Third IP Summer Programme staged in Hong Kong

^{Week 2 participants}

The first course week introduced the international, regional and bilateral framework for IP protection and introduced the main principles of IP economics.

Highlights of the first week were the address by Yonov Frederick Agah, Deputy Director-General of the World Trade Organization, the panel session on the future of the global IP system with Ada Leung, Director of the Hong Kong Intellectual Property Department, and a group exercise modelled according to the latest patent dispute between a Swiss pharmaceutical company and the Indian government.

The course modules were taught by distinguished academics and practitioners such as Thomas Cottier (WTI), Peter K. Yu (Drake University), Bryan Mercurio (CUHK), Mathias Schaeli (Swiss IPI) and Arno Hold (WTI/LSE).

Cutting-edge

The second course week provided an insight into the most cutting-edge issues in the field of intellectual property such as the complex relationship with public health, new digital technologies, competition policies, and investment. It also focused on other hot topics like IP enforcement and gave an overview of the latest IP trends in Asia.

The course modules were led by Peter K. Yu (Drake University), Bryan Mercurio (CUHK), Philip F. Monaghan and Stephen Ryan (Hong Kong Competition Commission), Arno Hold (WTI/LSE) and Elliot Papageorgiou (Rouse law firm, Shanghai).

Extracurricular activities included a dim sum tasting, a dinner with spicy Sichuan food, a ride on a historical junk boat followed by a BBQ on a sandy beach, and a farewell reception at the elegant Café Bar Gray on top of the Upper House Hotel.  

The Swiss State Secretariat of Economic Affairs (SECO) and the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI) funded the participation of delegations from Peru, Chile, Vietnam and Tajikistan. The EU-MUTRAP Project funded the participation of nine Vietnamese government officials.