[Ecommerce] TRIPS 10 years later conference organised by the EC - 23-24 June 2004

Tue May 11 10:25:12 2004

For your information, here is copy of an EC announcment.

The conference is supposed to address such burning issues as:
- Have developing countries experienced TRIPS as an obstacle or a booster
for development?
- Are there conflicts between IPRs and Human  Rights?
- Are intellectual property rights marginalising the public domain?
- Do IPRs on biotechnology lead to Privatisation of Life and Natural
Resources?
- IPRs and the knowledge society: friends or foes?

As the programme stands, I am afraid that Tim (Hubbard) and Vandana Shiva w=
ill
be a bit alone to present one side of the views. I hope Lawrence Lessig
(curiously presented as "Open software activist" will confirm), or can be
substituted by someone else.

It is remarkable than Panel 4 "Outlook to the future of TRIPs: How to ensur=
e
an appropriate IPR System in a globalised economy? " has no pro-commons
representative.

Philippe Aigrain
-----------------------------------------------
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Directorate-General for Trade

TRIPs - ten years later
A Conference to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the conclusion of
the WTO TRIPs Agreement
Brussels, 23/24 June 2004

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Letter from Pascal Lamy, EU Trade Commissioner

This year marks the tenth anniversary of the conclusion of the Marrakesh
Agreement establishing the World Trade Organisation. One of the most
innovative aspects of this global trade agreement was the Agreement on
Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights. Its conclusion
laid the basis for a truly globalised intellectual property regime. At
the same time, its implementation led to the emergence of important
political debates in the WTO, notably on the impact of intellectual
property on the developing world, access to medicines, and the
protection of geographical indications. These debates are a reflection
of the challenges of the global trading system regulated by the WTO.
In order to look back at these ten years and, more importantly, to
examine the prospects for the future, I am organising a conference to be
held in Brussels on 23-24 June 2004. This conference will bring together
influential actors - from industrialists to government representatives,
international organisations, NGOs and academics - with an interest in
intellectual property world wide.  The aim is to assess from the widest
possible number of perspectives the implications of the TRIPs Agreement
and future trends and challenges in global intellectual property
protection.
The Conference is meant to offer a high profile platform to address the
key issues, such as the implications of the TRIPs Agreement for
developing countries, enforcement challenges, the interplay between
intellectual property and human rights, the relationship between
intellectual property and the public domain and the question on whether
the TRIPs Agreement is adequate to the challenges of globalisation and
the knowledge society.
The conference will also enable us to examine issues which are not only
of direct relevance to the global trading system, including the
negotiations in the WTO under the Doha Development Agenda, but also to
sustainable development, transfer of technology and research and
development. The event consists of four panels with high profile
speakers, who will engage in an open debate in which the participants
will be invited to participate actively.
I would very much like to invite you to attend this conference. Your
participation is free of charge, but upon prior registration.
A draft programme of the conference is enclosed for your convenience.
I would kindly invite you to register by 4 June 2004 at the latest,
using the electronic inscription form at
http://scic.cec.eu.int/scic/owa/WEB_MTKF.reg_form?confID=3D04TRADETRIPS. I
draw your attention to the fact that the number of participants is
limited to 450, and that registrations will be treated on a
first-come-first-serve basis.
Please follow carefully the instructions set out on the following pages.
I look forward to your reply and to seeing you on this occasion.
    Yours sincerely,

    Pascal LAMY
------------------------------------------------------------------------

CONFERENCE PROGRAMME
IMPORTANT NOTICE: This programme is subject to changes.
* indicates speakers to be confirmed
1. 23 June 2004
1.1.14:30-15:00 Opening Address by Pascal Lamy, EU Trade Commissioner
1.2.15:00-18:00 Panel 1: Ten years of the TRIPs Agreement: Taking Stock
Moderator: Mr Lars Anell, former ambassador of Sweden to the WTO,
Chairman of the Uruguay Round Negotiating Group on TRIPs.
Questions to be addressed:
What has been the effect of globalising intellectual property rights?
Has the TRIPs Agreement lived up to the expectations?
Have developing countries experienced TRIPS as an obstacle or a booster
for development?
Which problems have been experienced in the implementation of TRIPs?
Have solutions been adequate?
Panellists:
Dr. Supachai Panichpakdi, Director-General, World Trade Organization
Mr. Celso Amorim*, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Brazil Mr. Jean-Pierre
Garnier*, CEO GlaxoSmithKline
Mr. Ricardo Melendez Ortiz, Executive Director of ICTSD, Geneva
Mr. Mogens Peter Carl, Director General for Trade, European Commission,
Former Negotiator of the TRIPs Agreement
Prof. John Barton, Professor of Law, Stanford University, Former
Chairman of the UK Commission on Intellectual Property Rights;
Questions of the floor and debate

1.3.18h00:    Reception
2.24 June 2004 2.1.09:00 - 10h40 Panel 2: Enforcement challenges
Moderator: Dr. Istvan Major, Deputy State Secretary, Former Ambassador
of Hungary to the WTO and former Chairman of the TRIPs Council.
Questions to be addressed:
What are the strengths and weaknesses of the Enforcement mechanisms in
the TRIPs Agreement? How to tackle piracy and counterfeiting?
Costs of non-implementation of TRIPs vs. cost of implementation of TRIPs
Is IP Enforcement really a Priority for Developing Countries?
Is it time for a new strategy for Enforcement of Intellectual Property
Rights?
Panellists: Mrs. Elisabeth Ponsolle des Portes, General Delegate of
Comit=E9 Colbert, France
Mrs. Betty Mould-Iddrisu, Director of the Legal and Constitutional
Affairs Division, Commonwealth Secretariat, London
Mr. Thierry Stoll, Deputy Director General, European Commission,
Internal Market DG Prof. Joseph Straus, Max Planck Institute for
Intellectual Property, Competition and Tax Law, Munich
Mr. Michael Bailey, Senior Policy Advisor, Oxfam
2.2.11.00-13:00 Panel 3 : IPRs, Human Rights and the Public Domain
Moderator: Dr. Istvan Major, Deputy State Secretary, Former Ambassador
of Hungary to the WTO and former Chairman of the TRIPs Council.
Questions to be addressed: Are there conflicts between IPRs and Human
Rights?
Are intellectual property rights marginalising the public domain?
Do IPRs on biotechnology lead to Privatisation of Life and Natural
Resources?
IPRs and the knowledge society: friends or foes?
Intellectual Property Rights and research: Is the Tool serving its Purpose?
Panellists: Mr. Philippe Busquin, EU Research Commissioner Dr. Vandana
Shiva, Founder of the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and
Ecology Mr Feike Sybesma*, Chairman EuropaBio
Prof. Lawrence Lessig*, Stanford University, Open Software activist
Mr. Tim Hubbard, Geneticist, Sanger Institute, Cambridge (UK)

Lunch Break

2.3.14:30 - 16:30 Panel 4: Outlook to the future of TRIPs: How to ensure
an appropriate IPR System in a globalised economy? Moderator: Mr Lars
Anell, former ambassador of Sweden to the WTO, Chairman of the Uruguay
Round Negotiating Group on TRIPs.
Questions to be addressed: Is the TRIPs Agreement adequate to respond to
the challenges of the knowledge society?
Is there a need for restoring the freedom of developing countries to
adopt systems they consider best to advance their economic and social
development needs?
How do we take account of diverse collective preferences? Is the TRIPs
agreement sufficiently flexible?
Is further harmonisation of IP rules a viable option?
Future trends?
Panellists: Mr R.B. Zoellick*, US Trade Representative
Mr. Bo Xilai* Minister of Commerce, China
Mr Ernesto Bertarelli*, CEO, Serono International SA
Mr. Rubens Ricupero, Secretary General, UNCTAD
Mr Geoffrey Yu, Deputy Director General, WIPO Prof. Keith Maskus, Chair
of the Economics Department, University of Colorado

2.4.16:30 - 17:00 Final Wrap-up and Concluding Remarks by Pascal Lamy

2.5.End of Conference

PRACTICAL INFORMATION
PLEASE READ ALL INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY

3.Date and Conference venue
23-24 June 2004, starting at 8.30 a.m.
Charlemagne Conference Centre, Room S3,
Rue de la Loi 170
B-1040 Brussels - Belgium
(Closest metro station / bus stop: Schuman)
4.Welcome Desk
A Welcome Desk will be available to participants on Wednesday 23 June
2004 from 08.30 hrs until the end of the conference.
5.Registration
Participants are requested to register as soon as possible using the
"registration on line" form available at the following URL address:
http://scic.cec.eu.int/scic/owa/WEB_MTKF.reg_form?confID=3D04TRADETRIPS.
Deadline for registrations: 4 June 2004.
A confirmation letter will be sent to all participants registered by
this deadline.
The conference language is English.
6.Web streaming
The conference will be broadcast worldwide via the Internet (see
Conference Web-page).
7.Fees
There are no registration fees for this conference. 8.Lunch
The European Commission invites participants to lunch at the conference
venue on 24 June.
9.Cocktail
Participants are invited to a cocktail on 23 June 2004 immediately after
the afternoon session.
10.Travel and accommodation
Participants have to organise their own travel and accommodation; the
European Commission will not reimburse these expenses. 11.Organisation
European Commission
Directorate General for Interpretation
B-1049 Brussels
Contact: Mrs T. Sepp=E4 or Mrs. C. Cordie
Office: DM-24 1/74 or 1/107
Fax: +32.2.299.19.71 or +32.2.296.49.86
E-mail: tuula.seppa@cec.eu.int  or christine.cordie@cec.eu.int