22 April
13:00-18:00 Registration
14:00-16:30 Panel Discussion: IP-Backed Finance: State of Play and Future Perspectives
The panelists will explain existing tools and opportunities for IP to be utilised as a financial asset, analyse barriers to accessing finance based on IP, and identify challenges related to the evaluation of IP assets. Q&A session will be provided.
16:30-17:00 Coffee Break
17:00-18:00 The Intellectual Property Awards of the Patent Office of the Republic of Latvia (LRPV) “Trademark of the Year” and “Visionary”
19:00-21:00 Welcome Reception
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23 April
8:30-9:00 Registration
9:00-9:20 Opening Remarks
09:30-11:00 I Panel: PATENTS | Patent Ringmasters – Steering the UPC’s Emerging Law, Litigation and ADR
The UPC’s Emerging Substantive Patent Law: Inventive Step and Claim Interpretation
As the UPC develops its own body of substantive patent law, important principles are emerging on inventive step and claim interpretation. The session will examine the latest UPC and Court of Appeal case law, with particular attention to the UPC’s evolving approach to inventive step, how it compares with the EPO’s problem-solution approach and established national practices, and whether a distinct UPC standard is emerging. It will also explore the UPC’s evolving principles of claim interpretation and whether a genuinely uniform European approach is taking shape.
Beyond UPC Litigation: First Cases and Practical Lessons from the UPC Patent Mediation and Arbitration Centre
With the UPC Patent Mediation and Arbitration Centre (PMAC) now operational, the first cases are beginning to provide practical insight into its role in resolving patent disputes. The session will look at the first referrals and cases, available statistics and outcomes, and practical lessons from the Centre’s initial experience. It will explore when taking a UPC dispute to the PMAC makes sense, how the process works in practice, and what it can offer beyond continued litigation.
The UPC in Practice: Litigation Strategy and Alternative Dispute Resolution
As the UPC’s case law continues to develop and the PMAC becomes available as an alternative route for resolving patent disputes, practitioners face new strategic choices in managing European patent litigation. The session will examine these developments from a practitioner’s perspective, including how the emerging UPC approach to substantive patent law affects litigation strategy and when mediation or arbitration may offer an effective alternative to continued proceedings before the UPC.
11:00-11:30 Coffee Break
11:30-13:00 II Panel - TRADEMARKS | Brand Acrobatics – Staying Distinctive in a Changing Market. Can AI Shift the Balance?
Current Practice in the Assessment of Distinctiveness of an EU Trademark
This panel will explore current EUIPO and EU court practice on the evolving boundaries of distinctiveness and descriptiveness. Particular attention will be given to the role of language and the multilingual character of the EU in assessing distinctiveness and likelihood of confusion. The discussion will also address the descriptiveness of colours, colour names as a specific example of where these boundaries are tested in practice.
EUIPO Practice in the Use of Artificial Intelligence
The presentation will examine how artificial intelligence is currently being used by the EUIPO and how AI is beginning to affect trade mark practice more broadly. It will address the implications of AI-generated content, deepfakes and metadata for proof of use and evidence, as well as the impact of algorithm-driven purchasing on commercial perception and the traditional concept of the “average consumer”. The presentation will also consider the opportunities and challenges associated with the further integration of AI into EUIPO practice.
13:00-14:00 Lunch
14:00-15:30 III Panel: COPYRIGHT | The Open-Source Magic Act – When “Free” Code Comes with Obligations
Risks and benefits of open-source licenses
This panel will explore the legal and commercial implications of using open source software (OSS) in proprietary products. It will examine the differences between permissive and copyleft licenses, when OSS use may trigger source code disclosure obligations, and how proprietary software can remain closed source.
The discussion will also cover key legal issues, including the enforceability, termination, and relicensing of open source licenses, and their impact on existing commercial products.
Finally, the panel will address broader OSS-related risks, such as intellectual property, cybersecurity and software supply chain vulnerabilities, unsupported projects, and open source compliance challenges in commercial transactions, including investment, financing, and M&A.
15:30-16:00 Coffee Break
16:00-17:30 IV Panel: ENFORCEMENT | Walk the High Wire, Mind the Net
Walk the High Wire, Mind the Net: Liability, Security, and Compensation in Preliminary Injunctions
This session addresses the existence, nature, and extent of the applicant’s (usually the plaintiff’s) liability for compensating damages suffered by an enjoined party (usually the defendant) in the case where a Preliminary Injunction (“PI”) requested by the applicant is granted but the PI is ultimately determined to have been wrongfully granted. Furthermore, the issue of the standards and requirements for setting a sufficient “guarantee” (bond, security, or undertaking) to compensate a defendant, if needed.
Behind Closed Curtains: Balancing Trade Secrets Against the Right to a Fair Defense: Secrecy, Disclosure, and Due Process in Civil and Administrative Proceedings
Additionally, the session concerns the protection of confidential information in civil proceedings before the court and in administrative proceedings before the Board of Appeal, addressing the potential conflicts between the requirement to protect confidential information against disclosure on the one hand and the right to a fair defense of the party on the other hand.