The Centre for Intellectual Property Policy (CIPP) along with its partners, the Centre for International Governance Innovation and the H. Heward Stikeman Chair in Tax Law, are proud to have hosted Innovation Week 2018 . The weeklong (Feb. 19-23) event’s program was packed with engaging activities such as an intensive course and a number of conferences and roundtables with renowned international experts (25 speakers from seven different countries!)

Ce fut à la fois un moment unique de diffusion du savoir ainsi qu’une occasion de nouer des liens entre chercheurs et praticiens. François Le Moine, étudiant à la maîtrise à la Faculté et assistant de recherche Fraser Mann du CIPP, résume les activités de la semaine :

The End of Innovation as We Know It

Richard Gold discussing options to renew how we innovate in order to avoid stagnation

Professor Richard Gold reviewed the unsustainability of the current system of innovation in which costs have been exponentially rising while output has stagnated, and explored potential solutions to address this challenge such as open science.

International Patent and Innovation Strategy

Asa Kling, Konstantinos Georgaras, Richard Gold

Asa Kling, former Director of the Israel Patent Office, gave a lecture on international innovation and patent strategy as part of the Faculty’s Focus Week, an elective intensive workshop for upper year students. He talked about different methods of measuring innovation, the relative value of different government incentives to encourage innovation, and the international treaties that regulate intellectual property. Kling also presented differences between patent prosecution in different countries, and the emerging bilateral and multilateral cooperation between national patent offices. Richard Gold and Konstantinos Georgaras, Director General, Corporate Strategies and Services, of the Canadian Intellectual Property Office also held a roundtable discussion on the topic.

From Big Data and Open Data to Community Actions

Innovation week: Big Data presentation

In this session organized by the Centre de recherches interdisciplinaires en études montréalaises, Gorka Espiau, Stéphane Guidoin, Charles-Antoine Julien, Jean-Noé Landry, Pierre-Luc Bacon, Geneviève Boisjoly, and Vincent Thomas discussed the challenges and opportunities of Big Data and Open Data. They illustrated the debate on data governance and the rule of law and policy by providing examples of the use of big data in multiple areas, such as AI, smart cities, decision-making, computational sustainability, disability rights, accessibility, and transportation. Particular attention was given to accessibility, openness, collaboration, transparency, and citizens’ participation as guiding principles in advancing Big and Open Data as powerful tools to community actions.

Law and the Blockchain: A Crash Course

In this standing-room only event organized by Stikeman Chair holder Allison Christians, Max Jarvie, Marc Richardson Arnould, and Kendra Rossi gave an overview of the history, workings and future challenges relating to cryptocurrencies. Participants also discussed the various regulatory frameworks in different jurisdictions.

Putting Innovation in a Box: IP & Tax Policy Colloquium

Irma Mosquera discussing evolving international standard rules and standards for taxing IP

The patent box colloquium hosted by the Centre d’entreprises et d’innovation de Montréal and co-organized by the Stikeman Chair enabled academics of different countries to discuss tax incentives for innovation, tax fairness, as well as the OECD guidelines relating to patent boxes. The colloquium brought together Nicolas Binctin, Alessandra Flamini, Asa Kling, Irma Mosquera, Lyne Latulippe, Alain Strowel, Edoardo Traversa, Jean-Pierre Vidal and Laurens van Apeldoorn.

Innovating at the International Level – CETA, BREXIT, and NAFTA

Armand de Mestral introducing a panel on the political and legal issues pertaining to Brexit

Trade policy has been at the forefront of recent political debates. Renowned experts – Armand de Mestral, Marc Bungenberg, Charles-Emmanuel Côté, Henri Culot, Graeme Dinwoodie, Alain Strowel, Edoardo Traversa and Lukas Vanhonnaeker – discussed political and legal issues pertaining to CETA, Brexit, and the possibility of a transatlantic free-trade partnership.

Le Centre remercie la Faculté de droit, nos invités, nos partenaires, ainsi que l’équipe du CIPP qui ont rendu possible cette semaine stimulante et enrichissante!