A Congress with eyes fixed on the future
It’s not long before the 43rd ABPI International Intellectual Property Congress takes place from the 20th to the 22nd of August in Rio de Janeiro. The largest of its kind in Latin America, in the year in which the ABPI celebrates its 60th anniversary, the Congress takes place under the sign of the future. It is no coincidence that the opening of the event, on Sunday, the 20th, will have technology strategist Crystal Washington, listed by Forbes among the top 50 global female futurists, as a keynote speaker. But, there’s so much more.
During three days, renowned specialists, from Brazil and abroad, will gather to discuss, from the perspective of Intellectual Property – trademarks, patents, copyright, technology transfer, industrial design –, the most relevant themes that impact contemporary society: diversity and social inclusion, artificial intelligence, innovation, economics, among others.
It is no exaggeration to say that the participants of this year’s Congress, which will take place in a hybrid format (face-to-face and online), are part of the world’s cream of Intellectual Property. Starting with Kathi Vidal, number one at the USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office), the second largest Intellectual Property office on the planet, with over 13,000 employees and an annual budget of over US$4 billion.
Among the illustrious presences of Congress in the jurisdictional field, Minister Luís Roberto Barroso, vice-president of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), who was invited to the lunch-lecture, on Monday, 21, on “Social Media, Artificial Intelligence and the challenges for the Law”. Another emblematic presence in this area is that of Klaus Grabinski, president of the Unified Patent Court (UPC) Appeals Court, who will speak, on Tuesday, 22nd, in Panel 8, on the performance of this court.
In the regulatory sphere of IP, it is worth mentioning the speech by the president of the INPI (National Institute of Industrial Property), Júlio César Moreira, on the “National IP Plan”, at Plenary I, on Monday, 21.
The presence of representatives of think tanks from the world of Intellectual Property only confirms the importance of the Congress. Etienne Sanz de Acedo, CEO of INTA (International Trademark Association), the largest brand association in the world, will speak on Tuesday, 22, at Plenary 2, on “Intellectual Property of the Future” alongside Sherif Saadallah, Executive Director of WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization).
The president of LIDC (International League of Competition Law), Christophe Rapin, is the speaker of Panel 3, on Monday, 21st, with the theme “Digital Services Act and Competition Law”. The same panel will feature the Chief Prosecutor of CADE (Administrative Council for Economic Defense), Juliana Domingues.
The Congress, whose anchor theme is “IP as an inducer of social equality”, is well represented by Reinaldo Bulgarelli, executive secretary of the Forum of Companies and LGBTI+ Rights. Bulgarelli, guest at the lunch-lecture, on Tuesday, 22, on “LGBTQIA+: respect for rights and inclusive environment as promoters of equity”. The event, exclusive to those registered for the face-to-face congress, was organized by the ABPI Diversity and Inclusion Committee.
The mentioned names do not exhaust the important participants of the 43rd Congress. We will have many other top stars present at the event, including government officials, members of the judiciary, academics and representatives of companies such as Bayer, Embrapa, ArentFox, Ericsson, UPL, Globo and Motion Picture, among others.
Check out the full schedule of lectures and all the highlights of the event.