Registration for the 33^rd Annual Conference is now open. The Conference will be held in Dublin, Ireland from 17 to 20 September 2019 and will feature panel sessions, workshops and social activities.

The theme of this year’s Conference is “Brands Confronting Change”. Gregor Vos, who chairs the team that has put together the programme, says: “There is so much happening in the world and so much uncertainty and unpredictability. We will be asking: What does this mean for brands and for the IP profession?”

The first part of the Conference will tackle some of these questions head on. It will start with a keynote speech by Jan Willem Velthuijsen, who is Chief Economist at PricewaterhouseCoopers. “He will give us some broad horizons about what is happening in the world, and then we have speakers from Design Bridge and Virgin Enterprises who will reflect on them in more depth,” says Gregor.

Other sessions during the conference will pick up the theme. One, for example, will look at the effect of changes in technology, marketing and communication and will feature a presentation from a representative of Dropbox on how such changes affect a fast-developing brand. Another will look at whether tax havens have a future – a topic that is particularly relevant in Ireland, where many high-tech companies have set up European headquarters.

Another aspect of change is globalisation and the opportunities it raises for IP disputes, so a session at the Annual Conference will focus on damages in trade mark infringement cases. Speakers will compare and contrast the law and practice in the UK, US, China, France, the Netherlands and the Middle East.

“We are living through significant political changes, including the rise of nationalism in some countries, as well as major shifts in economics and business,” says Gregor, who attended his first MARQUES Annual Conference in Budapest in 2001. “In this environment, brands can emerge rapidly – but also decline quickly. And their value can go up and down. I hope we will get some good insights into how marketers, IP professionals and others deal with the challenges these questions raise.”

Gregor Vos

The Annual Conference will also feature sessions on geographical indications and designs, an update from EUIPO one year on from the EU trade mark reforms and a review of CJEU and General Court case law. There will be four workshops on Thursday afternoon for delegates to choose between; more details about these will be published on the MARQUES blogs soon.

The Conference will be hosted at the Citywest Hotel, which is set in 240 acres of parkland and is close to Dublin City Centre and Dublin Airport. It also includes a leisure club and 18-hole golf course. “It’s a great conference hotel and will provide everything that members have come to expect from a MARQUES conference, including lots of networking opportunities in an informal atmosphere,” says Gregor. The traditional Cultural Evening on Wednesday night will be held at the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin.

Find out more about the Annual Conference, and register your place, on the dedicated page. The Members’ Early Bird rate is available until Friday 28 June 2019.