Dear Intellectual Property Academic,

You are cordially invited to participate in the 17th-anniversary conference of the European Intellectual Property Teachers’ Network (EIPTN), to be held at the University of Portsmouth, on 10-11 October 2025

Conference 2025: again this year with face-to-face format only

Our 2025 Annual Conference will be hosted (face-to-face format) at the premises of the University of Portsmouth, UK, close to major transport hubs.

17th Anniversary Theme –  IP in the Era of Geopolitical, Tech and Fondamental Rights Challenges

In the IP teaching and research community in Europe, there is a reviving interest in improving IP teaching, a topic sometimes neglected in the past by academics under pressure to deliver research results. Furthermore, the area of IP pedagogical research is becoming more widely recognized. As a result, both academic research and pedagogical research are fueling quality in IP Teaching.

Teaching techniques are rapidly evolving, and the COVID-19 pandemic has exponentially accelerated existing trends of massive use of technological tools in teaching. At the same time, new geopolitical challenges, along with issues related to intellectual property (IP) and fundamental rights, are becoming increasingly important to discuss and they are further intertwined with technological advancements. Consequently, the central theme of the 17th Anniversary of our Network is: “IP in the Era of Geopolitical, Technological, and Fundamental Rights Challenges: Academic and Pedagogical Research as Support for Teaching in Challenging Times”.

Focus of our Call for Abstracts

This evolution raises considerable interest and questions in the IP teaching community. Hence, this year our Call for Abstracts focuses on recent substantive publications, or teaching programs and pedagogic methods introduced by IP academics on:

• a- substantive IP issues that relate to IP and new Geopolitical Challenges and effectively contribute to enhancing quality and/or new channels in IP Teaching;

• b- substantive IP issues that relate to IP and new Tech Challenges and effectively contribute to enhancing quality and/or new channels in IP Teaching

• c- substantive IP issues that consider  IP and new Fundamental Rights Challenges and effectively contribute to enhancing quality and/or new channels in IP Teaching

Abstracts selection priorities

Given the informal nature of the conference, we do not expect selected speakers to prepare a full paper to present at the conference.  Instead, we are issuing this call for proposals asking participants to give 20-minute presentations (plus Q&A) on issues relating to IP teaching experiences.  We would encourage you to provide feedback from the students or evidence of any impact on teaching outcomes due to the issues discussed.  Examples of presentations given at the Annual Conferences in previous years can be found on the EIPTN website at www.eiptn.eu.

Please note that, as per traditional practice at our Annual Conferences, the EPO and EUIPO will also be invited to hold a ‘best practice’ session devoted to illustrating and discussing the IP teaching materials they have developed, in particular online publications and tools that facilitate the work of Academics.

How to get involved in the 2025 EIPTN Annual Conference  

The working language of the Annual Conference is English.

If you would like to participate in the EIPTN 17th Anniversary Conference 2025 by giving a short presentation on one of the above items, please send the title of your proposed presentation and a 500-word abstract to info@eiptn.eu.

The deadline to send abstracts is 31 May 2025. The EIPTN Committee will then select abstracts based on their innovative character and potential contribution to the teaching of IP.

Under its traditionally dynamic orientations, EIPTN wishes to enlarge and extend its membership basis. To this end, contributions are encouraged not only from European IP teachers but also from young IP researchers and from public organizations engaged in IP teaching activities. In this respect, non-EIPTN members are welcome. One or more special sessions may be dedicated to their presentations.

Financial Support for presenters of Selected Abstracts

Presenters of Selected Abstracts will receive financial support for travel to /from Portsmouth and accommodation there for a maximum of Euro €500, upon presentation of expenses documentation. Only one presenter per selected abstract is eligible for such support.

Special Session for Attending Young Academics

Up to 4 selected Young Academics will participate to a dedicated session aiming at sharing their new teaching ideas and challenges they are facing. Applicants to this Session must possess

– a University IP teaching experience

– this experience must be not superior to 3 years

Selected candidates will receive financial support for travel to /from Portsmouth and accommodation there for a maximum of Euro €500, upon presentation of expenses documentation. Interested Young Academics are invited to send their CV with a motivation letter to info@eiptn.eu , for review and selection.

Other Conference Delegates 

We welcome delegates who are IP teachers and IP professionals (e.g. patent and trademark attorneys, technology transfer offices staff, scientific researchers) to attend EIPTN 2025 without giving a presentation: they will get full access to our debates and will only pay for social program activities. Please contact info@eiptn.eu.

2025 EIPTN Annual Conference Programme

Notification of the programme of the annual Conference and further details about how to register for the event if you are not a speaker will be sent once all abstracts are selected.  SAVE THE DATE: We confirm that the “formal” Annual Conference will take place on 10-11 October 2025.

on Friday, 14 July 2023, at their Sixty-Fourth Series of Meetings in Geneva (that took place from July 6 to 14, 2023),the Assemblies of WIPO Member States, in ITEM 6 OF THEIR CONSOLIDATED AGENDA (ADMISSION OF OBSERVERS), each as far as it is concerned, decided to grant the WIPO Observer status to the European Intellectual Property Teachers’ Network (EIPTN).   

 

Approval was based on WIPO Assemblies Document A/64/3.  

The EIPTN Committee is proud that EIPTN is now officially recognized with the WIPO Observer Status. This  no doubt permits to increase international focus on IP Teaching in Europe and on our efforts at EIPTN.