Non-member submission from ["Davis, Tracy" <TDavis@Derwent.co.uk>]
==== The Derwent Debates ====
"Traditional intellectual property is not fit for a web-based economy"
*********************************************************************
Your invitation to a major public debate, hosted by Derwent Information
*********************************************************************
The second in a series of public debates hosted by Derwent Information
will take place on Tuesday 15th February 2000, in London.
At the debate an invited audience will discuss, and then vote on, the
motion: "Traditional Intellectual property is not fit for a web-based
economy".
Why?
Increasingly we are living in a knowledge-based economy, with ideas and
innovation our main currency. But there are those that fear that our
traditional methods of protecting the inventor or innovator are failing to
keep pace with technological change. Others suggest that traditional IP is
simply incompatible with a web-based economy, and should be jettisoned.
Is traditional intellectual property merely litter from a former
industrial age, better confined to the dustbin of history? Or is it, as
supporters of the system insist, as relevant today in cyberspace as in any
other time, or industry?
Like it or loathe it, intellectual property is today becoming a major
focus of controversy in cyberspace. People are patenting software and
e-commerce business methods, and companies are using trademark laws to
migrate their brands to the web, often - critics claim - at the expense of
smaller companies and non-commercial organisations.
Last November, for instance, a Swiss-based art group that owns the
etoy.com domain name, and has been operating since 1995, had to close down
its web site when online retailing giant eToys won a preliminary
injunction against it in a California State Court.
Could your business afford to close its web site if it became involved in
a trade mark dispute? Do you have the resources to protect your online
real estate? Do you know what legal threats the web holds for companies
moving their business online?
What will be the implications of patents and intellectual property in the
web-based economy? Do our ideas on trademarks, business methods and
copyright need re-evaluating?
Who?
The panel of experts arguing for and against include:
Speaking for the motion:
Seth Shulman, author of "Owning the Future"
Professor Stuart Macdonald, Professor of Information and Organisation,
University of Sheffield
Panellists for the motion:
Andy Gibbs, author and founder of PatentCafe.com
Professor Clay Shirky, Professor of New Media, Hunter College, New York
Speaking against the motion:
Drummond Reed, founder and CTO of Seattle-based OneNameCorp,
Vic Siber, previously head of IP at IBM and now working with New York
lawyers, Clifford Chance Rogers & Wells LLP
Panellists against the motion:
Bob Hart, Committee Member, Chartered Institute of Patent Agents and
Director, Intellectual Property International Limited
Ashley Winton, Partner, Osborne Clark, London
When?
The debate will take place on Tuesday 15th February, 2000, from 10.00am
until 1.00pm, and will conclude with a vote on the motion.
Attendance at the debate is free, but places are strictly limited - the
previous Derwent debate was heavily oversubscribed. To attend, please
complete the registration form.
http://www.derwent.com/joindebate.html
Where?
This event will take place at The Brewery, Chiswell Street, London, EC1Y
4SD
Hear the issues and have your say!
Those who can't attend the debate in person are encouraged to log on and
have their say online. All issues raised through the Derwent debates web
area will be addressed by the panel on the day of the event, and the site
will be used as a discussion area before, during and after the debate
itself. In fact, the discussion has already started
http://www.derwent.com/commentdebate.html
Further background information about the event can be found at:
http://www.derwent.com/derwentupdates.html
Liz Opperman
Derwent Information
Tel: +44 171 344 2869
Fax: +44 171 344 2901
Email: lopperman@derwent.co.uk
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Fri Aug 10 2001 - 15:58:03 EDT