CONTACT:
Kim Byars
703-305-8341
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will hold a two-day symposium on the enforcement of intellectual property rights in the Western Hemisphere. The symposium will be held in Arlington, VA on September 11-12, 2000, and will concentrate on enforcement issues involving the Internet, optical media piracy, and business software and business method patents, in today's digital age.
"As of January 1, 2000, most countries in the Western Hemisphere were required to effectively enforce intellectual property rights in accordance with the agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). Increasingly, effective enforcement requires efforts designed to combat the growing use of the Internet and other digital technologies in the development and distribution of pirated and counterfeit goods," said Q. Todd Dickinson. "This symposium will address practical problems and explore realistic solutions for protecting patents, trademarks and copyrights in today's digital environment."
Among the confirmed speakers and panelists are World Intellectual Property Organization Director General, Dr. Kamil Idris, and industry representatives, intellectual property rights holders, private practitioners, and governemental representatives from 30 countries in the Western Hemisphere, including Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Domincan Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, United States, and Venezuela.
What
Intellectual Property Symposium of the Americas
When
September 11-12, 2000
9:30 a.m to 5:30 p.m.
Where
Crystal City Sheraton Hotel
1800 Jefferson Davis Highway
Arlington, Va. 22202
Tuesday's luncheon will be at the Four Seasons Hotel
2800 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C.
Agenda
Monday, SEPTEMBER 11
8:00 am - 4:30 pm - Registration
9:00 am - 10:00 am - Welcoming Remarks and Opening Ceremonies
10:00 am - 11:00 am - Plenary Roundtable I
E-Commerce and Other Strategies For Turning Intellectual Property Protection into Investment Opportunities
11:00 am - 11: 15 am- Coffee Break
11:15 am - 12:30 pm - Intellectual Property Rights and the Internet: Digital Distribution and the Technological Threat to Intellectual Property
Breakout Roundtable B Establishing a Workable Enforcement System under TRIPS: Practical Problems and Potential Solutions
Break Out Roundtable C Adapting "Hard" Goods Enforcement Techniques to Cyberspace
2:45 pm -4:00 pm - Breakout Roundtable D
Legal and Technological Obstacles to Protecting Intellectual Property in the Digital Age: Practical Problems and Realistic Solutions
Break Out Roundtable E
Copyright and the WIPO Treaties: Protecting Content on the Internet
Breakout Roundtable A
4:15 pm-5:30 pm - Break Out Roundtable F
Creating an Effective Enforcement Program With Limited Resources: Some Models for Facilitating Information and Resource Sharing
Break Out Roundtable G
Prevention v. Cure: Creating Effective Educational and Public Awareness Enforcement Campaigns
Tuesday, SEPTEMBER 12
9:00 am - 10:30 am - Plenary Roundtable II
Resolving Domain Name Problems in Cyberspace
10:30 am - 10:45 am - Coffee Break
10:45 am - 12:30 pm - Break Out Roundtable H
Technology Transfers and The Ins and Outs of Licensing
Break Out Roundtable J
Trademark Counterfeiting and the Net: Enforcing Rights on the Internet Frontier
2:45 pm -3:45 pm - Plenary Roundtable III
Future Issues in Intellectual Property Enforcement: Technology Patents and Confidential Information
3:45 pm - 4:00 pm - Coffee Break
4:00 pm- 5:15 pm - Plenary Roundtable IV
An Action Plan for the Future: A Dialogue Among the Participants on Future Problems and Solutions
5:15 pm -5:45 pm - Closing Ceremonies
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm - Closing Reception at Capitol Hill
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