, on 8 December 2021 from 7:00pm to 10:30pm CET, where Justice Mellor will reflect on his first months at the High Court, talk about life as a judge, and give some insights into the direction IP jurisprudence is taking, especially in a post-Brexit world. Information about the event and tickets are available here.

Opportunities

Center for Intellectual Property x Innovation Policy - George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School Fellowships

The Center for Intellectual Property x Innovation Policy at George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School has opened applications for a fellowship programme designed to develop rigorous scholarship on intellectual property (IP), creativity, and innovation law and policy. The Thomas Edison Innovation Law and Policy Fellowship promotes excellent academic research about IP and related rights in the innovative and creative communities. Applications will be open until 24 November 2021 (5:00pm, EST). More information about the fellowship can be found here.

EUI – Doctoral Programme

The European University Institute (EUI) has opened applications for new candidates for their doctoral programmes in Economics, History and Civilisation, Law, and Political and Social Sciences. The deadline for completing the application form and for the submission of references and all required documents is 31 January 2022. More information about the doctoral programmes is available here.

IP & Innovation Researchers of Asia Network – Submissions for Conference

The IP & Innovation Researchers of Asia (IPIRA) Network is pleased to announce the Fourth IP & Innovation Researchers of Asia (IPIRA) Conference, which will be held on 9-12 February 2022. Researchers, including Ph.D. candidates, who are interested in presenting at the Fourth IPIRA Conference should submit their papers until 10 December 2021. Further information on the event and guidelines for the submission can be found here.

Senior Research Fellow/Postdoc – Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition

The Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition is recruiting a new Senior Research Fellow/Postdoc (m/f/d) who wishes to focus their scientific qualification on sustainability and climate change, including world nutrition, as well as medical care. Candidates are expected to hold a Ph.D. in intellectual property law and/or competition law. Applications are open until 29 November 2021 and further information about the position can be found here.