Seminar - Mediation in R&D and Related Commercial Disputes

Organized by
the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center and the European Liaison Office of the German Research Organisations (KOWI)

Supported by ASTP-Proton, the European Industrial Research Management Association (EIRMA), the European IPR Helpdesk and the Licensing Executives Society (LES) Benelux

Brussels, Thursday and Friday, May 18 and 19, 2017

Overview

This training seminar will consist of an intensive two-day training course in the techniques of mediation. The seminar will be based on discussion groups and a simulated mediation case study in the intellectual property field. Participants will be expected to take active part in the exercises.

For many companies, universities and research entities, intellectual property has become an essential business asset as well as a means of creating value. It is being developed and exploited on an increasingly international level in various contractual relationships, such as research and development contracts, consortium agreements, licenses, manufacturing arrangements, purchase contracts, distributorships and joint ventures.

Where disputes arise in the context of such an existing contractual relationship, mediation offers a low-risk and cost-effective non-confrontational procedure for dispute resolution, which can assist to further develop the relationship.

As a consequence, parties increasingly look for mediation as a dispute resolution mechanism that matches their business requirements: a private procedure which provides efficient, flexible and less costly means of settling international disputes without disrupting research and commercial relationships. Model agreements, such as the DESCA model agreement and the IPAG model agreements or the Model Agreements of the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (OEPM) also include mediation (and arbitration) as dispute resolution option. To fully benefit from the advantages of mediation, parties often ensure that research and related commercial agreements are consistent in terms of outlining how disputes are to be resolved.

The training is organized by the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center and the European Liaison Office of the German Research Organisations (KOWI), and supported by ASTP-Proton, the Licensing Executives Society Benelux and the European Industrial Research Management Association (EIRMA).

Faculty

Faculty for this Training will consist of experts in international mediation, including exposure to intellectual property, research and development and technology issues.

Jon Lang Independent Mediator London United Kingdom	Harry Reinhardt RPK Patentanwälte Partnerschaft mbB Germany

Full profiles of the faculty are available here.

Program

The Program will consist of a number of sessions devoted to effective preparation for, and representation at mediation in the R&D and related fields, and will include a number of role-play segments to illustrate key learning points. Michael Gross, Head Licensing Department, Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, will share the user's experience with WIPO Mediation.

Topics will include:

• Administered Mediation and Arbitration at the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center
• The use of mediation in R&D and commercial disputes – The User's Perspective
• Developing a strategy for mediation
• Selection and appointment of the mediator
• Effective representation at mediation
• The role of the different actors at the mediation meeting
• The mediation and its various stages
• Concluding the mediation

Who Should Attend

This seminar is designed for lawyers, business executives, patent and trademark attorneys, technology transfer professionals and others wishing to familiarize themselves with the mediation process and its application in the area of research and development and related commercial transactions.

Program Information

Registration and Fee

Contact Details