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Luxury Brands Symposium: The Protection of Luxury Brands in a Fast Moving World
Thursday 25 and Friday 26 June 2015
Hotel Baur au Lac, Talstrasse 1, 8022 Zurich, Switzerland
 		  

Programme:
Thursday 25 June 2015
10.00 hrs Opening of Registration Desk
10.30 hrs Welcome and Introduction by Gregor Versondert, Vice-Chair MARQUES Council
10.45 hrs Introduction of Meisterkreis
The Meisterkreis and its campaign against the public indifference concerning counterfeits

Clemens Pflanz, Meisterkreis, Germany
11.15 hrs Introduction of Baur au Lac
Baur au Lac as a Service Brand

WiIhelm Luxem, Hotel Baur au Lac, Switzerland
11.30 hrs Coffee break
11.45 hrs The Uniqueness of Luxury Brands
What differentiates a luxury brand from a premium or common brand? Speakers will address the characteristics of luxury brands from different angles to identify the features which always apply to a luxury brand

Moderator:
Andreas Lubberger, Lubberger Lehment, Germany. Vice-Chair of the MARQUES Famous and Well Known Marks Team

Speakers:
Benjamin Berghaus, HSG University St. Gallen, Switzerland
Benjamin Gilgen, Metadesign, Switzerland
Thomas Fischer, Porsche AG, Germany
13.15 hrs Lunch
14.30 hrs Luxury Brands in a Digital World
Why the digital world both gives opportunities and poses threats? The hottest topics concerning the digital media and their impact on the steering, perception and protection of luxury brands on the internet

Moderator:
Marlou van de Braak, Hoyng Monegier LLP, The Netherlands. Member of the MARQUES Famous and Well Known Marks Team

Speakers:
Internet as a Global Marketplace and Parallel Imports?
Manon Rieger-Jansen, Bird & Bird, The Netherlands

Social Media – a Partner to Embrace?
Prof. Philippe Gilliéron, University of Lausanne and TIMES Attorneys, Switzerland
15.30 hrs Coffee Break
16.00 hrs What Can we Learn from the Swiss Watch Industry?
The Swiss watch industry as a role model for the successful developing, defending and preserving of a local brand image in a global environment

Moderator:
Michael Noth, TIMES Attorneys, Switzerland. Member of the MARQUES Famous and Well Known Marks Team

Speakers:
Highlights from the Arbitration Panel at BaselWorld
Paul Rüst, BaselWorld, Switzerland

Swissness as a Brand
Yves Bugmann, Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry SH, Switzerland

From Niche to Fame
Gwenaelle Vache, Franck Muller - FMTM Distribution Ltd., Jersey. Member of the MARQUES Brands and Marketing Team
17.30 hrs Keynote Speaker
Development of the Luxury Goods Industry and its Main Players
Rene Weber, Bank Vontobel AG, Switzerland
18.00 hrs Closing
19.00 hrs Champagne Reception and Small Exhibition of Jewelry
Sponsored by Doris Hangartner AG
20.15 hrs Dinner
Sponsored by Doris Hangartner AG
   
Friday 26 June 2015
09.00 hrs Opening
Ingrid de Groot, Internal Relation Officer MARQUES
09.15 hrs Workshops

Workshop I:
Counterfeiting on the Internet

Moderator:
Michael Noth, TIMES Attorneys, Switzerland, Member of the MARQUES Famous and Well Known Marks Team

Panel:
Nathalie Luis, L’Oréal (U.K.) Limited, France. Member the MARQUES Famous and Well Known Marks Team

Lydia Gobena Fross Zelnick Lehrman & Zissu, PC, United States. Chair of the MARQUES Famous and Well Known Marks Team

Richard Graham, Richemont International Ltd, U.K.
  • Monitoring and Policing of Platforms
  • Experience with Notice and Takedown Procedures of Platforms
  • (Cross Border) Litigation, How and Where?

Workshop II:
Selective Distribution on the Internet - a Must for Luxury Brands

Moderator:
Andreas Lubberger, Lubberger Lehment, Gemany. Vice-Chair of the MARQUES Famous and Well Known Marks Team

Panel:
Prof. Joachim Bornkamm, former presiding IP-Judge of the German Federal Supreme Court, Germany

Saskia Eschmann, Zino Davidoff Trading AG, Switzerland

  • The Pierre Fabre Judgment, a Single Case or a General Threat?
  • Platforms, an Inevitable Evil?
  • Keyword Advertising – What Brand Owners Can Do?

Workshop III:
Brand Protection of Famous Trademarks

Moderator:
Stefan Völker, Gleiss Lutz Rechtsanwaelte, Germany. Member of the MARQUES Famous and Well Known Marks Team

Panel:
Prof. Tobias Cohen, University of Rotterdam and De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek N.V., The Netherlands, Member of the MARQUES Brands and Marketing Team

Further André Pohlmann, Member of the Boards of Appeal, Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market

  • Practical aspects of proving that the brand is well-known and/or has a reputation (especially with small    exclusive brands with relatively small sales figures)
  • Instances/examples of dilution/of damage to the repute of the luxury brand
  • Instances/examples of exploiting the distinctive character and/or the repute of the luxury brand, especially with respect to the special attention use of the brand receives among the public concerned
10.45 hrs Coffee Break
11.15 hrs Presentation of Workshop Results, Summation and Close
Stefanos Tsimilakis, Tsimikalis Kalonarou Law Firm, Athens, Greece. Member of the MARQUES Programming Team
12.30 hrs Lunch
14.00 hrs Optional Excursions (these are not part of the MARQUES event)
For more information and registration for the tours please refer to Barbara Abegg, TIMES Attorneys at abegg@timesattorneys.ch