PATENTS    

13:45 – 14:00    
Patent Office Update

Scott Vasudev Chief, Patent Administration Policy, Classification and International Affairs Division

TRADE-MARKS 

13:45 – 14:00    
Trade-mark Office Update

Lisa Power Director, Trade-marks Branch

14:00 – 14:45    
Patent Office Roundtable
Moderator
David Schwartz Smart & Biggar/Fetherstonhaugh (Ottawa)

Scott Vasudev Chief, Patent Administration Policy, Classification and International Affairs Division
Chris Evans Programs Manager, Patent Administrative Policy, Classification and International Affairs Division

14:00 – 14:45   
Trade-mark Office Roundtable
Moderator
Janet Fuhrer Ridout & Maybee LLP (Ottawa)

Darlene Carreau Chairperson, Trade-marks Opposition Board
Lisa Power Director, Trade-marks Branch Geneviève Côté-Halverson Acting Chief, International Affairs, International Relations Office

15:05 – 16:30
Bilski and its Impacts on Prosecution and Litigation in IT and Biotech
Moderators
Isabelle Chabot Ogilvy Renault LLP (Québec)
Lesley Rapaport Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (Vancouver)

Erika Harmon Arner Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner LLP (Reston, Virginia)
Mark Skoog Merchant & Gould P.C. (Minneapolis)

• Current status of U.S. Law post Bilski
• What is/is not patentable Subject Matter for IT/Biotech?
• Practical IT Prosecution strategies
• What are the latest rejections issued by Examiners for IT claims and strategies to overcome?
• Future predictions and patent drafting and claiming strategies in light of uncertainty post Bilski
• Practical Biotech Prosecution strategies
• What are the latest rejections issued by Examiners for Biotech claims and strategies to overcome?
• Future predictions and patent drafting and claiming strategies in light of uncertainty post Bilski

15:05 – 16:30
Differences in Canadian and U.S. Practice that You Should Know
Moderator
Nicola Hunt Hunt Biggs LLP (Ottawa)

Linda McLeod Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner LLP (Washington, D.C.)
Stella Syrianos Léger Robic Richard LLP (Montréal)

• Non-Tradional Marks -- what can U.S. clients protect in Canada. Filing in the U.S., giving Canadian clients broader protection
• Fraud on the PTOs-- recent developments in U.S. and Canada
• Use -- advising U.S. clients on the basis for registration in Canada; advising Canadian clients on U.S. use requirements

PATENTS    

9:00 – 10:00    
Canadian, U.S. and U.K. Approaches to Obviousness post-Sanofi
Moderator
Peter Wilcox Torys LLP (Toronto)

Andrew Shaughnessy Torys LLP (Toronto)
Michael Dzwonczyk Sughrue Mion PLLC (Washington, D.C.)
James Tumbridge Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP (London, U.K.)

• The new test(s) for obviousness in Canada under Sanofi
• Contrasts and comparisons between the tests for obviousness in Canada, the U.S. and U.K.
• Obviousness in practice:  some comparative examples, both real and hypothetical

TRADE-MARKS 

9:00 – 10:00    
Look and Feel, Functionality and Trade Dress: Comparing Canadian and U.S. Approaches
Moderator
Joanne Nardi Torys LLP (Toronto)

Thomas Brooke Holland & Knight LLP (Washington, D.C.)
Henry Lue Dimock Stratton LLP (Toronto)

• The difference between protection for product configuration and packaging
• The interplay between "get up" or trade dress law and patent law

Adam Fanaki Senior Deputy Commissioner of Competition, Competition Bureau
Randal Hughes McCarthy Tétrault LLP (Toronto)

• Interface between IP and competition law - Competition Bureau's Intellectual Property Enforcement Guidelines (IPEGs)
• European Commission's pharma sector inquiry - implications for Canada
• Pharma settlements - U.S. experience and implications for Canada
• Competition Bureau's Generic Drug Studies - a different focus
• Impact of recent amendments to Competition Act

10:00 – 11:00    
Effective Mediation
Moderator
Marion Bailey-Canham Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP (Ottawa)

Marion Bailey-Canham Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP (Ottawa)
Charles Kent IP Mediate (Ottawa) 
James Tumbridge Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP (London, U.K.)

• Interest based negotiations (substantive, procedural, psychological/emotional)
• Nature of mediation process
• advantages of using mediation in appropriate disputes
• Concepts of BATNA and WATNA
• Types of cases where mediation works
• Types of cases where mediation does not work
• Best times for mediation in a dispute
• Is mediation really a sign of weakness?
• Where to get training to improve mediation skills (as counsel or mediator)

PATENTS   

13:45 – 14:45    
Patent Filing Strategies in the Current Economy
Moderator
Louis-Pierre Gravelle Léger Robic Richard LLP (Montréal)

Lesley Rapaport Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (Vancouver)
Noel Courage Bereskin & Parr LLP

• Patent searching and assessment of prior art examination deferral strategies
• Accelerated examination strategies
• Picking the right patent prosecution strategy where litigation seems inevitable
• Utility models, innovation patents, designs - alternatives or additional protection?
• Upcoming patent reform and patent strategy implications   

TRADE-MARKS 

13:45 – 14:45    
Advanced Opposition Techniques and Strategies
Moderator
Joanne Nardi Torys LLP (Toronto)

Evidentiary Issues and Strategies 
Nancy Miller Fogler, Rubinoff LLP (Toronto)
Donna White Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP (Ottawa)

• What's the theory of your opposition?
• What grounds are key? 
• What evidence do you need to support the theory/prove your case?
  How should you present the facts which support your case?

15:05 – 16:30   
Redefining Relationships: The Evolving Role of Key Stakeholders in the Canadian Technology Transfer Landscape
Moderator
Sanjay Goorachurn Smart & Biggar/Fetherstonhaugh (Montréal)

Angus Livingstone Industry Liaison Office, University of British Columbia (Vancouver)
Judith Young Executive Director, NRC Central Business Support 
Michel Fortin President and CEO, Prevtec microbia (Montréal)

• The importance of publicly-funded research institutions in a knowledge-based economy
• Bringing together government, industry and the IP profession: Present and future
• Innovation clusters: Best practices from at home and abroad

15:05 – 16:30    
Advanced Opposition Techniques and Strategies (cont’d)

Cross-examination, Written Arguments and Oral Hearings: Making the Best Use of Evidence
Mitchell Charness Ridout & Maybee LLP (Ottawa)
Gervas Wall Deeth Williams Wall LLP (Toronto)

• When should you cross-examine?
• Cross-examination dos and don'ts
• Positioning evidence in your written arguments 
• The role of evidence in oral hearings

The European Perspective
Caroline Casalonga Casalonga Avocats (Paris)