If it is October, it must be time again for Ambassador Clark T. Randt Jr's Roundtable Discussion on Intellectual Property Rights in China. This year's event will take place at the Grand Hyatt Beijing, starting on the evening of October 23 and running through October 24. Go here to register and for more information. Hat tip to Asia Business Intelligence Blog for coming up with this one. What email list is he on that he is always beating me to the punch on government events on China IP?
The draft agenda reveals that Stephan Lang of the U.S Consulate in Guangzhou will be the Master of Cermonies, U.S. Ambassador Clark T. Randt, Jr., will be giving the opening remarks, and Jon Dudas Jon Dudas, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, will be giving the Keynote.
The first panel will be a "China-Based Industry Overview and Directions Embassy Should Take on IPR (Part I)." It will be moderated by Barry Friedman, from the U.S. Commercial Service and will have on the panel the following people on the panel:
Jeremie Waterman, from AmCham
Jack Chang, from the Quality Brands Protection Committee
Jeffrey Schultz, from the R&D-based Pharmaceutical Association in China
There will then be another panel on the same issues, moderated by Chris Adams from USTR and with the following people:
Greg Shea (whom I know and can vouch for as both knowing his stuff and knowing how to convey it in a very interesting way) from the U.S. Information Technology Office.
Eric Smith, from the Copyright Industry Overview (IIPA)
The third panel is entitled "Trends in Intellectual Property Enforcement And Suggestions For USG Support or Involvement." Chris Israel, International IP Enforcement Coordinator will be moderating and the topics to be covered will include,
· Fake and Shoddy/Counterfeit Goods and IPR
· Internet and its Threat to U.S. Rights Holders
· Civil Enforcement and Pharmaceutical Industry Challenges
· Counterfeit Agricultural Products (Crop Life)
This panel will include Elizabeth Lam and George Fuller
Conrad Wong from the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou will be the Master of Ceremonies for the afternoon session.
The next panel will be on "Illustrative Cases - Ways to Protect and Enforce IP in China" and will be modereated by Lisa Rigoli, of the Trade Facilitation Office. The topics for this panel will likely include the following:
· Combating International IPR Crime: Experience of Nike – Bill Wei
· Trade Fair Infringements (TBD)
· Fake Markets and Landlord Liability (TBD)
· Company Name Infringements (TBD)
The fourth panel will be on "IPR Directions for the Future - Legislation and National IP Strategies and U.S. Government Support" and will start out with a speech by John Sullivan, General Counsel, U.S. Department of Commerce, on “Commercial Rule of Law Reform and Intellectual Property Advancement in China.” Mark Cohen (who I have heard speak and who is really good) will moderate with the following panelists on the following issues:
· Patent Law Reform (QBPC, IPO) (Sam Li, Rohm and Haas)
· Trademark Law Reform (INTA or QBPC)
· Copyright Law Reform (Yun Xuan, GE Universal)
· Criminal Law Reform (Joe Simone/IACC)
· Trade Secret Law/ Unfair Competition Law (TBC)
· Reform of China’s Civil Process (TBC)
The fifth panel will be on "China’s Industrial and Intellectual Property Policy: How this Affects U.S. Companies and How Should the Embassy Respond?" It will be moderated by Eric Madison of the Economics Section and have the following panelists and issues:
· Antitrust and Standards: Nate Bush, O’Melveney & Meyers
· Tech Transfer Policy: Dr. Thomas Pattloch, European Commission
· Market Access and IPR Protection: TBC
The last panel entitled, "The View from Washington: IP Policy and the Role of Rights Holders" will be moderated by Bob Poole of the USCBC and will have the following panelists and topics:
· WTO/JCCT and Other Trade-Related Activities: USTR - Stan McCoy
· Federal Bureau of Investigation: Dep. Asst Director Sean Henry
· Customs Cooperation: Customs and Border Protection (TBC)
· USPTO Engagement: USPTO (Lois Boland or Elaine Wu, TBC)
The conference will conclude with a Q&A and then Mark Cohen will give a summary and conclusions and set forth the "U.S. Embassy’s View of the Year Ahead and Next Steps."
Enough great people and topics to last a week, so one day ought to be quite a ride. I will be in Hong Kong for depositions from October 17 through the 21st so I may just drop over to Beijing for a look.