CITMA Spring Conference: Navigating the digital frontier

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Wednesday 20th March 2024

1pm-4.30pm - Optional volunteering at Coram's Fields 
Cost: complimentary with your Spring Conference ticket
Please select this free option when making your booking.

2pm-5.30pm - CMC Mock Hearing
Cost: save 50% when booking the Spring Conference
Our in-person live CMC and hearing will give you an opportunity to better understand how CMCs are conducted and how to represent your clients at a CMC and hearing. This is not included in your Spring Conference ticket and is an additional cost.

6pm-9pm - Welcome drinks reception at Vagabond wine bar
Cost: complimentary with your Spring Conference ticket
Get to know conference delegates with our complimentary drinks reception. Please indicate your attendance when booking. You will also join delegates and participants from the CMC Mock Hearing to further expand your networking opportunity.

Thursday 21st March 2024

	Time		Title	Speaker
	9am		Registration with light refreshments
	10am		Introduction and welcome	Keven Bader, CITMA Rachel Wilkinson-Duffy, CITMA
	10.10am		Keynote address Artificial intelligence and technology - we get the UK IPO perspective on what's coming down the road, and what is already here.	Andy Bartlett, UK IPO
	10.25am		UK case law update We will dissect a selection of key decisions from the UK and help you to understand what the main takeaway practice points are.	Robert Cumming, Appleyard Lees
	11.05am		Navigating tomorrow: hybrid intelligence and the evolution of AI in the trade mark industry  We will take the discussions further on artificial intelligence and what it means for us.	Colm MacSweeny, Corsearch
	11.35am		Tea and coffee break Take the opportunity to network over a coffee
	12.05pm		International case law round-up Get high-level insight into the key points of some influential decisions from international juristictions, including the U.S., Middle East and Africa.	Jess Collen, Rothwell Figg Megan Dinnie, Spoor & Fisher Muhammad Farrukh Irfan Khan, United Trademark & Patent Services
	1.05pm		Lunch and networking Enjoy a delicious lunch while sharing your thoughts on the talks so far.
	2.05pm		A healthy digital life – practical tips for managing our relationship with technology  From remote working to the use of AI, this session will explore the impact of technology on mental health and the relationship between the digital world and wellbeing. Practical tips for maintaining a healthy digital life and navigating recent innovations will be shared.	Penny Aspinall, Jonathan’s Voice Elizabeth Rimmer, LawCare
	2.40pm		Trade marks and copyright in the metaverse Understand what you should be doing today to protect your clients in the metaverse, and we will explore what the future will hold.	Tahir Basheer, Sheridans
	3.20pm		Tea and coffee break A further chance to meet delegates and exhibitors from across our profession.
	3.50pm		IP issues in the gaming industry  Get the lowdown on what you need to know about the IP issues affecting the gaming industry.	Sara Ashby, Wiggin LLP Michael Browne, Wiggin LLP
	4.30pm		IPO Transformation – time for trade marks Get the latest developments in the UK IPO's ambitious transformation project.	Natasha Chick, UK IPO
	5.10pm		Closing remarks	Rachel Wilkinson-Duffy, CITMA
	5.15pm		Networking drinks reception in Palm Court Your final chance to network over a glass of wine or soft drink.
	7.15pm		Close

 

Sara Ashby, Wiggin

Sara is a solicitor and Head of the Wiggin IP team.  Although she has been an IP litigator for many years, she started her legal career as a general commercial litigator.

Sara is particularly interested in safeguarding and improving IP law. She is President of AIPPI UK, the leading non-government organisation for research into and formulation of policy for intellectual property, and co-chair of AIPPI’s Designs Committee.

Sara is a Research Fellow at the Oxford IP Research Centre. She is also heavily involved in the Oxford University Post Graduate Diploma in IP Law and Practice, both as a Visiting Lecturer and examiner, responsible for the designs law teaching and coursework, and in her longstanding position on the Diploma Management Committee responsible for the course.  

Penny Aspinall, Jonathan's Voice

Penny has extensive experience across the public and charity sectors.

Starting as a counsellor and trainer with Relate in 1992, she has since moved on to counselling posts with the University of Huddersfield and the University of Leeds, where she developed and managed an extensive group work and psychoeducational training programme for students, as well as delivering staff training on mental health awareness.

More recently, Penny was Head of Disability, Counselling and Mental Health at the University of Bradford.

She has been working freelance with Charlie Waller as a consultant trainer for the Workplace programme and a trainer on the Universities and Colleges programme since August 2018.

Andy Bartlett, UK IPO

Andy is Deputy CEO and Director of Services of the UK Intellectual Property Office, the Executive Agency of UK Government responsible for the intellectual property system in the UK. He was appointed in August 2022.

In this role, Andy is responsible for all the IPO’s registered rights functions; patents, trade marks and designs, including the associated tribunal and mediation services.

He also has responsibility for Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) services and for delivering the One IPO Transformation Programme.

 

Tahir Basheer, Sheridans

Tahir is a Partner and shareholder at leading media, entertainment and technology law firm Sheridans.

He founded the firm's Technology practice and heads up the firm's Branding practice having developed a particular specialism in digital media issues. 

He is a member of the International Association of Entertainment Lawyers and has been a faculty lecturer at Berklee College of Music.

He has also been a guest lecturer at Kings College London University, Queen Mary University, the Brit School and the Music Business School.

He is also an alumni trustee of the Fund for Global Human Rights, an alumni trustee for the MOBO trust, a board advisor to various agencies and a charitable trustee for the Bright Side Charity.

Michael Browne, Wiggin

A solicitor and partner in the Wiggin IP team, Michael has more than 15 years of experience collaborating with clients from a range of IP-rich industries.

Michael has a thriving litigation practice, representing clients before the English courts and in contentious registry proceedings before the UK IPO, as well as in cross-border IP arbitrations and mediations. 

Michael enjoys contributing to the development of IP law, and is currently Vice President of the GB group of UNION-IP, and helps to train the next generation of IP lawyers as a Visiting Lecturer on the Oxford University Diploma on IP Law and Practice, on which he teaches IP litigation and designs law.

Natasha Chick, UK IPO

Natasha leads the One IPO Transformation Programme.

Natasha is responsible for overseeing the whole programme and making sure the it delivers best-in-class new digital services for our customers, fit for the 21st Century.

She has worked at the UK IPO for well over a decade, during which time she has held a number or roles, including leading IPO’s trade mark and designs teams.

Jess Collen, Rothwell Figg

Jess Collen’s practice includes luxury brands, manufacturers, professional sports teams, nonprofits, media and the hotel industry.

He has litigated hundreds of cases for U.S. and foreign clients, and appeared before federal courts, courts of appeal, administrative tribunals, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

He has actively advised and represented clients in all facets of trademark and copyright law, and over the course of his career, been active in patent litigation. Mr. Collen has been recognized as one of the "Top 50 Trademark Attorneys in the United States" by the national legal and financial publication Trademark Insider. The firm's top-rated trademark opposition practice is one of the busiest in the United States. 

Jess is active on the committees of the International Trademark Association (INTA) including as a former Board member; he is a member of the sports law committee of Consulegis, a worldwide legal group. 

Jess has also served as an expert witness on U.S. Patent and Trademark Office procedure in court and Patent and Trademark Office proceedings.

Robert Cumming, Appleyard Lees

Robert is a Chartered Trade Mark Attorney and solicitor and litigates trade mark, design, patent and trade secrets disputes in the High Court of England & Wales, the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court (IPEC) and the UK IPO.

 

 

Megan Dinnie, Spoor & Fisher

Megan is a Trade Mark Attorney, with BEd and LLB degrees. She is an Attorney of the High Court of South Africa.

Megan specialises in trade mark litigation. She has over a decade of experience advising clients on trade mark matters across Africa, including oppositions, trade mark and copyright infringement, unlawful competition, passing off, anti-counterfeiting and domain name disputes. She also handles international trade mark filing, registration and prosecution matters. Her client portfolio includes, among others, global brand owners from the food & beverage, pharmaceutical, retail, fashion and automotive industry sectors.

Muhammad Farrukh Irfan Khan, United Trademark & Patent Services

Justice (R) Muhammad Farrukh Irfan Khan retired as a Judge of the Lahore High Court, Pakistan after serving for nearly 10 years.

While serving on the High Court bench, he had the unique distinction of adjudicating over 29,000 cases in diverse areas of law including constitutional law, administrative law, corporate and commercial law, intellectual property law, family law, land and property laws, labour and industrial relations laws, rent and contractual disputes as well as a wide range of civil and criminal matters. 

After retirement as a Judge, he has been involved in adjudicating several high profile arbitrations as Sole Arbitrator/Panel Arbitrator, and has successfully completed several arbitrations relating to domestic and international commercial disputes.

As of May 2019, he resumed practicing as an Advocate of Supreme Court of Pakistan. He is currently Of Counsel at United Trademark & Patent Services (UTPS), a leading Intellectual Property law firm in the MENA region. Prior to his elevation, Mr. Khan was the Chairman and Managing Partner of UTPS and has been recognized globally as a leading Intellectual Property Law Practitioner. 

In 2007 and 2008, he was named one of top 20 Most Highly Regarded IP Lawyers globally by IBA’s WHO’S WHO LEGAL. He has the distinction of being the first South Asian and the only Pakistani to have been elected and served as a Member of Board of Directors of INTA from 1993-95. He also served on International Trademark Association’s International Panel of Neutrals called upon for worldwide arbitration in Intellectual Property disputes. 

Colm MacSweeny, Corsearch

Colm MacSweeny specialises in collaborating with a diverse array of global firms, in-house legal teams, and marketing departments, offering tailored trademark solutions to meet their unique needs.

His experience with Artificial Intelligence at Corsearch offers a unique perspective on how we can all use a hybrid approach to harness the benefits of both Artificial and Human expertise.

Elizabeth Rimmer, LawCare

Elizabeth joined LawCare in 2014 from the Institute of Group Analysis, a membership and training organisation for group psychotherapists.

Before that she headed up Alzheimer’s Disease International, a worldwide federation of Alzheimer Associations. Elizabeth started her working life as a solicitor specialising in clinical negligence, practicing at Leigh Day.

Elizabeth is a trustee of the Helplines Partnership (national body for support and advice helplines) and a member of the International Bar Association’s Professional Wellbeing Commission.

Kelly Saliger, CITMA First Vice President

A dual qualified Chartered Trade Mark Attorney and Solicitor, Kelly has a wealth of experience advising brand owners on all matters relating to trade mark and design portfolios.

Kelly has over 10 years’ experience in the field and specialises in international litigation, enforcement and strategy particularly in the field of technology and media. She has led cases before the General Court. 

Rachel Wilkinson-Duffy, CITMA President

Rachel advises on all aspects of trade mark and design protection and enforcement, including global filing strategies, clearance searching and transactions involving intellectual property for the UK, EU, Madrid Protocol and overseas. 

Rachel specialises in trade mark disputes such as infringements, oppositions, cancellation actions, company and domain name disputes and dispute resolution. 

She is currently the CITMA President and was the Chair of the Law & Practice Committee for many years, so has regular interaction with government officials at the UK IPO, EUIPO and WIPO, amongst others.

 

Our conference is taking place at The Waldorf Hilton on Aldwych, a five minute walk from the Royal Courts of Justice. Featuring some of London's finest conference facilities, we will enjoy the collision of tradition and the contemporary.

Following a packed day of learning, our drinks reception will take place in The Waldorf's historic Palm Court - the perfect space for you to relax and solidify your connections from the day.

History

Since The Waldorf’s debut in 1908, this grand old lady of Theatreland has had a glittering career.

The Waldorf, famously named after William Waldorf Astor, has a wealth of history.

The original idea for The Waldorf came from an entrepreneur and charted accountant (Edward Sanders and Thomas Wild), however, they needed £700,000 to begin its development.

It is rumoured that William Waldorf Astor came to their rescue, as he invested the funds they needed.

In return, the pair named the hotel after him as a sign of gratitude.

Although some areas have been restored and re-furbished, rooms such as the Executive Boardroom still remain in place; which used to be a gentleman’s smoking room. 

We are offering you an optional opportunity to donate your time to a good cause in our community on Wednesday 20th March.

Coram's Fields

In the heart of Bloomsbury, Coram’s Fields has provided a safe place for children from the local community since 1936.

It supports families in the local area, providing a wide programme of activities and sessions across the year. At its peak during the summer, Coram's Fields sees about 1000 visitors per day.

The day before our core conference programme, our delegates will be helping to keep the grounds fit for play.

The jobs include painting, gardening and general upkeep of the grounds. 

The programme for Wednesday 20th March is as follows:

• 1pm: arrival
• 1pm-1.30pm: teas and coffees 
• 1.30pm: brief introduction to Coram’s Fields and allocation of roles
• 1.45pm-4.15pm: main activities 
• 4.30pm: group leaves

Your ticket includes:

• Two complimentary drinks receptions
• Exclusive learning sessions
• A delicious lunch
• Access to our CSR activities 
• Exclusive access to presentation slides
• 50% off the CMC Mock Hearing (when booked together)

Member rate: £425

Standard rate: £500

Please click here to read our terms and conditions.

If you would like to book a ticket just for the drinks reception on Wednesday 20th March at Vagabond, please email [email protected] 

 

 

• Payment online via debit or credit card only; proforma invoices are not available.
• Full terms and conditions apply.
• Closing date: 5pm, Friday 8th March.

Conference delegates who opt in consent to their personal data including name and email address being shared with Corsearch for communiation and marketing purposes.

Please refer to Corsearch’s privacy policy for further information.