Is there a European Future for UK Intellectual Property Law?

(c) Moyan Brenn, Flickr.com

Thursday 3 November 2016

Executive Business Centre, Bournemouth University

Room EB 206

The EU referendum of June 2016 marked a turning point for UK and for the Intellectual Property landscape. Following years in which UK law has progressively integrated within the broader European framework, questions now arise as to the future of this process, and the forms it will possibly take after the withdrawal from the European Union takes place. Addressing this question involves a consideration of a number of pertinent issues. These include, amongst others, the structure of the unitary patent, the construction of a modern pan-European copyright system, the functioning of trade marks and other indications of origin in a market characterized by free movement of goods, the role and the weight of the ever-developing jurisprudence of the Court of Justice of the European Union in intellectual property matters, but also the harmonization of other neighbouring areas of law such as e-commerce and data protection. All such issues transcend the strict legal context and will shape the future of our society, economy and culture as a whole.

The CIPPM Annual Symposium 2016 will address the uncertainties that surround the forthcoming role of UK in the European intellectual property arena, in an attempt to respond to some of the questions that have emerged in the wake of the referendum. It will do so by bringing together a selection of scholars and practitioners who have contributed, through their research and critical thinking, to a better understanding of the role of intellectual property rights in the construction of a common European public sphere. The aim of the symposium, ultimately, is to explore the ways in which, and the conditions under which, the question in the title can be responded in the affirmative.

PROGRAMME

10.30 – 11.15: Registration and Coffee

11.15 – 11.30: Welcome addresses

  • Stephen Copp (Head of Law, Bournemouth University)
  • Maurizio Borghi (Director CIPPM, Bournemouth University)

 11.30 – 12.30: Exploring a future away from Brussels: scenarios, alternatives and some speculations

Chair: Ruth Towse (Bournemouth University)

  • David Yuratich (Royal Holloway, University of London) “Will the Great Repeal Bill be a Great Retention Bill?”
  • Lionel Bently (University of Cambridge) “Fantasy Island. What Policy-Freedom will the UK gain from leaving the European Union?”
  • Dev Gangjee (University of Oxford) “Brexit Velocity: Speculating on the How and When for UK Trade Mark Law”

 12.30 – 14.00 – Lunch

14.00 – 15.00: Rethinking the copyright agenda

Chair: Dinusha Mendis (Bournemouth University)

  • Martin Kretschmer (University of Glasgow) “Under-regulated offshore island, or protectionist fortress for the content industries?
    Two futures for the UK as EU copyright law turns into a tool for platform regulation”
  • Jonathan Griffiths (Queen Mary, University of London) “Copyright Law without the Court of Justice?”
  • Maurizio Borghi (Bournemouth University) “If we really want Fair Use in UK Copyright”

 15.00 – 16.00: IP, quasi-IP and the future of British industry

Chair: Sally Weston (Bournemouth University)

  • Estelle Derclaye (University of Nottingham) “Whether the UK exits the EU or not: What future for the copyright/design interface in the UK?”
  • Tanya Aplin (King’s College London) “Aligning UK trade secrets protection with the EU Trade Secrets Directive”
  • Karen Mc Cullagh (UEA) “Brexit: Data Protection Implications for the Digital Technology Sector”

 16.00 – 16.30 Tea break

 16.30 – 17.30: The uneasy case of the Unitary Patent

Chair: Paul Cole (Lucas & Co and Bournemouth University)

  • Christopher Rennie-Smith (European Patent Consultant) “The UK, the EPO and the UPC – the future”
  • Luke McDonagh: (City University of London) “The UK, the UPC and Brexit – the future”
  • Marc Mimler (Bournemouth University) “How ‘European’ will UK patent law be after Brexit?”

 17.30 – 18.00: Concluding remarks


 

The event is free to attend, however spaces are limited and registration is required. Please reserve your place via Eventbrite by clicking here:

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