BOEHMERT & BOEHMERT

Lecture on "International Patent Protection" for the VDMA Association of Wood Processing Industry
BOEHMERT & BOEHMERT partner Dr Karl Heinz Metten gave a speech for the VDMA Working Group of the Association of Wood Processing Industry on the subject of "International Patent Protection" on 10 November 2011 at Pollmeier, a company based in Creuzburg near Eisenach. The issue is of particular importance for SMEs.

Combination seminar: “Copyright law” - with Prof. Dr. J. B. Nordemann and Dr. Ch. Czychowski
The German Lawyers Academy will be hosting two complementary seminars in Cologne on 11th and 12th November 2011. On 11th November Prof. Dr. Jan Bernd Nordemann will conduct a seminar entitled “Introduction to copyright law”. On 12th November Dr. Christian Czychowski and Prof. Dr. Nordemann will lead a study of “Legislation and jurisprudence” and shed light on current developments in copyright law. The two events will each last a day and will be held in Cologne this year.
Copyright law at German national and international level has undergone reform over recent years (“2nd Basket” and implementation of the EU Enforcement Directive). The “3rd Basket” is being discussed at present. Seminar participants will study individual issues that are of practical relevance and look at how recent cases illuminate principles of current copyright law. Both seminars are aimed at lawyers, publishing staff, music and film production companies, radio and television corporations, internet and software firms, advertising and design companies, associations and collection societies. Further information is available from: www.anwaltakademie.de

Attorney Olaf Wolters to host the "DACH forum".
The 5th DACH forum "Responsibility on the Internet" will be held in Berlin from 22 to 23 November 2011. The forum is organised jointly by the German Federation Against Copyright Theft (GVU), the Austrian Anti-Piracy Association for Film and Video (VAP) and the Swiss Anti-Piracy Federation (SAFE). BOEHMERT & BOEHMERT partner Olaf Wolters will host the podium discussion "Responsibility on the Internet: Who must contribute what?" to be held on 22 November. Olaf Wolters is a Berlin-based attorney and expert in digital media law, media regulation and Internet. DACH is an alliance of anti-piracy organisations from Germany, Austria and Switzerland for the film and entertainment industry. It supports these organisations in pursuing copyright infringement by gathering and publishing knowledge and information about security technology, services and best practice. The event will be held in Kalkscheune Berlin www.kalkscheune.de .

Dr Czychowski to give BASE_camp lecture.
BOEHMERT & BOEHMERT partner Dr Christian Czychowski will give a speech for the Friedrich Naumann Foundation on 24 November 2011 entitled "Nothing New on the Net - or is there?: Are there laws which can't be implemented? The right to information under § 101 Copyright Act (Urheberrechtsgesetz, UrhG). The speech, followed a discussion, will take place within the BASE-camp lecture series.
BASE_camp is an initiative launched by E-Plus Group and is an "open stage for impulses in the field of digital publishing, start-up culture, Internet policy and mobile living." It is conceived as an "analogue space for digital networks, a think-tank at the interface between industry, media, research and culture". The event will begin at 7 p.m., BASE_camp, Unter den Linden 10, 10117 Berlin, www.base.de/basecamp.

Dr Czychowski explains the "Creator Principle" at the University of Bayreuth.
"What remains of the creator principle in digitally creative networks?" - This question is addressed by BOEHMERT & BOEHMERT partner Dr Christian Czychowski on 27 November 2011 in a lecture to be held at the University of Bayreuth. He will give a public lecture within the scope of the "Intellectual Property and Public Domain" event organised as part of the DFG Research Training Group initiative. The lecture will consider whether the continental European copyright regime has reached its limits. The lecture will be held between 12 and 1 p.m. at the University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstrasse 30, 95440 Bayreuth. Details to follow at http://gkrw.uni-bayreuth.de/index.php?id=7&tx_mininews_pi1[showUid]=60&cHash=7c3f72056d

New: "Foundation of Patent Law" by BOEHMERT & BOEHMERT in Munich, on 28 November 2011
BOEHMERT & BOEHMERT is now offering a free seminar on "Patent Law and Medium-Sized Companies" which goes beyond the scope of a traditional lecture series.  

Date and venue: 28 November 2011 in Hotel Le Meridien, Bayerstr. 41, 80335 Munich.  

The seminar is aimed at medium-sized companies with and without prior knowledge in this field. Patent attorneys Nils T.F. Schmid, Dr Andreas Lucke, Christian Appelt, Dr Michael Hartig and Dr Jan B. Krauss will introduce participants to various aspects of patent law. Issues covered include "When does a patent make sense? Aids to Decision-making for Medium-sized Companies", "Patent Registration Strategies - Defence Strategies", "Patent Requirements - Innovation and Inventive Activity" and "Employee Inventions - Efficient Handling". The seminar begins at 3 p.m. and ends at 6 p.m. with subsequent get-together. Further information and registration documents can be obtained from the Munich office (Tel: 089 – 55 96 80) or directly from Mr Nils T.F. Schmid.

Dr Winkler to speak on "Patents in Biotechnology" at EPA seminar in Amman.
A seminar on "Patents in Biotechnology" will take place on 28 and 29 November in Amman, Jordan. The seminar is organised by the Agadir Technical Unit in collaboration with the European Patent Office. BOEHMERT & BOEHMERT partner Dr Andreas Winkler will speak on both days as part of the seminar. He will address: „How to structure a biotech application”, “Controlling risks and costs in Intellectual Property including thoughts on Freedom-to-Operate (FTO)”, "Supplementary Protection Certificates (SPCs)" as well as aspects of “Litigation (invalidation and infringement proceedings)”.

Franco-German Debate Series on "Freedom on the Web" with Prof Jan B. Nordemann.
On 29 November 2011, the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) will hold a "Franco-German Debate Series on Public Policy" on "Internet Regulation in the Digital Era". The debate will focus on freedom on the Internet and its limits. BOEHMERT & BOEHMERT partner Prof Jan Bernd Nordemann will participate in the debate, as will Olivier Henrard, Member of the Conseil d'Etat, Advisor to the French President for Culture, Cultural Industries, Information Technology and Media and Stephan Urbach from the Pirate Party, Berlin.
The event is organised jointly by the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), the Institute français, Germany, and the Association of German ENA Graduates.  The German Council for Foreign Relations (DGAP) is a national network for foreign policy which aims to encourage awareness of foreign relations in Germany. The event will be simultaneously translated in German and French and begins at 7:30 p.m. It will be held in the DGAP building in Rauchstrasse 17/18 in 10787 Berlin. Interested participants must register with the DGAP by 24.11.2011.

EPO Specialist Convention with speech by Dr M. Engelhard.
On 8 December 2011, Forum MedTech Pharma e.V. in collaboration with the European Patent Office (EPO) held a Specialist Convention on "Solution Strategies for Patent Disputes". Patent disputes can be expensive and even threaten the very existence of small and medium-sized companies. Experts speaking at the Convention explained the legal aspects of patent disputes and the possibilities for solution. Finally, various prophylactic measures were presented. Here, BOEHMERT & BOEHMERT partner and patent lawyer Dr Markus Engelhard held a speech entitled "Legal dispute, risks and chances of success" and explained various options. The speech is available for download for members and participants in the workshop at:  http://www.medtech-pharma.de/deutsch/events/2011/patente.aspx

This year BOEHMERT & BOEHMERT will once more be organising the intensive workshop, "Obtaining, Enforcing and Evaluating Intellectual Property Rights in Europe”.  It will take place between 28th June to 07th July in Munich, divided into two parts – patent law and trademark law.  Content, workshop program and registration papers are available to download here (as pdf file in English).