IPEC seminar: a report

IPEC: Intellectual Property Enforcement Cats, ready for action ...

Thanks to some sterling efforts on the part of tytoc collie's honoured and revered friend Ava Miller, we now have a set of notes on yesterday evening's seminar on the role of the IPEC (the US Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator) and whether it might be appropriate to consider adapting this role for use in the UK. Since Ava's notes run to not much short of 3,000 words, we've loaded them into the back pages of the blog itself and you can read them by clicking here.

tytoc collie understands that there is a distinct possibility that a political initiative will be launched soon to investigate further whether the practice and the principle of coordinated intellectual property enforcement can and should be made workable.  More of that in the future.  Meanwhile, all the Kats can say is

"thanks, so much, to everyone who attended -- those who spoke from the front, and those who bravely spoke from the floor. Your presence and your contributions were very much appreciated".

IPEC seminar: the full programme

Could a US-style IPEC rule Britannia's IP enforcement sector?

The IPEC -- or Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator -- is one of the most original and stimulating innovations on the United States IP enforcement scene. Functioning within the White House's Office of Management and Budget, the IPEC team runs an office which has the ear of the President himself. The first person to hold the position is Victoria Espinel, who was confirmed in her position by President Barack Obama nearly a year ago in December 2009. This is what she says about her role in helping tackle serious intellectual property infringement:

"My job is to help coordinate the work of the federal agencies that are involved with stopping this illegal behavior. We are going to work together to develop a strategy to reduce those risks to the public, the costs to our economy and to help protect the ingenuity and creativity of Americans. We want to be able to reduce the number of infringing goods in the United States and abroad. The examples are almost endless: counterfeit car parts, illegal software, pirated video games, knockoff consumer goods, dangerous counterfeit medicines, and many other types of products – including very sophisticated technology. Our goal is to better use taxpayer dollars and other government resources to be more effective in reducing any threat to our economy and our safety".

As readers probably now know, tytoc collie is holding a seminar, "IP Enforcement in the UK: appraising the new American model", on Tuesday 23 November 2010, from 5.30pm to 7.30pm (doors open for registration at 5.00pm). The venue is the Central London office of leading law firm Covington & Burling. The office is at 265 Strand (details here).

The programme is now complete, and looks like this:

* The two principal speakers are Laurie Self (Covington & Burling) and Ashley Roughton (Hogarth Chambers). Laurie will explain the legal background and US experience relating to the IPEC, while Ashley will consider the extent to which the role of an IPEC might be transplanted or adapted to UK conditions.

* There will then be comment from a distinguished panel of IP experts and concerned parties: Dids Macdonald (ACID), Nick Munn (IPO, Deputy Director on the Copyright/Enforcement team), Ruth Orchard (Anti Counterfeiting Group), Alasdair Poore (President, Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys) .David Rosenberg (GSK), Annsley Merelle Ward (The AmeriKat; Collyer Bristow) and Pete Wishart MP (Vice Chair, All Party Parliamentary IP Group).

* The subject will then be thrown open to the floor, so that those attending can ask questions and make comments;

* Following the serious part of the event, there will be some pleasant refreshments;

* IPKat team member Jeremy Phillips will be chairing the event.

CPD points have been applied for.  Admission is free -- and you are all welcome.  There are very few places remaining, but tytoc collie will be opening a waiting list for those not lucky enough to have signed up early.  If you're planning to come, please email IPKat team member Jeremy here (subject line "IPEC seminar").

Save the date: here comes the IPEC seminar

The IPEC: Victoria Espinel

The IPEC -- or Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator -- is one of the most original and stimulating innovations on the United States IP enforcement scene.  Sometimes called the "IP Tsar" and functioning within the White House's Office of Management and Budget, the IPEC team runs an office which has the ear of the President himself. The first person to hold the position is Victoria Espinel, who was confirmed in her position by President Barack Obama nearly a year ago in December 2009. This is what she says about her role in helping tackle serious intellectual property infringement:

"My job is to help coordinate the work of the federal agencies that are involved with stopping this illegal behavior. We are going to work together to develop a strategy to reduce those risks to the public, the costs to our economy and to help protect the ingenuity and creativity of Americans. We want to be able to reduce the number of infringing goods in the United States and abroad. The examples are almost endless: counterfeit car parts, illegal software, pirated video games, knockoff consumer goods, dangerous counterfeit medicines, and many other types of products – including very sophisticated technology. Our goal is to better use taxpayer dollars and other government resources to be more effective in reducing any threat to our economy and our safety".

Fascinated by this, tytoc collie is holding a seminar, "IP Enforcement in the UK: appraising the new American model", on Tuesday 23 November 2010, from 5.30pm to 7.30pm (doors open for registration at 5.00pm).  The venue is the Central London office of leading law firm Covington & Burling -- the firm in which Ms Espinel once worked.  The office is at 265 Strand (details here).

The programme is not yet complete, but tytoc collie can already tell you this:

• Speakers and panellists will include Ashley Roughton (Hogarth Chambers), Dids Macdonald (ACID) and David Rosenberg (GSK).  IPKat team member Jeremy Phillips will be chairing.
  
• The plot is as follows: a US speaker will explain the US set-up and initial responses to it.  Ashley Roughton will evaluate the concept in terms of how it might be grafted into the UK.  A panel of experts drawn from industry, the professions, government and political experts will give their opinions, following which there will be a general discussion and question-and-answer session.  The event will conclude with some pleasant refreshments.
  
• CPD points have been applied for.
  
• Admission is free -- and you are all welcome.

If you're planning to come, please email IPKat team member Jeremy here (subject line "IPEC seminar") and save your space.  The venue is capacious, but a large audience is expected.

If you're in two minds as to whether this event is worth attending, this article by Mark Owen (Harbottle & Lewis), replete with comments and ripostes, and this JIPLP editorial, may help you make up your mind.