International Women’s Leadership Forum

June 9, 2016

The International Women’s Leadership Forum 2016 took place in New York on June 9, hosting some 30 speakers and an audience of diverse intellectual property (IP) practitioners. The virtually all-female (save one) participants made the most of a day of searching discussions on cutting-edge issues facing IP professionals in the US and internationally. WIPO was involved as an Association Partner in the event, engaging some 100 participants from business, government and the IP legal profession.

IP practitioners shared candid reflections and practical advice on navigating the practice of patent, copyright and trademark law in the rapidly changing legal landscape in the US and Europe. The discussions touched upon trends in trademark protection and the impact of new US Federal trade secrets legislation, as well as the challenge of protecting computer-related inventions in light of recent US judicial findings on patent validity.

Strategies for protecting IP were viewed in the context of emergent developments such as the Internet of Things, big data, blockchain and 3-D printing. From the fashion industry, Jessica Elliot Cardon (SVP and General Counsel, Camuto Group), spoke of the chilling effect on creativity as a result of the lack of clarity in legal questions surrounding 3-D printing.

Challenges to IP protection

In an examination of challenges posed by counterfeiting and infringement, there was evidence that some 20 million viewers had watched the FIFA World Cup 2014 via an illegal website. Reflecting on the dangers of counterfeit medicines, Rubie Mages (Director Strategic Planning Compliance, Pfizer) noted that “What used to be a problem for developing countries is now right in our backyard.”

A new Copyright Act?

From the US Patent and Trademark Office, Molly Stech (Attorney Advisor, Office of Policy & International Affairs) posed the question “Is it time for a new Copyright Act?”, and in response outlined recent US policy reform processes examining the role of copyright in a framework of innovation and the Internet economy. Taking the discussion to the outer limits of copyright law, Kathleen McCarthy (Partner, King & Spalding) noted that highly publicized monkey selfies had resulted in a US Federal 9th Circuit case in which People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) had filed a case claiming copyright on behalf of a monkey as “author”.

Leadership and women in IP

The event also provided an opportunity for participants to share experiences on the importance of leadership for women in IP careers. A panel including senior attorneys from Showtime Networks, CBS and Screenvision described how important it is for women attorneys to be collaborative, collegial, accessible and, importantly, guard their sense of humor. Their resounding message was that a career in IP law can be rewarding and fulfilling, and needs for us to reinvent our own legal careers as the market and technologies change the world around us.