More IP conferences coming up in London

Copying Without Infringing

This year's popular one-day Copying Without Infringing conference takes place in London on 13 March 2007. Organised by CLT, it addresses the vexed issue of how far a business can make use of another's IP rights before it finds itself liable for infringing them. Is it "fair dealing" or "fair stealing"? IPKat team member Jeremy will be chairing the day's activity. Papers on this year's programme include

* "Open Source Licensing and the Commons", by Slaughter and May double-act David Morris and Martin Cook;

* "Farmers' Rights and the Commercialisation of Biological Materials", by eminent German scholar and practitioner Gert Würtenberger (Wuesthoff & Wuesthoff, Munich);

* "How and When is it Safe to Use a Celebrity's Image?", by Duncan Lamont (Charles Russell).

The IPKat will shortly be announcing a competition to go with this conference, the prize being complimentary admission (and a jolly good lunch). Full programme and booking form here.


Intellectual Property and Competition Law

Left: IP encourages competition, while competition law seems uncomfortable with winners and losers (artwork available from www.art.com)

Six days later, on 19 March 2007, the Intellectual Property and Competition Law conference takes place at the Cafe Royal, near London's Piccadilly Circus. Also organised by CLT, it purports to demystify the interface between those two noble bodies of legal doctrine - though there's always a chance that it might have quite the opposite effect ... IPKat co-bloggie Jeremy is co-chairing and, for his sins, will be giving papers on "The Role of Competition-Based Euro-Defences in IP Litigation" and "Goods in Transit". Other papers include

* "Patent Pools", by Field Fisher Waterhouse partner Charles Whiddington (who is co-chairing the day's programme);

* Abuse of Market Power", by JIPLP editorial board member and Bristows partner Pat Treacy;

* "Agreements to Settle IP Litigation & Delimitation Agreements", from another Field Fisher Waterhouse worthy, David Knight.

Full programme and booking form here.