Event Information
In this Focus 45 webinar Edward Kwakwa of WIPO will discuss Global Challenges and Partnerships with Louis-Pierre Gravelle.
Mr. Kwakwa will give us some history and updates on the ongoing work of the WIPO Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore (IGC). The IGC was established in 2000, with a goal of finalizing an agreement on an international legal instrument relating to intellectual property protection for genetic resources (GR), traditional knowledge (TK) and traditional cultural expressions (TCEs). By involving Indigenous peoples and local communities, the IGC “respond[s] to long-standing calls from developing countries for greater equity and balance in the IP system.”
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Edward Kwakwa, Assistant Director General, Global Challenges and Partnerships Sector at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Edward Kwakwa is Assistant Director General, Global Challenges and Partnerships Sector, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Geneva. He served as General Counsel at WIPO from 2004 until September 2016. Kwakwa holds an LL.B. degree from the University of Ghana, an LL.M. from Queen’s University in Canada, and an LL.M. and a J.S.D. from Yale Law School in the USA. Before joining WIPO, Kwakwa practiced corporate and international trade law and investment with the law firm of O’Melveny and Myers in Washington, D.C., worked as International Legal Adviser at the Commission on Global Governance in Geneva, as Senior Legal Adviser at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and as Legal Affairs Officer at the World Trade Organization (WTO). His publications include four books and numerous articles on international law. He is currently serving as Vice-President of the African Foundation for International Law, Member of the Governing Council of Africa Legal Aid and Member of the Editorial Advisory Boards of the African Journal of International and Comparative Law and the International Organizations Law Review. In September 2011, he was elected as an Associate Member of the Institut de Droit International, and became a full Member in September 2017. He served from 2001 to 2004 on the Executive Council of the American Society of International Law (ASIL), from 2012 to 2015 as Counselor of the ASIL, and as Vice President of the ASIL from 2015 to 2017. |
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Louis-Pierre Gravelle is Partner at Bereskin & Parr in Canada and Vice President of FICPI's Professional Excellence Committee (PEC) Louis-Pierre specialises in the drafting and prosecution of patent applications and providing patentability, validity, infringement and right to manufacture opinions in the fields of electricity, telecommunications, mechanical and information technology. He is a registered patent agent in Canada and in the United States (1998). Louis-Pierre is involved in due diligence matters and managing patent portfolios. He is also involved in strategic counselling for start-ups, small, medium and large-sized businesses. A member of the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada (IPIC) and the Canadian Bar Association (CBA), Louis-Pierre was called to the Québec Bar in 1995. He is also a member of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec (OIQ). Louis-Pierre Gravelle is past-chair of the Intellectual Property Section of the Canadian Bar Association (CBA) and past co-president of the Joint Liaison Committee – Patents between the Patent office and IPIC. He is a Councillor for FICPI Canada. He is listed in the IAM Patents 1000, and has been since 2012. Louis-Pierre is often called upon to speak on a variety of IP-related topics, at local and international conferences and events. |