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2019 Intellectual Property Judges Forum

Promoting transnational dialogue among judiciaries

The annual WIPO Intellectual Property Judges Forum aims to provide a platform for judges from across the globe to exchange their expertise on the most pressing intellectual property (IP) challenges raised by accelerating innovation and the increasingly transnational use of IP.

In many countries, judiciaries are on the front line of confronting new IP realities.  Given the rapid pace of the technological and societal transformations that drive the evolution of IP, judges are often tasked with resolving IP questions that have not yet received legislative answers.  How do judges address these challenges?

The 2019 WIPO Intellectual Property Judges Forum brought together 128 judges from 74 countries, representing both national and regional jurisdictions, to engage with their global peers on the emerging issues in copyright, trademarks and patents, as well as issues in cross-border disputes in the context of a globalized and digitized IP landscape.

The WIPO Intellectual Property Judges Forum is an annual event organized by the WIPO Judicial Institute as part of the Organization’s work with the judiciaries.

November 13 – 15, 2019

Location: Geneva, Switzerland

Program

The Forum consisted of panel discussions with a strong emphasis on dialogue and exchange of information among participants.

Day one – November 13, 2019

Emerging issues in copyright, trademarks and patents

Opening (09:00 – 09:30)

Special address: Francis Gurry
WIPO Director General
Frits Bontekoe
Legal Counsel, WIPO
Master of Ceremonies:
Nahal Zebarjadi
Legal Officer, WIPO Judicial Institute

Session 1 – Emerging issues in copyright (09:30 – 11:00)

  • Defining copyright infringing acts in new technological settings
  • Copyright infringement by users of online platforms and intermediary responsibility
  • Copyright and the freedom of expression
  • Moral rights

Moderator and panelists

Moderator: Colin Birss
Justice, High Court of England and Wales, London, United Kingdom
Speaker: Vittorio Ragonesi
Former Judge, Supreme Court of Italy, Rome, Italy
Nurlanbek Atanazarov
Judge, Osh City Court, Kyrgyzstan
Edgardo Mateo Ettlin Guazzo
Minister, Court of Appeals, Montevideo, Uruguay
Nadia Kangaloo
Puisne Judge, High Court, Trinidad and Tobago
Marie-Françoise Marais
Honorary Adviser, Court of Cassation, Paris, France

Reference judgments

  • Oral Criminal and Correctional Court Number 26 of the Federal Capital of Buenos Aires, Argentina [2018]: “Taringa Case”, Case No. CCC 16029/2009/TO1/1
  • High Court (Chancery Division) of England and Wales [2019]: Warner Music UK Ltd v TuneIn Inc [2019] EWHC 2923 (Ch)
  • Court of Justice of the European Union [2017]: Stichting Brein v Ziggo BV and XS4ALL Internet BV, Case No. C-610/15
  • Supreme Court of Cassation of Italy [2019]: Reti Televisive Italiane s.p.a v Yahoo Italia s.p.a, Case No. 7708/2019
  • High Court of Justice of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago [2018]: Sean Caruth v The Tobago House of Assembly, Case No. CV2018-03461

Session 2 – Emerging issues in trademarks: Trademarks eligible for registration (11.30 – 12.30)

  • Eligible subject matter matter and distinctiveness: example of color per se marks
  • Trademarks contrary to public order or morality

Moderator and panelists

Moderator: Marcus Höpperger
Senior Director, Brands and Designs Sector, WIPO
Speaker: Goda Ambrasaitè-Balyniene

Judge, Supreme Court of Lithuania, Vilnius, Lithuania

Younes Ezzahri
Judge and Director of Judicial Training, Higher Institute of the Judiciary, Rabat, Morocco
Nina Półtorak
Judge, General Court of the European Union, Luxembourg

Reference judgments

  • General Court of the European Union [2018]: La Mafia SE SIENTA A LA MESA, Case No. T‑1/17 EU:T:2018:146
  • General Court of the European Union [2018]: Fack Ju Göhte, Case No. T‑69/17 EU:T:2018:27
  • Supreme Court of Lithuania [2015]: Humana People to People Baltic v the State Patent Bureau, Case No. 3K-3-240-469/2015

Session 3 – Emerging issues in trademarks: Well-known marks and dilution (14.00 – 15.30)

  • Likelihood of confusion
  • Dilution and its defenses

Moderator and panelists

Moderator: Eric Mille
Judge, Brussels Trade Court, Belgium




Speaker: Louis T.C. Harms
Former Deputy President, Supreme Court of Appeal, Bloemfontein, South Africa; Judge of Appeal, Court of Appeal, Botswana
Mohamed Mahmoud Al Kamali
Director General, Institute of Training and Judicial Studies, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Shimizu Misao
Former Chief Judge, Intellectual Property High Court, Tokyo, Japan
Xia Junli
Presiding Judge, IPR Division, Supreme People’s Court of China, Beijing, China
 

Reference judgments

  • High People’s Court of Beijing, China [2012]: Baidu Online Network Technology (Beijing) Co Ltd v Trademark Review and Adjudication Committee, Case No. GXZ No. 1081
  • Intellectual Property High Court of Japan [2013]: Hokkaido Design Kabushiki Kaisha v Puma SE, Case No. 2012 (Gyo-Ke) 10454
  • Intellectual Property High Court of Japan [2009]: Puma AG Rudolf Dassler Spor v JPO, Case No. 2008 (Gyo-Ke) 10311
  • Constitutional Court of South Africa [2005]: Laugh It Off Promotions CC v South African Breweries International (Finance) BV t/a Sabmark International [2005] ZACC 7
  • Federal Court of Appeal of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates [2019]: Motor Experts LLC v Sell Any Car and the Ministry of Economy, Case Nos. 224 and 229/2019

Session 4 – WIPO's work in the area of the judicial administration of IP (15.30 – 16.00)

Eun-Joo Min
Director, WIPO Judicial Institute

Session 5 – Emerging issues in patents (16.30 – 18.00)

  • Eligible subject matter: are patents technology neutral? Examples of measuring apparatus, graphical user interface and diagnostic methods
  • Developing appropriate balance between patent quality and investment in technology and the role of the courts
  • Interplay with competition law:  example of reverse payment settlements

Moderator and panelists

Moderator: Annabelle Bennett
Former Judge, Federal Court of Australia, Sydney, Australia;  Chair of the WIPO Advisory Board of Judges
Speaker: Takahashi Aya
Judge, Intellectual Property High Court, Tokyo, Japan
Jeremy Fogel
Executive Director, Berkeley Judicial Institute; Former Director, Federal Judicial Center, United States of America
Ki Woojong
Judge, Seoul High Court, Republic of Korea
Mark Schweizer
President, Federal Patent Court, St. Gallen, Switzerland

Reference judgments

  • Intellectual Property High Court of Japan [2018]: Case No. 2017 (Gyo‑Ke) 10232
  • Supreme Court of the Republic of Korea [2014]: GSK v KFTC, Case No. 2012Du24498
  • Federal Patent Court of Switzerland: Hamilton Medical AG v imtmedical AG (O2017_007)
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit [2017]: Athena Diagnostics Inc v Mayo Collaborative Services LLC, 927 F3d 1333

Session 6 – Exhaustion of IP rights and parallel imports (9.30 – 11.00)

  • TRIPS Agreement, Article 6 and differing approaches to exhaustion: international, regional or national.  What are the policy rationales?
  • To what extent can contractual restrictions impact on the exhaustion of IP rights?
  • Repackaging requirements for parallel imports

Moderator and panelists

Moderator: Jeremy Fogel
Executive Director, Berkeley Judicial Institute; Former Director, Federal Judicial Center, United States of America
Speaker: Stephen Burley
Justice, Federal Court of Australia, Sydney, Australia
Aleh Latyshevich
Judge, Supreme Court, Minsk, Belarus
Maria Rowena Modesto-San Pedro
Associate Justice, Court of Tax Appeals, Quezon City, Philippines
Mehmet Soner Özoğlu
Judge, Directorate General for Foreign Relations and EU Affairs, Ministry of Justice, Ankara, Turkey
Manmohan Singh
Former Chairman, Intellectual Property Appellate Board, New Delhi; Former Judge, High Court of Delhi, India

Reference judgments

  • Federal Court of Australia [2019]: Calidad Pty Ltd v Seiko Epson Corporation [2019] FCAFC 115
  • Supreme Court of the Republic of Belarus [2013]: Twins Tech JSC, Russia v Medicalfort LLC, Case No. 12-01/20-2013
  • High Court of Delhi, India [2012]: Samsung Electronics Company Limited v Kapil Wadhwa, CS (OS) No.1155/2011
  • High Court of Delhi, India [2010]: John Wiley & Sons Inc v Prabhat Chander Kumar Jain, CS (OS) No. 1960/2008
  • Supreme Court of the Philippines [2009]: Roma Drug and Romeo Rodriguez, as Proprietor of Roma Drug v The Regional Trial Court of Guagua, Pampanga, the Provincial Prosecutor of Pampanga, Bureau of Food & Drugs and Glaxo SmithKline, GR No. 149907
  • Court of Cassation of Turkey [2014]:  Merinos v n11.com, RG Nos. 2014/6429E, 2014/12088K

Session 7 – Remedies addressing multi-territorial infringement (11.30 – 12.30)

  • Can national courts grant “global” remedies?
  • Setting license rates for revenues outside the jurisdiction
  • Site blocking and global de-indexing orders
  • Remedies in cross-border contributory infringements

Moderator and panelists

Moderator: Eun-Joo Min
Director, WIPO Judicial Institute
Speaker: Colin Birss
Justice, High Court of England and Wales, London, United Kingdom
Dedar Singh Gill
Judicial Commissioner, Supreme Court of Singapore
Klaus Grabinski
Judge, Federal Court of Justice, Karlsruhe, Germany

Reference judgments

  • Federal Court of Justice of Germany [2017]: Sealing System, Case No. X ZR 120/15
  • Federal Court of Justice of Germany [2015]: Audiosignalkodierung, Case No. X ZR 69/13
  • High Court of Singapore [2018]: Disney Enterprises, Inc and others v M1 Ltd and others [2018] 5 SLR 1318; [2018] SGHC 206
  • Court of Appeal (Civil Division) of England and Wales [2018]: Unwired Planet v Huawei (2018) EWCA Civ 2344

Session 8 – IP and private international law (14.00 – 15.00)

  • Jurisdiction
  • Applicable law
  • Recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments

Moderator and panelists

Moderator: Annabelle Bennett
Former Judge, Federal Court of Australia, Sydney, Australia;  Chair of the WIPO Advisory Board of Judges
Speaker: Samuel Granata
Judge, Court of Appeal, Antwerp, Belgium, and Benelux Court of Justice, Luxembourg
Marcelo De Nardi
Federal Judge, Environmental, Land and Indigenous Peoples Issues Federal Court of Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Brazil
Ramziya Khatypova
Judge, Judicial Chamber on Economic Disputes, Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, Moscow, Russian Federation

Reference judgments

  • Superior Court of Justice of Brazil [2007]: Lilly Icos LLC v Pfizer Limited (“Viagra case”), SEC-911
  • Court of Appeal (Civil Division) of England and Wales [2019]: Huawei v ZTE (2019) EWCA Civ 38
  • Supreme Court of the Russian Federation [2013]: VOIS v OOO “Polet”, Case No. А53-25852/2013

Session 9 – Recent developments in IP courts (15.00 – 15.45)

Moderator and panelists

Moderator: Anna Morawiec Mansfield

Deputy Legal Counsel, WIPO

Fan Mingzhi
Senior Judge and Deputy Director General, China Institute of Applied Jurisprudence, Supreme People’s Court of China, Beijing, China
Agnieszka Gołaszewska
Judge and Deputy Director, Civil Legislation Department, Ministry of Justice, Warsaw, Poland
Bohdan Lvov
Vice-President, Supreme Court; President of the Cassation Commercial Court, Supreme Court, Kyiv, Ukraine

Session 10 – IP adjudication through regional courts (16.15 – 17.30)

  • Work of the Court of Justice of the Andean Community; Court of Justice of the European Union; the Benelux Court of Justice; Courts in the OAPI system; and the future Unified Patent Court
  • Role of regional courts in the interpretation of IP laws and harmonization
  • Reconciling national and regional IP judicial systems

Moderator and panelists

Moderator: Samuel Granata
Judge, Court of Appeal, Antwerp, Belgium, and Benelux Court of Justice, Luxembourg
Hugo Ramiro Gómez Apac
President, Court of Justice of the Andean Community, Quito, Ecuador
Klaus Grabinski
Judge, Federal Court of Justice, Karlsruhe, Germany
Marc Jaeger
President, General Court of the European Union, Luxembourg
Max Lambert Ndéma Elongué
President, Court of First Instance, Yaoundé Ekounou, Cameroon

Closing – 17:30 to 17:45

Annabelle Bennett
Former Judge, Federal Court of Australia, Sydney, Australia;  Chair of the WIPO Advisory Board of Judges
Frits Bontekoe
Legal Counsel, WIPO
 
 
 
 

Day three – November 15, 2019

Social activities (Optional)

09:00 -  12:30  CERN guide tour

10:30 - 11:30 Palais des Nations guided tour