MARQUES annual conference - Baveno, Lago Maggiore, Italy, September 13 - 16, 2011
The 25th iteration of the MARQUES conference is set against a backdrop of continued economic vulnerability, as government cutbacks bite and unemployment figures grow. With less money around, brands may be looking to consider new strategies when selecting, protecting, promoting and enforcing their IP assets. The conference programme is designed to assess whether and how brands are adapting their strategies, and discover the implication of the ‘Reality Check’ provided by the financial crisis.
After a meeting of MARQUES teams and a welcome reception for attendees on September 13, the conference proper kicks off on September 14. First day highlights include a session on trends in marketing, including a look at how brand owners change strategy in response to changing economic environments. Then, a session on social media will see representatives from fashion house Gucci and home products company IKEA discuss trademarks in social media, and how to police and enforce marks online.
The day’s third session looks rather more traditional. Chaired by Peter Wild, of Wild Schnyder in Switzerland, it will provide an update on the legal analysis of the trademark functions, and consider traditional and non-traditional trademarks.
"THERE ARE MANY THING A TRADEMARK CAN LOOK LIKE, BUT WE WANT TO FOCUS ON THEIR FUNCTIONS."
Wild says: “A lot of the presentations focus on unusual trademark forms and practices. We want to take delegates away from the hype topics, and bring them back to reality.” He adds: “There are many things a trademark can look like, but we want to focus on their functions.”
Wild will be joined on the panel by Charles Gielen, of NautaDulith in The Netherlands, Murielle Vincenti of Prada and Mark Hodgin from Cadbury Holdings. Gielen will focus on the legal analysis of the court developments on trademark function, while Vincenti and Hodgin will provide insight into how their respective brands view the issue.
Day two features an update on the work of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), including presentations from WIPO directors Debbie Roenning and Marcus Hópperger, as well as a look at green branding, guerrilla marketing and charity branding.
In the afternoon, there will be workshops discussion Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers’ new top-level domain programme, protecting geographical indications, product placement rules around the world, and the implications of The Max Planck Institute’s Study of the Functioning of the Trademark System in Europe.
On Friday the conference finishes at lunchtime, following a panel discussion of the work of the Office of Harmonization for the Internal Market and reflections on the latest landmark decisions of the Court of Justice of the European Union and the General Court. MARQUES council chair Nunzia Varicchio, of DSM in Th e Netherlands, will close the conference.
