The name change, a few months ago, was the first step in a series of initiatives planned by myself, as the France-based Chair of PMC, and my two Vice-Presidents, Louis-Pierre Gravelle of Canada and Louis Lagler of Switzerland, to ensure that the visibility and prominence of PMC reflects its importance as one of our organisation’s greatest assets, a difference-maker when comparing FICPI to other IP associations.
By the end of 2023, we want everyone in FICPI’s global community, and in the IP profession at large, to know all about PMC.
And, by the end of the year, we are going to persuade you to become an enthusiastic member and participant.
One way we are raising the Committee’s visibility is by making it easier to find and explore PMC’s pages on FICPI.org. We are adding new content including videos, a tech advice centre and a book club for members to recommend sources of business advice.
On the website, you will find insights into the background and purpose of PMC, which was established in 2008 to deal with matters of professional practice, with the objective of maintaining the standards of the IP profession to the highest level and further developing them.
Most IP associations only focus on topics in the technical and legal areas of IP rights such patents, trade marks and designs. This is the focus of our own impressive CET.
However, no other IP association goes as far as FICPI in also having a PMC to address the needs of members when they get to be partner in an IP firm and are looking for answers to questions about topics such as practice growth, technology, real estate and work practices.
When I began as a partner in my firm, I went looking for information about insurance and finance and found that only FICPI could provide it. That’s the reason I joined the French Group of FICPI.
As well as a new name, PMC has a new structure, with five groups each focused on a key topic:
- Human Resources
- Business Development and Marketing
- Governance, Risk and Compliance
- Technology
- Finance
Among the key initiatives in 2023 is a project that my predecessor as President, Patrick Erk of Germany, set in motion – Profit Generation in IP Firms.
It’s a very important topic but also complicated. However, we have now signed a partnership with a US Consultant to help us progress the work and we’ll be distributing a member survey in the coming weeks. The goal is to present findings at the London Open Forum in October.
But all these exciting initiatives to grow PMC and make its purpose more obvious to members and the wider IP profession will fall short if we do not attract more members to join us.
We are thrilled with the 65 FICPI members that currently support PMC – but not all of them are active and compare that to the more than 200 members for CET.
More members would enable PMC to tackle more topics and more initiatives to help us all grow and make more efficient our management of our firms.
The equation is simple – what you give to PMC is proportionate to what you get back.
So, please get involved.
Raise your own topics, the ones that concern you and your firm.
Circulate questions to gather insights from your colleagues.
Get on the PMC email list.
Participate in our meetings on the last Thursday of each month.
Join a working group.