The forum takes place in London on April 18 and 19. Attendance is free for in-house patent/IP counsel, academics and R&D professionals who register in advance. Registration is available online.
As well as the keynote speeches, there are sessions on topics including: European patent reform, US patent reform, managing an international portfolio, patent monetisation through licensing, outsourcing, forum shopping in Europe and risk-management strategies.
There will also be sessions on China, India and Japan.
A special session featuring representatives of WIPO, EPO and USPTO will look at public perceptions of patents and IP rights in the context of recent controversies over developments such as ACTA, SOPA and PIPA.
About 250 people are expected to attend the forum. Companies already registered include Alcatel-Lucent, Audi, BSkyB, BT, Cambridge Display Technology, Cipla, ConocoPhilips, DSM, e2v, Enterprise Ireland, Ericsson, France Telecom Orange, GE Healthcare, GlaxoSmithKline, Huntsman Advanced Materials, Husqvarna AB, Intelligent Energy, Isis Innovation, Jaguar Land Rover, Kraft, MSD, National Institute of Immunology, NEC, Nestec, Nokia, Oclaro, Oxis Energy, Philips, Richemont International, Siemens, Skype, Smartmatic, Sony, The Telecommunication Planning Research Institute of MIIT China, UBS, Unilever, and Zydus Cadila