Archive for the ‘Intellectual Property (IP)’ Category
Wednesday, March 24th, 2010
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Fransis Griesmar, a speaker at the marcus evans IP Law European Summit 2010 offers his insight into the critical issues facing IP Counsels in Europe today.
Interview with: Fransis Griesmar, IP Lawyer, Bacardi |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
With budget cuts across the board, Intellectual Property (IP) protection departments have not necessarily been spared. Leaving trademarks vulnerable to competitors, however, could prove harmful to the business in the long run therefore IP Counsels need to identify their company’s core assets and ensure they are not left exposed to infringers, says François Griesmar, IP Lawyer at Bacardi. A speaker at marcus evans IP Law European Summit 2010 taking place in Switzerland, 11 – 13 April 2010, Griesmar highlights some cost efficient tools for protecting IP in Europe.
What are the most prominent IP issues challenging IP Counsels in Europe at the moment and what solutions would you recommend?
François Griesmar: There is a growing imbalance due to an overdevelopment of the Community Trade Mark (CTM). The CTM is a fantastic tool but increasingly being used by trademark applicants inappropriately – not only in view of their current or long-term needs, but because of CTM’s low-cost profile and privileged status due to its use requirements.
The European Commission’s trademark system study conducted by the Max Planck Institute is a unique opportunity to lay aside all habits and tinkered solutions to make an unrestricted and unbiased audit of trademark systems in Europe. We must determine whether all national trademark systems should be merged into the EU system or if the current coexistence should be maintained. I believe it should be reconsidered, and more demanding use requirements for CTMs set up. The existence of hundreds of thousands of CTMs (which are used only in one or a few Member States) unjustifiably block other applicants in other countries, clog the registers and in the long run, represent a serious threat to the sustainability of the overall trademark protection system in the EU.
What strategies to safeguard IP, copyrights and trademarks from the competition would you suggest?
François Griesmar: IP Counsels need to think about their global protection strategy and identify their company’s core assets – the assets that differ from competing products or services, that ensure success to their business, as those will be the first targets for imitation. In our case, the BACARDI Superior (Rum) is our most important brand, therefore we pay much more attention to the IP rightsrelated to that brand than any other. IP Counsels should also simultaneously integrate all available legal tools, and combine them in a pragmatic way. They need to have all tools in mind, but decide which combination to use depending on the importance of the matter and their budget.
If an IP Counsel knows what is of most and least importance to the business, then they can focus their efforts, time and money accordingly. With global trademarks, we have to be broad as regards their geographical protection therefore we make use of tools provided by the WIPO international trademarks, as they are a good way of protecting trademarks in many countries for a reasonable price.
What long-term strategies would you recommend to IP Counsels?
François Griesmar: A close and in-depth cooperation with the operational officers (in particular marketing) is needed, to be certain core IP assets are well-identified and periodically reviewed, for an optimal allocation of resources. That enables a consistent protection and defence policy. Last but not least, do not allow short-term financial constraints to ruin your long-term IP strategy – the time unit for IP strategies should be a decade rather than a quarter.
What are some of the trends that you see playing out in the future?
François Griesmar: The computerisation of all national trademark databases within the EU should soon enable a complete online trademark search in the EU. As regards design protection, if this is confirmed by the accession of new parties in the EU after 2008, the long-awaited rebirth of the international Design Patent system could make design protection strategies much easier and cheaper.
I am hoping that within the coming few years we will see efficient trademark search software for design trademarks that enable a fairly reliable online risk assessment.
The current business context is an incentive to implement extreme short-term cost-cutting measures – IP Counsels are being selected purely on a financial basis, ignoring long-term relationships and what IP management really is all about. This will incur serious problems; immediate difficulties must not lead to such short-term practices which will prove detrimental to the business. It is difficult to restart a trademark protection strategy once it has been stopped. IP lawyers must explain their long-term strategy to management, and make sure they are allocated the budget they require. When a company starts a successful product in Europe and does not protect it in the main markets, their competitors might do so. When the time comes for expanding in the market, they will face a big problem. Sometimes it is necessary to anticipate and protect IP accordingly. Always think long-term. Â
Contact:Â
Sarin Kouyoumdjian-Gurunlian
Press Manager
marcus evans, Summits Division
Tel: + 357 22 849 313
Email:Â press@marcusevanscy.com
About the IP Law European Summit 2010
This unique forum will take place at the Fairmont Le Montreux Palace, Montreux, Switzerland, 11 – 13 April, 2010. Offering much more than any conference, seminar or trade show, this exclusive meeting will bring together esteemed industry thought leaders and solution providers to a highly focused and interactive networking event. The summit includes presentations on IP litigation, anti-counterfeit activities and IP management best practices.
For more information please send an email to info@marcusevanscy.com or visit the event website at www.iplawsummiteurope.com
Please note that the summit is a closed business event and the number of participants strictly limited.
About marcus evans Summits
marcus evans Summits are high level business forums for the world’s leading decision-makers to meet, learn and discuss strategies and solutions. Held at exclusive locations around the world, these events provide attendees with a unique opportunity to individually tailor their schedules of keynote presentations, think tanks, seminars and one-to-one business meetings. For more information, please visit www.marcusevans.com
All rights reserved. The above content may be republished or reproduced – kindly inform us by sending an email to press@marcusevanscy.com |
Posted in Corporate Counsel, Intellectual Property (IP), Law, Press Release, Switzerland | No Comments »
Monday, April 21st, 2008
Attendees can apply event credits towards their legal licenses; Event to be held in San Jose, April 15-16
TechInsights announced today that the State Bar of California has approved the content of its Intellectual Property Symposium for 13.5 hours of continuing legal education credit.
The Intellectual Property Symposium, a joint effort of EE Times, Semiconductor Insights and Portelligent, is the first and only event to bring together the foremost legal, business and government minds to discuss the importance and logistics of properly protecting, managing and leveraging intellectual property.
The event will take place April 15-16 at the San Jose Fairmont and will be co-located with the Embedded Systems Conference, the largest electronic systems design event in North America.
Intellectual Property Symposium Highlights:
The Intellectual Property Symposium will feature the following keynotes:
The Evolution of the Intellectual Property Marketplace will be presented by Peter Detkin, Co-founder, Managing Director, Intellectual Ventures, and former Director, Intellectual Property, Intel, and Mike Meurer, Professor of Law, Boston University School of Law and noted author on the problems of the patent system. The presentation will include an overview of the intellectual property market with a special focus on technology, and a discussion on the inefficiencies and imbalances that have led to opportunities for a variety of new players.
Today’s Trends and Tomorrow’s Realities in the Intellectual Property Marketplace will be presented by Jon Dudas, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director, U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, who provides a rare perspective on recent Supreme Court decisions regarding intellectual property, proposed patent modernization legislation, and trends in intellectual property protection and enforcement around the world, including in China.
Expanding on the high-quality keynote conversations, attendees will learn from panel discussions and drill-down sessions discussing:
— “Open source software” with executives from Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft
and MontaVista
— “Issues in silicon intellectual property” featuring top technologists
from Intel and Texas Instruments
— “Intellectual property practices in China” with hands-on experience
from TSMC and UTStarcom, Inc.
— “How to read and write patents effectively” from noted author David
Pressman
The event features attendees from both the technology and patent industries with executive titles such as: Chairman, President and CEO, Chief Technology Officer, Executive Vice-President/Director of Research and Development, Vice-President of Engineering, Vice-President and Chief Intellectual Property Counsel, Vice-President of Intellectual Property and General Patent Counsel, and Vice-President Licensing.
Attendees representing companies include: Altera Corp., Cisco Systems, Freescale Semiconductor, Honeywell, IBM, Intel Corp., Marvell Semiconductor, MIPS Technology, Qualcomm, Rambus, Seagate Technology, Verizon and more.
To register for the 2008 Intellectual Property Symposium, visit: http://www.eetimes.semiconductor.com/
Online registration closes on Wednesday, April 9 at noon PT, attendees can also register onsite at the Fairmont Hotel.
Commentary:
Rick Merritt, Editor-at-Large, EE Times
“We’ve found that there is a lack of comprehensive resources to educate technology and patent industry professionals on intellectual property, especially in embedded systems. With the Intellectual Property Symposium we are working to change that by offering a forum where professionals can go to learn about the key topics that influence their business. With the State Bar of California approving our content, our attendees will be able receive the continuing legal education credits they deserve for taking the initiative to come to the event and learn from experts on intellectual property law. This is a fantastic testament of the caliber of the event’s content and speakers. We are thrilled to announce this approval.”
About TechInsights
TechInsights is the daily source of essential business and technical information for the electronics industry’s decision makers — the Creators of Technology — that define, develop, and bring to market the electronic products that improve our lives. With global market leading brands such as EE Times, Semiconductor Insights, TechOnline, Embedded Systems Conferences and Portelligent, TechInsights is the leading dedicated information and services business serving the worldwide electronics market. For more information, please visit http://www.techinsights.com/. TechInsights is a division of United Business Media, a global provider of news distribution and specialist information services with a market capitalization of more than $2.5 billion.
Contact:
Jessica Devaney or Leslie Denson, Horn Group (on behalf of TechInsights)
jdevaney@horngroup.com / ldenson@horngroup.com
617.431.1020
SOURCE: TechInsights
Web site: http://www.techinsights.com/
Posted in Announcement, Event, Intellectual Property (IP), Press Release, USA | No Comments »
Thursday, April 3rd, 2008
Sessions will focus on open source and China’s developing intellectual property system
SAN FRANCISCO– TechInsights announced last March 28 the industry panel topics for its inaugural Intellectual Property Symposium, a joint effort of EE Times, Semiconductor Insights and Portelligent, which is scheduled to take place April 15-16, 2008 at the San Jose Fairmont.
The Intellectual Property Symposium is the first and only event to bring together the foremost legal, business and government minds to discuss the importance and logistics of properly protecting, managing and leveraging intellectual property. Co-located with the Embedded Systems Conference and the EE Times ACE Awards, the Intellectual Property Symposium will address the information needs in the changing marketplace for patents and intellectual property in the electronics industry and will resonate with members of the engineering, business and legal communities. The Intellectual Property Symposium will offer three panel discussions on issues with open source and the developing intellectual property system in China.
Open Source Panels
IP Risks in Open Source Software
– This panel discussion will feature the different ways traditional and emerging companies are using open source software. The latest GPL Version 3 license is one of the major topics.
– Panelists: Joe Beyers, VP of Intellectual Property, Hewlett-Packard; Jim Markwith, Open Source Software Licensing Counsel, Microsoft Corporation; Jason Wacha, General Counsel, Monavista Software; Jim Zemlin, Executive Director, Linux Foundation
– Moderator: Rick Merritt, Editor at Large, EE Times
Managing Third Party IP in Solatersoftware Development Life Cycle
– This session will describe how processes can be best integrated with the Software Development LifeCycle to effectively manage risks associated with using proprietary and open source software within products.
– Presented by: Mark Gisi, Sr. Intellectual Property Manager, Wind River Systems
China Developing IP
– This session will feature experts who have hands-on experience with China’s developing intellectual property system. Topics will include:
What’s the outlook for China’s patent office? What are China’s IP goals and are they achieving them?
What is the IP litigation situation in China?
– Panelists: Dick Thurston, General Counsel, TSMC, Taiwan; Russell Boltwood, VP, Licensing & Intellectual Property, UTStarcom, Inc.; Jun Gong, Partner, Jun He Law
The event features attendees from both the technology and patent industries with executive titles such as: Chairman, President and CEO, Chief Technology Officer, Executive Vice-President/Director of Research and Development, Vice-President of Engineering, Vice-President and Chief Intellectual Property Counsel, Vice-President of Intellectual Property and General Patent Counsel, and Vice-President Licensing.
Attendees representing companies include: Altera Corp., Cisco Systems, Freescale Semiconductor, Honeywell, IBM, Intel Corp., Marvell Semiconductor, MIPS Technology, Qualcomm, Rambus, Seagate Technology, Verizon and more.
The Intellectual Property Symposium will be co-located with ESC Silicon Valley, the largest electronic systems design event in North America.
To register for the 2008 Intellectual Property Symposium visit: http://www.eetimes.semiconductor.com/
Commentary:
Rick Merritt, Editor-at-Large, EE Times
“In preparation for this year’s Intellectual Property Symposium, we met with industry experts and influencers to determine the most pressing IP issues companies are facing today. Protecting Intellectual Properties, especially in the Embedded Systems industry, is critical and companies need to understand the steps they must take in order to insure their unique ideas, products and service are protected. This year’s symposium will address the current issues surrounding Intellectual Properties and with the help of industry experts, forecast the future of IP as well.”
About TechInsights
TechInsights is the daily source of essential business and technical information for the electronics industry’s decision makers — the Creators of Technology — that define, develop, and bring to market the electronic products that improve our lives. With global market leading brands such as EE Times, Semiconductor Insights, TechOnline, Embedded Systems Conferences and Portelligent, TechInsights is the leading dedicated information and services business serving the worldwide electronics market. For more information, please visit http://www.techinsights.com/. TechInsights is a division of United Business Media , a global provider of news distribution and specialist information services with a market capitalization of more than $2.5 billion.
Contact:
Jessica Devaney or Leslie Denson, Horn Group (on behalf of TechInsights)
jdevaney@horngroup.com / ldenson@horngroup.com
617.431.1020
SOURCE: TechInsights
Posted in Announcement, Electronics, Event, Intellectual Property (IP), Press Release, Semiconductors, Software, USA | No Comments »
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