President’s Letter: The Year Ahead for FICPI Members 2022

Dear fellow member of the FICPI global community,

I have every expectation that 2022 is going to be a good year for FICPI and all members of our global community of independent IP attorneys.

It’s been a tough two years for everyone.

However, we have been resilient, adaptable and open to new ideas, both as individual members and as a global organisation.

As we begin the return to regular in-person events and meetings, I believe that all that we have learnt during the pandemic - the new skills and technology that we have embraced, plus our growth as professionals – has made us stronger as people and as a global community based on trusted relationships.

We are now well into the 4th year of my 3-year term (!) as President of FICPI and I am proud of where we are as a global member organisation; how well we faced the challenges of the pandemic and very hopeful for the year ahead and beyond.

There is a lot to be excited about in 2022, not least the forthcoming FICPI World Congress.

The FICPI World Congress

This is the member-only flagship event for FICPI and an excellent forum to learn about – and debate – the latest developments in IP law and IP firm management, while networking with friends and colleagues in the profession from around the world.

As usual, the Congress will be combined with our regular, triennial General Assembly, giving you the opportunity to help craft new FICPI resolutions expressing our collective view on proposed changes in IP laws and practice. These resolutions are highly respected by IP offices and organisations all round the world and carry the weight of the independent IP profession as the predominant users of the IP systems.

We have tweaked the format for the forthcoming Congress by adding approximately eight Workshops to the usual Plenary Sessions and Breakout Meetings, which will allow more discussion of special topics, of relevance to all of us and our clients and interactive involvement from delegates in smaller groups to formulate new FICPI positions.

It is appropriate that the Congress marks our return to in-person gatherings for major events and the location could not be better – the beautiful and charming coastal city of Cannes, on France’s Côte d’Azur.

The location also has some significance for me because the FICPI president’s gavel and block which have been in my possession these last three years bears a plaque which notes it was presented to FICPI by Bernard Fisher, who was the last (and as far as I know only other) British president of FICPI, in 1988 – in Cannes! Although I never met Bernard, who tragically passed away while still in office, it will give me enormous pride, in his memory, to hand on these badges of office to my successor. Not that I have ever had to use them in anger during an EXCO meeting of course!

 

The event will offer plenty of opportunities to relax and enjoy the location outside of the business sessions. Cannes has a rich historical, cultural and culinary legacy for delegates to explore.

After an opening reception on Monday, 26 September, the Congress will begin on Tuesday, 27 September with a plenary session focused on “Managing your IP firm in 2023” which will look at the serious issue of what we can do when there is not “wellness” in our firm – a problem which has been exacerbated in some cases by increased remote/home working.

Other plenary sessions will look at how the IP courts and other tribunals have changed as a result of the pandemic, how to train IP attorneys in the 21st Century and the relationship between the profession and the Offices.

High level speakers already confirmed include Carl Josefsson, president of the EPO Boards of Appeal, and Judge Klaus Grabinski of the Bundesgerichtshof, who will update us all on the UPC, which is expected to come into force just weeks after the Congress.

Breakout sessions will look at brand activism, IP in M&A transactions, “tooling up” your IP practice, a marketing masterclass aimed specifically at IP attorneys, and funding IP enforcement actions.

More information about all three days of meetings, plus registration details, will be published in a brochure in mid-February and on our website at www.ficpi.org/events/ficpi-world-congress-2022.

 

Other Meetings & Events

While keenly anticipating the renewed opportunities for us all to get together in the same place, we are still deploying and expanding on the considerable skills in digital communication that FICPI developed during the pandemic.

Our FICPI 45 Webinar and Podcast series is going strong, with topics being addressed in February including ‘Trade Secrets’ on February 16th.

Podcasts are another recently added tool to the FICPI communications platform. Personally, I have found these a great way to catch up on FICPI’s webinars during my daily commute without eating into the working day. I am in awe of our podcast host, Louis-Pierre Gravelle, who is doing a stellar job in that role.

More details at www.ficpi.org/events-training/upcoming-webinars . All the previous FICPI 45 Webinars are available to download at www.ficpi.org/on-demand/1704.

Another meeting planned for mid-2022 is an in-person CET meeting – details to follow.

 

New Websites for Country Sections

A major communications initiative in 2021 was the launch of a new website for FICPI International. In 2022, we are working with national sections to relaunch their websites, to strengthen FICPI’s global profile and ensure we are connecting with members and potential members at grassroots.

Australia will be the first one up and, at the time of writing, a very impressive new FICPI Australia site was about ready to launch, with more countries to follow on quickly.

IP Law Issues

As ever, a key role for FICPI in 2022 will be to involve members with the developments in key IP issues and IP law.

Substantive Patent Law Harmonisation (otherwise known as SPLH) will continue to be a topic of focus throughout the word and a sub-group of WIPO’s B+ Group has again invited FICPI to be involved in discussions and offer feedback on this as well as a potential multilateral agreement on confidentiality/legal privilege for correspondence between IP attorneys and their clients.

If you want to learn more about SPLH, there is a great introductory video by our own Jérôme Collin. In addition, Michael Caine, hosts a video exploring one of the important topics within SPLH, ‘Conflicting Applications’ – and Andrew Meikle hosts a video looking more deeply at the SPLH topic of ‘Prior User Rights’.  All videos can be found here  www.ficpi.org/on-demand.

We also plan this year to resume in-person official visits with other important organisations within the global IP profession, such as the USPTO, the EPO and WIPO, to continue discussion about IP topics of shared concern. In line with FICPI’s policies on sustainability, which have been sharpened during the pandemic, as I discuss below, we will continue to meet other organisations remotely.

The Inclusion Project

Another topic you will hear a lot more about in 2022 is The Inclusion Project, FICPI’s initiative to become even more effective as a global member organisation by strengthening our approach to diversity, equity and inclusion.

We want the FICPI global business family to be representative of the world at large and for every member to feel they have an opportunity to contribute and know that they are encouraged to do so.

We launched The Inclusion Project with its own dedicated page on our website in early January www.ficpi.org/about/inclusion-project, following the submission of a discussion document and the subsequent passing of a Resolution at FICPI’s December ExCo meeting.

There will be much more to follow on this initiative during the year.

 

Sustainability

Another important initiative on which we are focusing in 2022 is our effort to become a more sustainable organisation.  FICPI Deputy Secretary General, Elia Sugrañes briefed the Bureau in October on progress. In particular, Elia wants to hear from all our members on your own examples of best practices on reducing the use of paper and packaging. Contact Elia at [email protected].

 

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That’s just the tip of the FICPI iceberg (the FICPI-berg?) of the good things happening within our global community in 2022. There will be frequent opportunities for every member to get involved in an area they are passionate about or is important to the development of their firm.

I thank you for your membership, support and participation in FICPI.  I personally look forward to spending time with many of you at the World Congress in Cannes in September.

I am always eager to hear the views and feedback from our members. Please feel free to contact me at [email protected].

Yours,

JULIAN CRUMP
President, FICPI