What's the format of the session?
Our plenary session on 6 October focuses on "Partnerships – will you marry me? – strategic alliances/ownership groups". The session will be structured in a talk show format, where the moderator, Roberto Pistolesi, FICPI President, will ask the four speakers questions and they will answer based on their different experiences and perspectives.
Tell us about the speakers
Richard Kempner, a partner at Haseltine Lake Kempner (a UK firm with offices in DE, NL and CN), where the merger between different firms was driven by the benefits to clients of providing, under the same umbrella, both prosecution and litigation/non contentious IP skills.
Karin Kärvling Søholt, the Strategic Alliances Director at Zacco. Originally based in DK, SE and NO, the company now also operates in DE, UK and IN, providing a local IP presence for many of their clients. Expansion incorporated online brand protection and digital services and they recently joined the OpSec Group, sharing a vision to create, monitor and enforce IP in all forms.
Andrew Blattman, CEO and Managing Director of IPH. IPH is an international IP services group comprising a network of firms (Spruson & Ferguson, Griffith Hack, AJ Park, Smart & Biggar, Pizzeys and Applied Marks), with a presence in AU, NZ, throughout Southeast Asia and CA, servicing some 26 countries. IPH is a public company which listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) in November 2014 and has grown through a series of strategic acquisitions.
Ms. Valérie Feray, CEO of the French-headquartered firm Ipsilon, has recently joined the panel. Ipsilon was originally a French firm, and now also has offices in DE, BE, LU and USA; the funds for supporting its future growth have been obtained through the entry of Private Equity into the capital stock.
Roberto says, “We are very happy to have Valérie on board, as she will bring a different perspective on how and why strategic partnerships and alliances can be pursued in the IP world.”
When is the session taking place?
It's on Friday 6 October 2023, at 9-1030 and it's one of just two special plenary sessions.
How do I book?
Secure your Open Forum ticket by 30 July 2023 to take advantage of our mid-rate tickets. We encourage you to book earlier to secure your hotel room of choice.
Book your hotel room as soon as you’ve received confirmation of your Open Forum registration, to ensure you benefit from FICPI’s special discounted rates at the conference hotel. We’ve secured a number of hotel rooms at a special FICPI rate.
Remember that as well as entering your special promotional code, you must also select “Promotional Rates” from the dropdown menu to view the beneficial rates secured for FICPI’s guests. It’s important to book following the procedure above to ensure that the hotel recognises the rooms as being part of the FICPI booking.