The annual AIPPI World Congress was held in Cancun, Mexico between 23 – 26 September 2018.
Stock Industrial Property Services A.S. was represented at this Congress by two of its senior trademark agents Ms. Merve Macit and Ms. Seral Cantürk, both of whom were among the contributors of the Study Question of “Registrability of 3D Trademarks” on behalf of the Turkish National Group.
During the Congress, Study Questions of “Conflicting Patent Applications,” “Partial Designs,” “Joint Liability for IP Infringement” besides “Registrability of 3D Trademarks” were debated and final resolutions were adopted as a result of Study Committee Meetings, Plenary Sessions and Executive Committee Meetings with the purpose of helping harmonization of national and international IP laws.
The panel sessions of the Congress covered topics, including but not limited to “Artificial Intelligence—the real IP issues,” “Standard essential patents – maximizing value before enforcement,” “A means to an end – the doctrine of equivalents,” “Alternatives for enforcement: criminal and administrative proceedings,” “A balancing act—copyright versus other rights,” “Personality rights,” “Linking into the digital era,” ““Use it or lose it—genuine use of trademarks” and “Surveying the field—a gold standard for survey evidence” in various areas of IP law.
The Pharma Day of the Congress offered four pharma sessions, namely “The endgame: patent term extensions and SPCs,” “Access to medicines – what’s fair?,” “Big Data and Big Pharma” and “Biosimilar litigation – dissimilar considerations?”addressing the current issues in the pharmaceutical industry, and additional Lunch Sessions covered trademarks and morality – the slants, a panel of IP5 office speakers, and blockchain and cryptocurrencies.
After all, the participants enjoyed an incredible Opening Ceremony and Welcome Reception, as well as events including Women in AIPPI, Taste of Mexico, the Young AIPPI Forum and a fantastic Closing Dinner organized by AIPPI.
As a whole, the AIPPI World Congress provided a great opportunity for the participants to learn about, brainstorm and discuss various areas of IP law, network with numerous colleagues around the world and enjoy the fantastic atmosphere of the congress and location.