IP communicators to discuss attack on enforcement

Managing IP is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 4 Bouverie Street, London, EC4Y 8AX

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2025

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

IP communicators to discuss attack on enforcement

How can IP owners and regulators respond to the unprecedented attack on IP rights seen in the past few months?

This question will be addressed by a panel of communications specialists from the world’s biggest IP offices at next week’s Managing IP International Patent Forum in London.

On the panel will be Oswald Schroeder, principal director of communications, EPO; John Tarpey, director of communications, WIPO; Peter Pappas, chief of staff, USPTO; and Hiroshi Kawamata, senior director for intellectual property, JETRO Düsseldorf Centre/JPO.

They will discuss how supporters of IP rights can respond to and meet the challenges of anti-IP campaigners.

Already this year, we have seen the blackout of websites including Wikipedia that led to the shelving of the SOPA and PIPA legislation in the United States, and an organised attack on the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement in Europe, which has led to a delay in ratification and its possible abandonment.

In India, organisations like UNITAID have protested efforts to strengthen patent protection through free trade agreements, arguing they threaten affordable access to medicines in developing nations.

The panellists will discuss why IP owners, governments and others involved in the IP system need to address the more active and organised voices in civil society with communication, case studies and events. They will also address the findings of a report released today by the White House, titled Intellectual Property and the US Economy: Industries in Focus.

The role of social media in promoting IP will be a key topic. For example, both USPTO Director David Kappos and EPO President Benoit Battistelli regularly write blogs about their respective offices.

The offices represented on the panel also use Twitter and Facebook as well as conventional media such as TV to communicate with users and society generally.

During the 45-minutes session next Wednesday, the panellists will speak briefly about their own experiences before discussing trends with each other and the audience.

The International Patent Forum takes place at the Chancery Court Hotel in London on April 18 and 19. Among the other speakers are Battistelli and Kappos, and Jim Pooley of WIPO, as well as many in-house IP counsel and lawyers in private practice.

For more details and to register click here.

more from across site and SHARED ros bottom lb

More from across our site

The UK-India trade deal doesn’t mention legal services, showing India has again failed to agree on a move that could help foreign firms and local practitioners
Eva-Maria Strobel reveals some of the firm’s IP achievements and its approach to client relationships
Lateral hires at Thompson Hine and Pierson Ferdinand said they were inspired by fresh business opportunities and innovative strategies at their new firms
The launch of a new IP insurance product and INTA hiring a former USPTO commissioner were also among the top talking points this week
The firm explains how it secured a $170.6 million verdict against the government in a patent dispute surrounding airport technology, and why the case led to interest from other inventors
Developments of note included the court partially allowing a claim concerning confidentiality clubs and a decision involving technology used in football matches
The firm said adding capability in the French capital completes its coverage of all major patent litigation jurisdictions as it strives for UPC excellence
Marc Fenster explains how keeping the jury focused on the most relevant facts helped secure a $279m win for his client against Samsung
Clients are divided on what externally funded IP firms bring to the table, so those firms must prove why the benefits outweigh the downsides
Rahul Bhartiya, AI coordinator at the EUIPO, discusses the office’s strategy, collaboration with other IP offices, and getting rid of routine tasks
Gift this article