future meetings

26 February 2010

How to cope with patent scope - Literal interpretation of claims throughout Europe

Union's Spring 2010 Roundtable will be on the subject "How to cope with patent scope - Literal interpretation of claims throughout Europe" and will be held at the German Patent Office. We will hear from judges from France, Germany, UK and the Netherlands, and from academics and practitioners. Further details and a registration form are in the attachment for download. Please note the registration deadline of 12th February 2010 and register in good time before then.

Munich

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9 March 2010

The EPO and non-inventions

The British group is pleased to announce that, recovered from the broken foot that led to a postponement of his talk, Dr Stefan Steinbrener, has been able to reschedule and will be at the next British group dinner meeting on Tuesday 9 March 2010. Dr Steinbrener, EPO Board of Appeal Chairman and Enlarged Board member and guru of excluded subject matter at the EPO, will be speaking and taking questions on �The EPO and non-inventions�. The flyer is attached. Non members and members from other national groups are always welcome. If you or any of your colleagues wish to attend, please contact Steven Wake (email: dinners@union-gb.com, telephone: 020 8889 6622, fax: 020 8881 1088,) and send your cheque (payable to �UEPIP British Group�) to: Forrester House, 52 Bounds Green Road, London N11 2EY.

London, Royal Overseas League

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28 May 2010

ExCo Meeting Spring 2010

Union's Executive Committee spring meting 2010 will take place at the Hilton Nordica Hotel in Reykjavik, Iceland, May 27-30, 2010. Registration and travel info: https://asp.artegis.com/lp/PRUNION10/prunion10 Preliminary program and contacts attached.

Reykjavik, Iceland

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7 October 2010

Current Design Issues

A Roundtable discussing current Design issues. Details to follow.

Turin, Italy

8 October 2010

ExCo Meeting Autumn 2010

Union's Executive Committee meeting.

Turin, Italy

23 June 2011

Union Congress

Union will be celebrating its 50th anniversary with a Congress in Brussels fro 21st to 26th June 2011. Programme to follow.

Brussels

recent events

British Group Dinner Meeting

London, The Royal Overseas League

The British Group of UNION's Christmas Dinner meeting at the traditional British club, The Royal Overseas League was addressed by England's most recently elevated High Court Patents Judge, Richard Arnold. The Honourable Mr Justice Arnold discussed topical IP issues, including PCC reform and the latest on a central European Community Patent Court.

ExCo Meeting Autumn 2009

Bordeaux

Union's Executive Committee met in Bordeaux, France at the Hotel Chateaux Chartrons. The ExCo meeting was preceded by Commission meetings. The reports presented are available in the Library and Reference section in each Commission's area, and the whole proceedings are available as a single document in UNION Newsletter No.2 October 2009.

Roundtable Autumn 2009

Bordeaux, France

The UNION of European Intellectual Property Practitioners held a Round Table on the subject of "Ambush Marketing". This UNION Round Table was been organised with the cooperation of the French Group of UNION and the Trademark and Design Commissions. "Ambush marketing" is often referred to as a new form of unlawful competition. It usually takes place during large sporting events and clearly emphasises the strengths and weaknesses of trademark protection. Inside (and outside) the premises of the sporting event, the use of trademarks is exclusively reserved to those trademarks that are linked to authorised sponsors (through contracts). It remains however very difficult or sometimes impossible to avoid the use or even the simple presence of non-participating trademarks during such events. We heard from two experts in the field: Phillip Johnson, a barrister of 7 New Square, London and author of a book on Ambush Marketing, and Tom Heremans of CMS DeBacker, Brussels. Their presentations were followed by a lively and interesting discussion on the topic and on the pros and cons of sui generis legislation as found in some jurisdictions. A summary of the proceedings and the papers presented are in the Library and Reference section.

British Group Dinner Meeting

London, The Royal Overseas League

At the September dinner meeting of the British Group we had the pleasure of an address by His Honour Judge Michael Fysh, of the Patents County Court. Judge Fysh has been in practice since 1963, and has almost unparalleled experience, as well as being a well-known and highly entertaining speaker. The main topic of the day was patent attorneys and litigation rights in the UK; patent attorneys were urged to use their rights to appear before the English courts rather than rely on the traditional barrister/solicitor team. Against a backdrop of continuing discussions about EU wide patent litigation, this led to a lively discussion of the role of the attorney, and the need to step out of our "comfort zone". Over 80 people attended and the result was yet another enjoyable, informative and successful UNION dinner.

ExCo Meeting Spring 2009

Palma de Mallorca

Union's Executive Committee met in Palma de Mallorca from Thursday 30 April to Sunday 3rd May 2009. The meeting was accompanied by Commission Meetings. The Commission Reports are available to members in the Working Papers section of the Members' Area, and the entire proceedings are available as UNION Newsletter No.1 May 2009 in the Newsletters section of the Library.

Roundtable Munich February 2009

Munich

A Union Roundtable on Employees Inventions and their Remuneration took place in Munich on Friday, February 27, 2009 at the German Patent Office. This Roundtable was an excellent opportunity to hear from the experts about the situation in different countries and to exchange views on the subject with colleagues from all over Europe. The Roundtable started with two sessions that focussed on the legal provisions and related jurisprudence in different countries. In the afternoon, in two more sessions, experienced professionals active in industry and in centers of innovation such as Universities and Research Centers shared with the audience their practical experience of the issues in their different fields. The papers can be found in the Latest Bulletins section of the Library and Reference tab.