Wednesday 18 June

08.00-18.30 Registration and Information Desk
08.30-13.00 Committee Meetings (by invitation only)
08.30-11.15 Professional Affairs Committee
08.30-13.00 Anti-Counterfeiting Committee
Law Committee
09.00-12.30 Design Committee
Internet Committee
10.00-13.00 Geographical Indications Committee
Harmonization Committee
13.00-14.30 Advisory Committee lunch meeting
OHIM-Link Committee lunch meeting
Publications Committee lunch meeting
Membership and Disciplinary Committee lunch meeting
13.00-14.30 Lunch for Council and Committee Members
14.30-18.30 Council Meeting (by invitation only)
14.30-17.30 WORKSHOP - Looking overseas - US trade mark prosecution, opposition and infringement proceedings
Moderator: Jim Bikoff, Member of the ECTA Anti-Counterfeiting Committee, Attorney at Law, Silverberg Goldman & Bikoff LLP, and Chair of the Intellectual Property and Internet Practice Group of the firm, US

Filing a trade mark at the US TM Office (Basis, intent to use, list of g/s, extension of Madrid)
Dwayne K. Goetzel, ECTA Member, Attorney at Law, Meyertons, Hood, Kivlin, Kowert & Goetzel, P.C., US, represented by William Seiter, Seiter Legal Studio, US

The opposition procedure (Basis, costs, discovery, time, risks)
Curtis Krechevsky, Partner and Chair of Trademark & Copyright Department, Cantor Colburn LLP, US
16.00-16.15 Coffee Break
16.15-17.30 WORKSHOP (continued)
Infringement Proceedings
Paul Fields, ECTA Member, Attorney at Law, Leason Ellis LLP, US

Discussion with the audience
20.30-midnight Welcome Reception - offered by OHIM

Dress Code: Cocktail Attire

Thursday 19 June

08.00-18.30 Registration and Information desk
08.45-09.10 Annual General Meeting
09.10-09.30 Celebrating the 20th CTM Anniversary
Welcome
Domenico de Simone, ECTA President, Attorney at Law, European Intellectual Property Attorney, De Simone & Partners, IT

António Campinos, President of OHIM, ES

Mireia Curell, ECTA Organizing Committee, Curell Suñol SLP, ES
Luis de Larramendi, ECTA Organizing Committee, Elzaburu SLP, ES
Luis-Alfonso Durán, ECTA Organizing Committee, Durán-Corretjer SLP, ES

F. Peter Müller, ECTA First Vice-President, Müller Schupfner & Partner, DE
09.30-10.45 Latest strategies and steps for clearing, filing and obtaining an EU Trade Mark
Moderator: Luis-Alfonso Durán, ECTA Past President, Durán-Corretjer SLP, ES

STEP 1: Clearing Strategies:
  • Searching tools available at CTM and national and international level;
  • Where to search;
  • How to search;
  • Analysis of results;
  • Post search strategies i.e.: National, CTM and/or Madrid filing.

Tanya Fickenscher-Leonard, Head Global Trademarks, Sandoz International GmbH, DE and
Laurent Nowak, French & European Trademark and Design Attorney, Cabinet Plasseraud, FR

Discussion with the audience
10.45-11.15 Coffee Break
11.15-13.00 Latest strategies and steps for clearing, filing and obtaining an EU Trade Mark
Moderator: Keith Hodkinson, ECTA Council Member, Patent and Trademark Attorney, Marks & Clerk, UK

STEP 2: Filing Strategies
  • The sign: word mark, script, labels, packaging, 3D, colour / black & white etc.;
  • The goods/services: class headings, specific, broad, how many classes, etc.;
  • National, CTM (direct/Madrid), Madrid, etc., priority claim, seniority claim;
  • Negotiations and agreements with other parties (before or after filing, wait for opposition, etc.);
  • Seniority Claim;
  • CTM/CD or both.

Mei-lan Stark FOX Entertainment, INTA President, US and
Karla Hughes, Solicitor, Hogan Lovells, Alicante S.L. & Cia., ES

STEP 3: Obtaining Strategies

Examination

  • Motivation of objections. Who has the burden of the proof?;
  • Arguments and evidences;
  • The acquired distinctiveness burden;
  • Geographic names;
  • Unconventional trade marks (3D, packaging).

Opposition Applicant’s perspective

  • Negotiations to settle. Limitation, coexistence agreements.
  • Request of proof of use
  • Conversion alternatives
  • How to draft a convincing reply

Opposition Opponent`s perspective

  • Negotiations to settle. Limitation, coexistence agreements;
  • Request of proof of use;
  • Conversion alternatives;
  • How to draft a convincing reply.

OHIM

  • Examination procedure of opposition.
  • How examiners analyze the arguments of parties and deliberate before adopting a decision
  • Recommendations to users

Dr. Nikolaos Lyberis, ECTA Council Member, Attorney at Law, Vayanos Kostopoulos, Member of the Board of Directors of the Greek Patent Office (OBI), GR
Lia Young, Attorney, Trade Marks, Law and Public Policy, Legal Services Division, Caterpillar Legal Services, UK and
Karin Kuhl, Head of Service Quality Matters and Cancellation (OD), OHIM, ES

Discussion with the audience
13.00-14.30 Lunch
14.30-15.00 How to catch the pirates - criminal aspects of trade mark infringement and how to involve police forces
Moderator: Jordi Güell, ECTA Council Member and Member of the ECTA Anti-Counterfeiting Committee, Attorney at Law, Curell Suñol SLP, ES

Rosella Mangion, Legal Officer, INTERPOL, FR

Discussion with the audience
15.00-16.00 CASE LAW UPDATE I - OHIM and EC Case Law
Moderator: Alexander von Mühlendahl, Bardehle Pagenberg, DE

Julio Laporta, Head of Service, Legal Practice (ICLAD) OHIM, ES and
Christoph Bartos, Member of the Boards of Appeal, OHIM, ES

Discussion with the audience
16.00-16.30 Coffee Break
16.30-18.00 CASE LAW UPDATE II – EC and ECJ
Moderator: Alexander von Mühlendahl, Bardehle Pagenberg, DE

Developments in dilution law, in particular after the recent Wolf decision by the ECJ and how to maintain rights to a mark, Prof. Charles Gielen, Professor in IP law at Groningen University and of Counsel at NautaDutilh, NL

Impact of EC and ECJ case law on national jurisprudence, Prof. Annette Kur, Max Planck Institute, DE

Overview of recent EC and ECJ decisions, Achim Bender, Attorney at Law, Vossius und Partner, DE

Discussion with the audience
18.30-19.45 ECTA Committee Chairs meeting (by invitation only)
20.00-Midnight Dinner at La Cantera

Next to the sea in a privileged area of the Alicante bay, a dinner party in a relaxing atmosphere on a magnificent terrace.

Dress Code: Smart Casual

Friday 20 June

08.00-18.30 Registration and Information desk
09.00-10.15 Legislative Package
Moderator: Joe Cohen, Member of the ECTA Anti-Counterfeiting Committee, Solicitor, Collyer Bristow LLP, UK

Christoph Ernst, Deputy Director General, Division of Commercial and Economic Law, Federal Ministry of Justice and for Consumer Protection, DE

François Arbault, Head of Unit, DG Internal Market, European Commission, BE

Lawyers Perspective, Oscar Benito, Vice-Chair of the ECTA Law Committee, Assistant General Counsel – Legal: Global Trade Marks, GSK, UK

Discussion with the audience
10.15-10.45 Coffee Break
10.45.11.30 Do we need IP Rights in a modern world? Why trade marks and what about lookalikes and trade dress
Moderator: Max Oker-Blom, ECTA Secretary General, Adjunct Professor, Hanken School of Economics

Prof. Manuel Desantes, Elzaburu SLP, ES

Discussion with the audience
11.30.13.00 OHIM, National Offices and the Practitioners – any competition around? The Law Firm and Advertising - Fire and Water?
Moderator: James Nurton, Managing Intellectual Property Magazine (MIP), UK

Information Services of OHIM
Inge Buffolo, Head of Service, Institutional Relations (ICLAD), OHIM, ES

Services of National Offices
Patricia García-Escudero, Director General of the Spanish Patent and Trade Mark Office, ES

10 Reasons why trade mark and design practitioners are still needed despite legal services of National Offices and OHIM
Shane Smyth, Member of the ECTA Design Committee, Attorney at Law, FRKelly, IE

Membership in IP Associations - advantages and challenges
Etienne Sanz de Acedo, Chief Executive Officer of INTA, US

Discussion with the audience
13.00-14.30 Lunch
14.30-16.00 Trade Mark Enforcement "on the rim" of the EU
Moderator: Marius Schneider, Chair of the ECTA Anti-Counterfeiting Committee, Member of the European Observatory of Infringements of Intellectual Property Rights, Cruyplants Eloy Wagemans & Partners, BE

Counterfeit goods in transit – where do we stand where do we go?
Luigi Sansone, ECTA Council Member and Member of the ECTA Anti-Counterfeiting and Professional Affairs Committees, Attorney at Law, Salomone, Sansone & Co., MT

Small consignments of counterfeit goods
Christophe Maillefer, Member of the ECTA Anti-Counterfeiting Committee, Attorney at Law, Gros & Waltenspühl, CH

The secret paths of counterfeiters
Sozos-Christos Theodoulou, ECTA Council Member and Chair of the ECTA Professional Affairs Committee, Intellectual Property Agent and Attorney at Law, The Law Offices of Dr. Christos A. Theodoulou, CY

Observatory of intellectual property right infringements – has there been progress now that the Observatory is in Alicante?
Paul Maier, Director of the EU Observatory on infringements of intellectual property rights, OHIM, ES

16.00-17.00 20th Anniversary Surprise Session and Summary - Another 20 years to come
Moderator: F. Peter Müller, ECTA First Vice-President, Müller Schupfner & Partner, DE
20.00-Midnight Gala Dinner at Jardines de Abril

Jardines de Abril offers an environment that perfectly describes the name of the property. Flowers, plants, trees and fountains are harmoniously united , perfect for a gala dinner

Dress Code: Dark Suit