19 January 2010 - Introduction to industrial property law and presentation of the various industrial property deeds

Different industrial property laws
National regulations on industrial property and main international agreements in the field.
Protection of technical creations: different deeds to protect an invention, the royalties system.

20 January 2010 - The patentability field
The notion of invention and its industrial character
Exclusion of the patentability of principles and methods (commercial methods, information presentations, computer programmes, surgical or therapeutic treatment methods, etc…).
Patentability of living things (exclusion of the human body, the patentability of total or partial gene sequences, animal species).

21 January 2010 - Innovative and inventive activity
The requirement for absolute innovation
Documented history (search for past history, interpretation of past history, etc…)
Divulging
The notion of inventive activity. Assessment of an inventive activity (the man of the trade, inventive activity indices, the theory of equivalents).

02 February 2010 - Obtaining a patent in France
Filing an application (preparation, filing formalities, INPI control, registration)
Examination and publication of an application (creation of a search report)
Issuance of a patent.

03 February 2010 - Obtaining a patent : the PCT
Introduction to the PCT system; PCT chronology
Filing an international application
International research and prior international examination
The main advantages of the PCT for filing parties
The PCT as a strategic instrument for the filing of patent applications abroad.

0 February 2010 - Obtaining a patent in Europe
The European Patent Convention (EPC)
The European Patent Office (UPO)
The procedure for obtaining a European patent (submission formalities, research report, patentability examination)
Issuance of a European patent and the opposition procedure
The Community Patent Project.

10 March 2010 - Holder of a monopoly
The rights of the first filing party and its corrections (the right to prior personal possession)
Claim suits
Joint ownership of patents (legal and contractual organisations)
Research contracts
Sub-contracting and industrial property

10 March 2010 - Employees’ inventions
The scope of the employee invention regime
Mission operations (notion, compensation)
Inventions outside allocated missions
Non-contentious and contentious application of the employee convention regime.

11 March 2010 - The influence of monopoly and attacks on monopoly
The field of protection according to the type of patent (product, process, application)
Interpretation of claims
Language of the patent
Material elements
Moral elements and the counterfeit act
Expiry of rights.

The US patent : conditions for obtaining a patent in the US
The procedure before the US PTO
The scope of the American patent
Defending your rights in the US

31 March 2010 - Protection strategy
Choosing the protection of an invention (patent or secret)
Protection strategy in France and abroad
Choice of procedures

31 March 2010 - Funding in industrial property
The creation of estimable immaterial equity (brands, patents) is an investment. What practical advantages should a company be seeking in these investments, how to identify and finance them and what aid can be obtained ?

01 April 2010 - Assessing industrial property rights
Assessment of brands and patents:
Study of different assessment methods
Analysis of the context in which these assessments are carried out.

01 April 2010 - Taxation
Taxation on transfers (sale, concession, other contracts)
Inter-group transfers (the French approach, the American approach).

5 May 2010 - Literary and artistic property
The presentation on May 13th 2010 on literary and artistic property will concern the conditions, attribution and content of protection as well as contractual and procedural aspects in this area. The emphasis will be placed on the comparison of solutions under French Law to those applying to copyright systems.

6 May 2010 - Protection of designs and patterns
The protection of ornamental creations by copyright and filing of designs and patterns
Accumulating protection (the theory of the uniqueness of art)
The subject of protection, the owner of the rights
Acquisition of protection in France and abroad

09 June 2010 - Acquiring a trademark
Choice of trademark: possible signs, valid signs, available signs
Conditions associated with the acquisition of trademarks in France and abroad (national, international and Community filing)
Maintaining right over trademarks in France and abroad.

10 June 2010 - The rights conferred upon a holder by a trademark
The prerogatives of the trademark owner: preventing a third party from using an identical or similar sign
Use in business life
The functions of a brand
Reproduction of a trademark or brand.

22 September 2010 - The operating contract regime
The operating contract for industrial property rights: sale, licence, communication of know-how
Configuration of the contract
Obligations resulting from the contract
Execution of the contract.

23 September 2010 (morning)- The impact of competition law
The notion of competition law: French law and Community law on the subject of competition
The main application of law covering agreements on industrial property conventions
Rules concerning exemption on technology transfer agreements
Industrial property rights and prohibition on the exploitation of a dominant position.

23 September 2010 (afternoon) - Opening up to international law
The notion of international contract
Writing international contracts
The choice of applicable law and competent courts
Arbitration.

13 October 2010 - Counterfeit action
Seeking out counterfeits: the involvement of the customs authorities (involvement of the judge), suing the counterfeiter: the counterfeit suit regime (capacity to act, judicial competence, proof, seizure of counterfeit goods)
Sanctions on counterfeiting: provisional measures, definitive measures (civil and criminal punishment).

14 October 2010 - Strategy for defending rights in Europe
Judicial competence, interfacing procedures
The protection of a unique deed (community brand, community design or pattern)
Counterfeiting patents at European level: the current regime and work in progress.

21 October 2010 - The protection of software and IT creations
Contracts concerning software and IT creations.

18 November 2010 - The main principles and the latest news on vegetable obtainment rights:
Presentation of the origins of laws on vegetable obtainment and existing regimes
Presentation of the conditions for securing protection and a study of Community Office case law
Procedure for the issuance of a vegetable obtainment deed
Scope of protection conferred and exceptions
Presentation of the interface between the right to vegetable obtainment and other industrial property rights, in particular patents and brands.