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The conference comes timely at the beginning of the German Presidency of the European Union and the G-8, which will put intellectual property issues high on the political agenda in the first semester of 2007. It coincides also with the finalization of the new EU trade strategy on the “Global Competitiveness of the EU” in which enforcement of intellectual property rights are branded as key to secure jobs and economic growth.
But what is the real economic value of intellectual property? What are the effects of IP enforcement on innovation and knowledge flows? Who gains, who pays? Which role plays the TRIPS agreement (Trade-Related Intellectual Property) or other legal systems? Will innovation and inventive activities stop, if there is no gratification through patents? Are their alternatives promoting the sharing of knowledge?
The aim of the conference is to to get a more in-depth understanding of the real economic dimension of intellectual property regimes, in order to take a qualified position on the various policy initiatives presently discussed. Its focus will be policy-oriented.
15:00 - 15:30 Welcome and Introduction
Chair: Frithjof Schmidt, Green MEP, Germany
15:30 - 17:00 Panel 1: The TRIPS economics of "Intellectual Property" and its effects on the flow of knowledge
Chair: Frithjof Schmidt, Green MEP, Germany
James Love Director of Consumer Project Technology (CPTech), Transatlantic Consumer Dialogue, Washington DC
Harvey Bale Secretary-General of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturer Association (IFPMA), Geneva
Discussion
17:00 - 18:30 Panel 2: Knowledge Ownership and Sustainable Development
Chair: Alain Lipietz, Green MEP, France
Alejandro Neyra, Permanent Mission of Peru in Geneva * or
Begoña Venero, National Commission against Biopiracy, Peru *
The effects of patents on the use of traditional knowledge and the protection of biodiversity
Peter Einarsson, GRAIN, Sweden
The development impact of "Access and Benefit Sharing"
Discussion
9:00 - 10:30 Panel 3: The Policy of Intellectual Property
Chair: Caroline Lucas, Green MEP, UK
Neth Dano, Third World Network (TWN), The Phillipines
The Paradigm clash on ownership between CBD and TRIPS
Charles Clift, Department for International Development (DfiD), UK
What governs TRIPS, what shall govern Intellectual Property?
Discussion
10:30 - 12:30 Roundtable: Towards an economy of knowledge sharing
Chair: Eva Lichtenberger, Green MEP, Austria
Lead question:
How can we imagine a system of incentives that is promoting innovation and access to knowledge, while at the same time providing protection of knowledge and opportunities for the economic marketing of innovations?
Practitioners from different fields as participants:
– Séverine Dusollier, Professor, University of Namur, Belgium
– Pieter Hintjes, CEO, iMatix, Belgium
– Philippe Aigrain, CEO, Sopinspace, Société pour les espaces publics d’information
– Thomas Gebauer, Medico International, Germany
– Representative of a member of the EU Association of Small/Medium Industries (UAPME) *
* to be confirmed
European Parliament, Brussels
Room 1 G 2, ASP Building,