Over the past five years, the IP Business Congress (IPBC) has brought together senior industry professionals to discuss the latest issues around IP value creation. In December the IPBC will venture outside Europe and North America to take the discussion on how rights owners can strategically use intellectual property to create internal and external value to the Chinese market.

In recent years China has emerged as a global player in intellectual property, both in terms of trademark and patent applications and the level of IP litigation. Internationally, Chinese companies are also becoming increasingly active in seeking, acquiring and exercising IP rights. It is therefore apt that the first IPBC to take place in Asia heads to Beijing, being held at the JW Marriott on December 2-4 2012.

Hosted by WTR’s sister title Intellectual Asset Management (IAM), the IPBC has previously been held in Amsterdam (2008), Chicago (2009), Munich (2010), San Francisco (2011) and Lisbon (2012). This year marks the first expansion outside Europe and North America, and Joff Wild, editor of IAM magazine, explains: “The IPBC China will introduce issues around the creation of IP value to an audience of senior Chinese IP owners, intermediaries and officials – and will explore subjects that are not commonly examined at conferences in the country, but which are of increasing interest to Chinese companies as they begin to develop IP strategies not only for domestic implementation, but also internationally. In addition, the event will allow foreign companies and intermediaries currently operating in China, or considering establishing a presence there, to learn a lot more about IP deal-making in the country. In short, we are looking to create a high-level dialogue that focuses on the business aspects of IP, but with a very specific Chinese angle.”

Among the confirmed speakers at the event are:

• Horacio Gutierrez, chief IP officer, Microsoft
• Paul Melin, vice-president of IP, Nokia
• Roger Shang, chief patent and technology counsel, AliBaba
• William Coughlin, CEO, Ford Global Technologies
• Paul Fehlner, global head of pharma IP at Novartis