TRIPs: 10 years later A Conference to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the conclusion of the WTO TRIPs Agreement
EUROPEAN COMMISSION, Directorate-General for Trade, Brussels, 23/24 June 2004
Registration (no charge): http://scic.cec.eu.int/scic/owa/WEB_MTKF.reg_form?confID=04TRADETRIPS Tuula Seppä, puh./työ -32-2-2995476, e-mail: tuula.seppa@scic.cec.be
Official page: http://europa.eu.int/comm/trade/issues/sectoral/intell_property/pr110604_en.htm
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=04TRADETRIPS. 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
PROGRAMME
IMPORTANT NOTICE: This programme is subject to changes. (*) indicates speakers to be confirmed
23 June 2004
14:30-15:00 Opening Address by Pascal Lamy, EU Trade Commissioner
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
18h00: Reception
24 June 2004
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 Comité 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
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
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
16:30 - 17:00: Final Wrap-up and Concluding Remarks by Pascal Lamy
End of Conference
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
PLEASE READ ALL INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY
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)
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.
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=04TRADETRIPS. Deadline for registrations: 4 June 2004. A confirmation letter will be sent to all participants registered by this deadline. The conference language is English.
Web streaming
The conference will be broadcast worldwide via the Internet (see Conference Web-page).
Fees
There are no registration fees for this conference.
Lunch
The European Commission invites participants to lunch at the conference venue on 24 June.
Cocktail
Participants are invited to a cocktail on 23 June 2004 immediately after the afternoon session.
Travel and accommodation
Participants have to organise their own travel and accommodation; the European Commission will not reimburse these expenses.
Organisation
European Commission, Directorate General for Interpretation, B-1049 Brussels, Contact: Mrs T. Seppä 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
Protection of personal data
A request to attend the above conference means that certain personal data concerning each participant will have to be handled by the Directorate-General TRADE, in conformity with Regulation (EC) 45/2001. By registering, a participant gives his or her agreement to have these personal data handled in the context of the conference. In accordance with the dispositions of the above regulation, the following precisions must be borne in mind: Data controller: Mr. Philippe Ruys DG TRADE A.4 Office: CHAR 8/62 Reason for handling the personal data: to permit certain actions to be carried out (serving as the basis for the list of participants to be distributed to all attendees at the conference). Right of access to personal data: participants have the right to access their own data which will be kept until the next conference. 13.
Hotels with special price arrangements
Participants may consider booking a room ? subject to availability - in one of the following hotels near the Conference centre Charlemagne (the following reference should be mentioned): Ref. EC Conference « TRIPs Agreement », Brussels, 23-24 June 2004
CHELTON HOTEL Rue Véronèse 48 B-1000 Brussels Tel. +32 2 735.20.32 Fax +32 2 735.07.66 e-mail: cheltonhotel@swing.be
Single room with breakfast, taxes et service: ? 120,00 Double room with breakfast, taxes et service: ? 138,00
FIRST EUROFLAT HOTEL Boulevard Charlemagne 50 B-1000 Brussels Tel. +32 2 230.00.10 Fax +32 2 230.36.83 e-mail: reservation@hoteleuroflat.be
Single room with breakfast, taxes et service: ? 123,00
HOTEL EUROVILLAGE Boulevard Charlemagne 80 B ? 1000 Brussels Tel. +32 2 230.85.55 Fax +32 2 230.56.35 e-mail: reservation@eurovillage.be
Single room with breakfast, taxes and service: ? 131,00 Double room with breakfast, taxes and service: ? 162,00
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