Thursday Thingies

On 4 October 2016, the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore and USA’s Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Industrial Property cooperation. This is the first MoU on this kind between the two countries. A Joint Coordination Committee will be established with the aim to facilitate bilateral exchanges to foster innovation and support USAn companies in tapping into Singapore as a regional IP hub for innovation-related activities.

The Battle of Ideas festival will include a discussion entitled “Get Real: Where Will Virtual Reality Take Us?”, where a group of technology consultants, researchers and editors will discuss the risks of virtual reality (VR) and what can be done to regulate behaviour in VR worlds. It will take place on 23 October 2016at London’s Barbican. More information here.

Black and White - IP shows its True Colour. This Round Table is organised by UNION of European Practitioners in Intellectual Property. Considering the aftermath of the “Specsavers” saga and EUIPO’s “Common Communication on the Common Practice of the Scope of Protection of Black and White Marks”, it will be discussed whether IP holders should amend their filing practice and if so, how this practice be amended. It will take place on 28 October 2016 at the Royal Industrieele Groote Club in Amsterdam. More information here. Registration before 18 October.

EU-China Intellectual Property Forum: Preparing for Opportunities will take place on 8 November 2016 at the Kingsway Hall Hotel in London. This event is hosted by the Centre for Commercial Law Studies, Queen Mary University of London in collaboration with IP Key. The topics will cover unfair competition, trade secrets, taxation and IP, licensing agreements, the role of specialised IP courts, online infringement and 3D printing. Registration is free of charge. For more information, here.

The CIPA Life Sciences Conference, sponsored by the UK Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys, will take place on 14 and 15 November 2016at The Grand in Brighton. This annual event is recommended for patent and IP professionals active in the pharma, medical technology and biotechnology fields. For more information, here.

INTA is holding the following events in Brussels! On 30 November 2016 will take place the workshop INTA-BASCAP on the roles and responsibilities of intermediaries in enforcing IP rights, in collaboration with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Business Action to Stop Counterfeiting and Piracy (BASCAP), more information here. On 1 and 2 December 2016 the Digital World Conference: Navigating the Digital Yellow Brick Road will take place. The first day of this conference will also serve to celebrate the 10^th Anniversary of the INTA’s Europe Representative Office in Brussels,more details here.