2024 Young AIPPI Member Summit  

The 3rd edition of the Young AIPPI Member Summit took place across 25-26 June 2024. It is one of the feature events for the Young Members, providing opportunities for learning and creating connections, in advance of the upcoming AIPPI Congress in Hangzhou in October. This year, a new format was introduced across a 2 day event – the first was a global session on 25 June, followed by regional, satellite sessions, featuring regionally relevant topics and timezone-friendly timing. The Young AIPPI Bureau Advisory Committee members hosted the sessions across the 2 day event, and we invited them to share excerpts from each of the panel sessions.

Panel 1: ESG & Sustainability: Traversing the Green Realms [Halise Atabay]

The session featured the importance of integrating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles into business practices, and how it is crucial for long-term sustainability and ethical operations. Louis Bidaine discussed the interplay between patent enforcement and ESG, emphasized the challenge of ensuring ESG compliance while exercising patent rights and highlighted the need to balance the interests of patentees with those of the broader community. Louisa Galbraith then delved into the definition of green claims, explaining the relevant legal provisions and laws in the EU and Switzerland, including the EU Green Claims Directive, and provided key considerations for companies aiming to incorporate such claims in their communications and advertisements. Nadine Hakizimana from WIPO concluded the session by sharing insights on the Green Revolution in invention from WIPO’s perspective, underscoring the importance of sustainable innovation.

Panel 2: Latest Developments in Plant & Plant Variety Rights [Nevin Koshy]

The panel focused on the latest developments in Plant and Plant Variety Rights. Selena Travaglio, an Italian lawyer with expertise in plant innovation IP protection, highlighted the significance of PVR protection and recent Italian Supreme Court guidance on contractual clauses. Soley Coban then discussed the European Parliament’s proposal to ban plant patents related to new genomic techniques. The topics discussed in this session were highly relevant to plant-based innovations, highlighting how recent judgments and potential legal changes require strategic adjustments for stakeholders.

Panel 3: Artificial Intelligence: The New Legal Landscape & Latest Infringement Issues [Jaewon Yoon]

The panel featured topics about Artificial Intelligence. Renate Keijser discussed the new European AI Act from a copyright perspective, while Fiona Zhang shared the court’s decision on AI infringement and the latest legal updates on the development of Generative AI in China. Jonas Smeets discussed the challenges and opportunities companies face when confronted with scenarios of alleged infringement by AI of a competitor, and Arnie Francis shared the patentability of certain AI inventions in the UK and how this practice might be about to undergo a seismic change as a result of a recent High Court decision just appealed before the Court of Appeal. The session also provided a comprehensive overview of AI, including recent news from various countries such as some European countries, the UK, and China. Additionally, it addressed response measures from a company’s perspective, which was very useful.

Life Skills Session: Thriving in the IP Profession – Nurturing Your Emotional Wellbeing & Enhancing Psychological Safety [Samantha Yung]

Another highlight of the Summit was the life skills session led by Mônica Hall, Founder and CEO of FELIZ Consulting who is corporate trainer and coach with over 20 years of experience. The interactive session provided attendees with valuable insights and practical strategies aiming to enhance emotional wellbeing and awareness, psychological safety and cultivate a growth mindset. Young members found this session particularly helpful in raising awareness of the importance of nurturing and safeguarding our wellbeing and psychological safety to compliment and balance their hectic life as young legal professionals.

European Satellite Session [Niclas Gajeck]

The session boasted two panels:

In panel 1 (Bad Faith Patterns: Trademarks, User Interface & Beyond), Rebecca Hentrich provided insights on recent case law concerning non-registered name rights and designations, whilst Sinem Saraçoğlu focused on bad faith trademark applications and Monika Gaczkowska laid out soft-IP issues relating to Dark Patterns. The panel delivered the topics with an astonishing amount of case law, ranging from CJEU decisions to national court practice.

For panel 2 (Developments on Confidentiality and Transparency issues at the UPC & before UK courts) Catherine Howell and Jiri Slavik took a deep dive into the realm of protection of confidential information and public availability of court files both in the UK and before the UPC. The comparative approach that Catherine and Jiri took provided detailed insights and helped clarify the differences between both court systems’ approach to confidentiality and transparency.

Asia Pacific & Middle East Satellite Session [Kevin Feng]

The session featured Cross-border IP Strategies in the Digital Age. The session began with Arjel De Guzman, who discussed a series of issues related to IP in the digital age. Shirley Wang, an experienced Chinese litigator then systematically guided the audience through the latest developments in the patent linkage regime in China. The final panelist of the session, Andy Yu, an IP solicitor and IT expert, shared his extensive insights on IP commercialization and data compliance.

Americas Satellite Session [Blanca Mejia]

The session contained discussions across three distinct topics. Diana Moreno spoke about investments in IP in Latin America, especially in the Andean community, and its associated advantages. Ahmad Elmallah then spoke about the use of IP to monetize AI innovations, traversing the different models for licensing IP technology and data, and IP agreement considerations. Finally, Blanca moderated a panel with Mariana Vargas and Diana Romero, speaking on the richness of the culture and traditional knowledge in the Latin American region, and discussing the challenges and opportunities with this subject matter and local communities, and what laws might be available or considered for the protection of these rights, specifically from the Mexican and Colombian perspective.

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