THE WORKING PROGRAMME
| TIME | DESCRIPTION | SPEAKERS |
|---|---|---|
| 10:00-10:05 | Opening Remarks | Gökçe İzgi Elia Sugrañes |
| 10:05-11:05 | Session 1: Trademarks Cancellation of trademarks due to non-use – including latest development in Turkish trademark practice. |
Eleni Kokkini (M) Gülay Göksu Elif Betül Akın |
| 11:05-11:30 | Coffee Break | |
| 11:30-12:30 | Session 2: AI and Practice Management Reflections on AI use in the IP profession - which parts of the work may be handled by AI, and which parts will continue to require experience and human expertise in the near future. |
Brett Slaney (M) Essenese Obhan Ezgi Baklacı Gülkokar |
| 12:30-13:30 | Lunch | |
| 13:30-14:30 | Session 3: Global Hot Topics (rapid fire) Series of rapid fire presentations on global hot topics – including the UPC. |
MaryAnne Armstrong Mauro Eccetto Daniel Alge Katsumori Iseki Richa Pandey |
| 14:30-15:00 | Coffee Break | |
| 15:00-16:00 | Session 4: Patents Discussion on recent decisions of the Enlarged Board of Appeal, including FICPI Amicus Brief. |
Christian Wende (M) Robert Watson Aydın Mutlu |
| 16:00-16:20 | FICPI Information Session | Sharon Crane |
| 16:20-16:30 | Closing Remarks | Uğur Aktekin |
| 16:30-17:30 |
Cocktail Reception Enjoy a relaxed end to the day at our cocktail reception — connect with fellow delegates and meet FICPI officers and members over drinks and conversation. |
(M) = Moderator
The Speakers
The speakers at the FICPI Istanbul Seminar bring together a wide mix of legal, technical and strategic expertise across the IP profession, spanning patents, trademarks, designs, litigation, commercial IP strategy and cutting‑edge technologies. Their combined experience offers a rich, multidisciplinary perspective for delegates.
| NAME & FIRM | POSITION IN FICPI | ABOUT | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Gökçe İzgi
|
President FICPI Türkiye |
Gökçe specializes in assisting intellectual property owners to establish, manage, commercialize and protect their assets in Türkiye, as well as helping them to understand and deal with complex regulatory compliance challenges. She concentrates primarily on trademarks and patents, along with a range of intellectual property issues which arise within heavily regulated industries. Gökçe has notable experience providing detailed and highly tailored advice in circumstances where legal rights, regulatory obligations, and commercial practices intersect. These factors mean Gökçe must consider a client’s position from a wider point of view. |
|
Elia Sugrañes
|
President FICPI International |
Elia is a Lawyer, Registered IP attorney in Spain before the SPTO, Trademarks and Designs Agent before the EUIPO, and Director of SUGRAÑES. She studied Law in Barcelona, and completed her specialisation in IP with a Master's Degree in Alicante in 1996. She over 25 years of experience in IP law, mainly in consultancy for clients as to decision-making in the field of IP, strategies, trademark and domain procedures and consultation, and related legal matters. Elia has spoken at conferences worldwide about trademark issues and is a professor at the IP Master s Degree of Institute of Lawyers in Barcelona. She is also a Mediator recognised by the WIPO and the Spanish Ministry. She has taught on educational mediation programmes in Barcelona (for the INTA), at the Institute of lawyers in Valencia and the Institute of Lawyers in Barcelona with Thelma Butts. |
|
Eleni Kokkini
|
Vice President Study & Work Committee (CET) |
Eleni has acquired extensive experience in all matters of intellectual property law, with a special focus on trademark prosecution and litigation, domain name disputes resolution and e-commerce cases. Eleni has advised clients, from mega multinationals to small local firms, in complex trademark, design, copyright and unfair competition issues and is a dedicated expert in the representation of clients in trademark and unfair competition litigation and in domain name UDRP proceedings. She advises clients on legal compliance issues of websites, e-shops and other e-commerce models and platforms and she has drafted and reviewed a number of website terms of use and privacy policies. |
|
Gülay Göksu
|
Member FICPI Türkiye |
Gülay provides litigation and dispute resolution consultancy to local and international clients, primarily operating in the pharmaceuticals industry, in Intellectual and Industrial Property Law, managing their patent, trademark, and industrial design portfolios and representing them in all proceedings before the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office as well as all relevant courts. Ms. Göksu has also been a licensed practitioner with the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office for patents since 2011 and trademarks since 2013. |
Elif Betül Akın
|
|||
|
Brett Slaney
|
Vice President Study & Work Committee (CET) |
Brett’s expertise includes patent drafting and prosecution, patent portfolio management, and opinion work regarding patentability, infringement, validity, and standards essential patents (SEPs). His practice focuses on patent-related issues in the software, electrical, and mechanical fields, with particular emphasis on multidisciplinary systems. His professional experience includes servicing clients in a wide range of industries, such as emerging technologies (including AI, IoT, Fintech, quantum computing, and blockchain), software (including apps, cloud, databases, SaaS models), data analytics, wireless telecommunications, oil and gas, data security, automotive electronics, process automation, and consumer products. He provides strategic patent advice for clients ranging from large multi-national corporations to individual inventors and is responsible for managing patent portfolios of all sizes. |
|
Essenese Obhan
|
President The FICPI Academy |
Essenese is an IP lawyer, patent agent, and has a degree in mechanical engineering. While he has drafted, prosecuted and litigated cases in the mechanical, chemical, pharmaceutical, software, telecommunication and agricultural sectors, he has also been at the forefront of several high stakes IP licensing and litigation matters in India. In particular, he has represented both the Indian seed industry in their licensing dispute concerning genetically modified seeds as well as various Indian mobile manufacturers in their SEP discussions with SEP owners. |
|
Ezgi Baklacı Gülkokar
|
Member FICPI Türkiye |
Ezgi specializes in supporting brand and patent owners to navigate complex intellectual property disputes, as well as to establish, manage and protect their intellectual assets in Turkey. Her work primarily concentrates on trademarks, patents, and unfair competition, focusing mainly on litigation, strategy and enforcement issues. Ezgi has significant experience guiding clients in circumstances where intellectual property plays a central role to their broader commercial success, as well as developing multi-stage strategies to combat sophisticated infringers and trolls. |
|
MaryAnne Armstrong, Ph.D.
|
Reporter, Group 3, International Patents Study & Work Committee (CET) |
MaryAnne has practiced in the intellectual property field since 1995, working with both large and small companies and universities, for the preparation and prosecution of patent applications in the fields of immunology, pharmaceutical chemistry, biotechnology, vaccines, therapeutic antibodies, organic chemistry, assay and drug screening systems, medical devices and plant patents. |
|
Mauro Eccetto
|
Chair, Group 7, Enforcement & ADR Study & Work Committee (CET) |
Mauro holds a Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Politecnico di Torino, together with the Corso di Perfezionamento in Brevettistica from the Università di Milano, providing a solid grounding in both engineering and intellectual property. His work focuses on design and patent services, supported by experience across a range of industries including furniture and lighting, mechanical engineering, mechatronics and automation, medical devices, and the oil and gas sector. |
|
Daniel Alge
|
Special Reporter, European IP Matters Study & Work Committee (CET) |
Daniel represents his clients in patent prosecution and enforcement of patents, mainly for pharma and biotech clients. He advises clients (ranging from universities and biotech start-ups to big international pharma firms) also in IP due diligence, patent and trademark valuation and employee’s inventions (service inventions). In addition, Daniel Alge is an Expert Judge in patent litigation at the Vienna Commercial Court and the Austrian Supreme Court |
|
Katsumori Iseki
|
Chair, Group 3, International Patents Study & Work Committee (CET) |
Katsu has worked in patent practice since 2000, handling a wide range of intellectual property matters for both overseas and domestic companies. His experience includes rights acquisition, support for IP disputes, technology transfer between industry and academia, IP‑related negotiations and contracts, analysis of IP information, and consulting on business strategy and international expansion involving intellectual property. He also gives seminars, participates in official activities in Japan and abroad, and has gained additional experience at a U.S. patent law firm. |
|
Richa Pandey
|
Reporter General Study & Work Committee (CET) |
Richa brings over two decades of experience spanning the full spectrum of intellectual property law. She holds wealth of experience in patents and broader IP strategy, further enhancing the firm’s capabilities in advising clients on complex, innovation-led matters. Her core areas of focus include patent drafting, prosecution, oppositions, enforcement, litigation strategy, and portfolio management. With a dual academic background in science and law, Richa brings a strong technical foundation to her advisory work. |
|
Christian Wende
|
Chair, Group 4, European Patents Study & Work Committee (CET) |
Christian’s work spans the full spectrum of intellectual property, including patent, design, trademark and utility model law, as well as prosecution, opposition, invalidation and infringement matters, and IP due diligence in the context of M&A and venture capital. His technical focus covers medical engineering, automotive, mechanical engineering, mechanics and nanotechnology. |
|
Robert Watson
|
President Study & Work Committee (CET) |
Robert handles patent work in chemistry and materials with particular experience in the pharmaceutical, industrial chemistry and nanotech sectors. He has also extensive experience with industrial designs. In the pharmaceutical sector he advises on the protection of drugs from initial discovery, through commercialisation to approval, including patent term extensions. In the nanotech sector, he has advised on novel nanoscale materials, and novel methods of producing graphene. He has helped numerous clients through due diligence associated with investment and acquisition. |
|
Aydın Mutlu
|
Treasurer FICPI Türkiye |
Aydin advises major domestic and international clients in a wide variety of fields such as pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, metallurgy, automotive, household appliances and machinery with his extensive knowledge and background in European and Turkish legislations. He actively works for IP prosecution and legal disputes with his extensive experience as a court appointed expert at the Specialized IP Courts of Istanbul. |
|
Sharon E. Crane, Ph.D.
|
Secretary General FICPI International |
Sharon is Secretary General of FICPI International, and co-chair of FICPI's DEIA and webinar committees. She is the past Chair of FICPI’s working group on Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals (CET5). She is Counsel at Haynes and Boone, LLP in Washington DC, and is active in patent post-grant procedures, patent interferences, prosecution, opinions and litigation. |
|
Uğur Aktekin
|
Founding President FICPI Türkiye |
Uğur’s Intellectual Property practice focuses on trademarks, designs and copyrights. He advises on implementing IP protection and enforcement strategies and portfolio management, representing clients before the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office, as well as cancellation, infringement and other court actions and domain name ADR proceedings, filing for interlocutory and precautionary injunctions, negotiating and drafting co-existence, settlement and licensing agreements. |