The 2023 AIPPI World Congress comes to Istanbul, the crossroads of Europe and Asia

I hope you will join me and IP professionals from around the world for networking, a high quality educational programme, lively debate and constructive, relevant and topical resolutions on IP laws at the 2023 AIPPI World Congress in Istanbul, to be held 22-25 October 2023! Registration opens on Tuesday 9 May 2023, so secure your spot and book now. There are a total of 16 panel sessions, four Pharma day sessions, sessions dedicated to Study Questions and a proposed Standing Committee Resolution, three Lunch panel sessions and 14 AIPPI cafés and many networking events; please consult the programme for the full list.

The Congress will be held just 3 months after the new UPC court opens its doors, and there will be an opportunity to hear about experiences so far with the new system. In addition, AIPPI’s very successful series of UPC mock trials will continue in Istanbul, with the topic being preliminary injunctions.

The Pharma day sessions will include a session to discuss European regulatory reform proposals. There is also a series of sessions dedicated to a proposed Resolution by the Pharma Standing Committee on Bolar exemptions/experimental use defences. Of course, Study Questions will be debated too: this year the topics are the Doctrine of Equivalents, Proving Trade Mark Use, Collecting Societies and Responsibility of Online Marketplaces for Online Infringement. AIPPI’s activities during the last year in promoting and working on new treaties in Design law and Genetic Resources/Traditional Knowledge (GRTK) are complemented by panel sessions in Istanbul featuring design law topics as well as GRTK.

Networking is an important element of an AIPPI Congress. In relation to that I would draw your attention to the AIPPI Cafes that will be organised – with lively and interactive discussion – and also the Lunch sessions: IP & Popcorn (i.e. IP issues in the film industry), and IP in the video gaming industry. Of course there will be a cultural evening at the Binbirdirek Sarnıcı and a closing gala dinner at the Hilton Istanbul Bomonti Hotel & Conference Center.

On behalf of the entire Bureau, I welcome you to Istanbul and look forward to seeing you there.