future meetings

25 May 2012

Spring ExCo Meeting

Union's Spring ExCo meeting will take place from 24th to 27th May in the lovely and historic city of Dublin. The Exco meeting itself is on Friday 25th May, preceded by Commission meetings. An optional tour is available on the Saturday and an optional accompanying person's programme is available for the Friday. Registration form attached. Please register by March 23rd by email to gloria@customireland.com or by fax to +353 1 8185895 or to the following address: Custom Ireland, Park Lane, Spencer Dock, Dublin 1, Ireland

Dublin, Ireland

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12 June 2012

British Group Summer Party and Champagne Reception

Following the success of previous champagne-fuelled Summer Events, this year�s British Group Summer Party is on Tuesday 12 June 2012 at The Royal Society (6-9 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AG). Our speaker will be Professor Jeremy Phillips, one of the most influential thinkers and commentators on IP globally and founder of amongst other things the highly influential IPKat blog. We will also be providing champagne and canap�s for what we fully expect to be another very successful summer event. Book early, to avoid disappointment! Contact James Legg (email: dinners@union-gb.com, tel: 020 7242 9984, fax: 020 7242 9989)

The Royal Society, London

18 September 2012

British Group Dinner Meeting

The British Group's Autumn meeting. Details to follow.

London, Royal Overseas League

5 October 2012

Autumn ExCo Meeting

Details to follow

Thessalonika, Greece

29 October 2012

British Group Dinner Meeting

The British Group will hold a drinks recepetion and dinner meeting the evening before the London Round Table. All Union members are welcome to attend. We expect to hear at the dinner from a European Commission speaker on the Unitary Patents Court. More details to follow.

Royal Overseas League, London

30 October 2012

Round Table on SPCs

A Round Table organised by our Biotechnolgy Commission. Details to follow.

London

9 November 2012

Round Table - Preventing and Combating "Look-Alikes"

Protection and Enforcement Strategies in the EU - A Round Table jointly organised by our Trademarks, Designs and Copyright Commissions - Details to follow.

Amsterdam

4 December 2012

British Group Dinner Meeting

The British Group's Christmas Meeting. Details to follow.

London, Royal Overseas League

recent events

Iron-clad Patent Stories

De Industieele Groote Club, Amsterdam

On Thursday April 5, 2012, the Dutch Group of Union-IP organised her first dinner meeting for patent attorneys, lawyers and other interested parties, featuring "iron-clad patent stories". Patent specifications are subject to many requirements. For example, the invention must be enabled, and the claims must be supported in the description. In litigation, such requirements put a lot a pressure on the patent specifications: there is a notable area of tension between scope of protection and validity. Mr. Peter Blok, judge at the Hague District Court, and Mr. Bas Pinckaers, attorney-at-law in Amsterdam, discussed these issues from their own perspective, followed by a discussion how to achieve to iron-clad patent stories in practice.

British Group Dinner Meeting

London, Royal Overseas League

Michael Silverleaf QC, talked about the Person Skilled in the Art. We've all wondered who the person skilled in the art is, whether it is a person or actually people, how and when we define him or her, just how skilled the person is and, latterly the Court of Appeal has ruled in Schlumberger v EMGS that the person skilled in the art can be different when considering obviousness and sufficiency. That case settled before being considered by the Supreme Court so the Court of Appeal's ruling therefore represents the current law. But is it right? One of our best known and experienced barristers, Michael Silverleaf QC, explained the historical development of the concept of the person skilled in the art, its centrality to patent law and the proper interpretation of the modern law on the subject. His conclusions provoked a lively debate!

Round Table

EPO Isar Building, Munich

Inventions - Teach it right or lose your rights.

An applicant must teach his invention, in order to get his exclusive right. But this description is also used to interpret the claims and the nature and extent of the interplay between the description and claims is under dispute. The Bundesgerichtshof refused to protect a product disclosed in Aga-Occlutech, because this would have conflicted with a literal claim interpretation. This decision is controversial in Germany, but not in most of Europe.

UNION-IP's 2012 Munich Roundtable gave an outstanding opportunity to hear from a granting authority, judges and experienced professionals about the views in Europe.

The presentations can be found in the Library and Reference Section under Bulletins.

Round Table in Milan

Palazzo delle Stelline, Milan

This round table addressed two issues that affect the practical professional life of European patent attorneys. - Computer-implemented inventions comprising non-technical subject-matter. - Oral Proceedings in examination.

British Group Dinner Meeting

Royal Overseas League, London

The ever-popular Christmas Dinner Meeting, attended by over 100 members and guests, was addressed by Hs Honour Judge Colin Birss of the Patents County Court and Patent Court.

Autumn ExCo Meeting

Vienna, Austria

Union's Executive Committee met in Vienna. The papers, including Commission Reports are available as Union Newsletter No. 2, 2011.