The IP and Competition Forum is returning for the ninth time this year, being held on the 18^th & 19^th June at the Justizpalast (Palace of Justice) in Munich. This beautiful setting will host over 160 key decisionmakers and experts from the judiciary, policy circles, industry and academia as we discuss the most important topics in IP and competition. To secure your place at this landmark event, please get in touch with us at info@oxfirst.com or visit our website for more details.

Topics will include:

• The UPC and Litigation Strategy
• Artificial Intelligence
• FRAND and Standard Essential Patents
• Recent Case Law and Implications for Licensing
• Life Sciences IP

This year’s Forum has several highlights: we will be joined by judges from the UPC, Germany and the UK; experts addressing AI and other next generation technologies, and an exciting expansion of the Forum.

Several judges have already confirmed their attendance at the 9^th IP and Competition Forum, including judges from the UPC, the Munich Regional Court, and the Patent High Court of England & Wales. As in previous years, these senior judges will be sharing with us their expertise through a series of keynote speeches and panel discussions. This is a unique opportunity to hear first-hand from the judiciary of several jurisdictions in one place, to ask questions and gain insights unavailable anywhere else.

The UPC continues to build momentum, with over 200 cases already filed with the Court and the 9^th IP and Competition Forum will be addressing how this landmark institution changes patent litigation and management strategies across the continent and globally. Cases before the Court have so far included telecommunication SEPs, medical technologies, the life sciences, consumer electronics, electric vehicles, and chip technologies, and the Forum draws together experts from across these sectors alongside legal professionals with first-hand experience of the UPC and its operation. Through several panel discussions, this expertise will be on display and new insights brought to the fore from which all will benefit. Coupled with UPC judges, the 9^th IP and Competition Forum is the place for understanding the UPC.

The rise of Next Generation Technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Blockchain and the Internet of Things (IoT) will also be a focus of attention at the Forum. The EU’s landmark AI act is on the horizon, and OxFirst has previous considered this first-of-its-kind legislation from a patent perspective. Simultaneously, AI has already come into conflict with Copyright protections, as discussed in a recent OxFirst webinar, in a theme that is only likely to become more common into the future as business, policymakers and innovators grapple with how AI and IP should work together. Next generation technologies will have an enormous impact on global markets and the way these technologies interact with existing IP systems is a crucial question.

Equally, criteria for patentability in the life sciences continue to be a big question. Special Protection certificates, pharma disputes and what qualifies as a patent in the life sciences, will be crucial questions that deserve further debate.

The 9^th IP and Competition Forum will gather experts from industry, academia and the legal world to address the risks and opportunities to which AI and other next generation technologies give rise.

Don’t miss out and join in. Visit us at info@oxfirst.com or visit our website for more details.