The IPR GROUP team was pleased to attend the Annual Meeting of the German Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (GRUR), which took place in Mannheim from the 27th to 29th of September, 2023.
At this year´s meeting, high-level speakers from academia, private practices and institutions, such as the European Patent Office, the Unified Patent Court, as well as the German Federal Court of Justice, discussed the latest developments in European and German IP law with the participants. There was a particular focus on major legal developments in the scope of digitalization, copyright, publishing law and much more.
The arrival of a unitary patent and the Unified Patent Court (UPC) now represents one of the most significant changes in European patent law. Due to these developments, participants discussed their expectations and explored initial experiences of the Unified Patent Court during the sessions.
There have also been challenging developments in the areas of copyright protection and green labeling. Copyright and adaptation rights under copyright law, as well as restrictions and licensing were widely discussed among the participants. Special attention was paid to the proposal of a law on the protection of children against the advertisement of foods with high sugar, fat or salt content. Issues of intellectual property law in artificial intelligence were also focal points of a number of presentations.
Participants enjoyed a rich social programme alongside the working programme. This provided for several guided tours of the city, exploring locations such as modern and historic Mannheim, urban street art, as well as guided tours of the National Garden Show.
The Annual Meeting came to a close with a festive dinner event after a scenic journey on the newly constructed BUGA 23 funicular, in Spinelli Park, formerly US army barracks and now part of the National Garden Show site.
As always, GRUR Annual Meeting offered an excellent opportunity to exchange ideas and make valuable contacts with practitioners from law firms and industry, representatives of the judiciary and academics, while attending sessions and seminars during the day, as well as in a relaxed atmosphere in the evening, moving on to well-catered refreshments.
The attorneys of the IPR GROUP would like to thank all organizers who contributed towards the success of this event, for a fruitful and inspirational time together with the IP community in Mannheim.
