Sponsors

Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) magazine is widely recognised as the leading global publication on intellectual property as a business asset. The magazine's primary focus is on looking at how IP can be best managed and exploited in order to increase company profits, drive shareholder value and obtain increased leverage in the capital markets. Its core readership primarily comprises board level and senior executives in IP-owning companies, corporate counsel, private practice lawyers, licensing and technology transfer managers, investors and analysts. The magazine is published by Globe White Page Ltd, London.

Thomson Reuters helps professionals around the world to drive innovation, protect intellectual assets and create maximum value from their ideas via solutions that power the IP lifecycle. A world leader in patent research and analysis, trademark brand protection and monitoring and IP portfolio management, the IP Solutions business of Thomson Reuters combines industry expertise with innovative technology to deliver critical information to key decision makers. Learn more at http://ip.thomsonreuters.com.

UBM TechInsights is the preeminent firm for the provision of sophisticated information and advice to technology companies. Our foundation of technical expertise and analysis tools, combined with years of experience on all aspects of the IP / Technology Lifecycle allow us to deliver the highest ROI to the client. Our leadership position is sustained by our commitment to the upmost integrity, and the ongoing investment and acquisition of knowledge and capabilities necessary to meet our clients' evolving needs. If you need assistance in managing your most complex technology or IP challenges, turn to UBM TechInsights for assured results. Visit www.ubmtechinsights.com.

Kenyon & Kenyon LLP has a record of successfully enforcing and defending IP rights for some of the world's best-known corporations. As one of the largest and oldest full-service IP law firms in the United States, we represent a worldwide clientele in all IP-related matters, such as litigation, prosecution, licensing and counselling services for patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, unfair competition, false advertising, antitrust and international trade. Kenyon is regarded as a firm of choice in various IP areas by reputable legal reference guides, which base their rankings on reviews provided by our clients and peers. Such guides include Chambers Global, Chambers USA, Legal 500, Managing Intellectual Property, PLC Which Lawyer? Yearbook and IP Law & Business. For more information, please visit www.kenyon.com.

Chadbourne & Parke LLP is an international law firm headquartered in New York City. Chadbourne's intellectual property practice offers clients the highly specialized legal and technical expertise of an intellectual property "boutique", combined with the business and litigation skills of a multinational general practice law firm. Chadbourne's intellectual property lawyers are trusted advisors representing the leading financial service, internet and computing technology and clean energy firms, worldwide.

Edwards Wildman is a full-service law firm of 650 attorneys across three continents. Our IP group has over 100 lawyers in the United Kingdom, the United States, Hong Kong and Japan. Intellectual property has enormous commercial potential and our team helps businesses to realise that potential. Clients look to us for strategic advice and agreements across the complete spectrum of IP acquisitions and transactions, including the purchase, sale and assignment of IP assets; in-licensing and out-licensing of technology; research and development collaborations, product development and joint ventures; and brand licensing, merchandising, sponsorship and advertising. Learn more at ip.edwardswildman.com.

The Ovidian Group is a US-based IP firm that provides IP investment and business solutions to companies around the world. Based in Berkeley, California, the Ovidian leadership team has deep experience and business contacts in Silicon Valley. The team includes experts in intellectual property, innovation and business matters who have worked extensively with the world's leading technology companies and with nearby world-renowned universities. Ovidian clients include Fortune 500 companies in the United States; leading companies from Asia and Europe; investors in IP assets and IP-rich companies; and emerging technology companies.

Philips IP&S (Intellectual Property & Standards) proactively pursues the creation of new intellectual property in close cooperation with Philips' operating sectors and the other departments within corporate technologies. Philips IP&S is a leading industrial IP organisation, providing world-class IP solutions to Philips' businesses to support their growth, competitiveness and profitability. Philips' IP portfolio consists of around 54,000 patent rights, 39,000 trademarks, 70,000 design rights and 4,400 domain name registrations. Philips IP&S participates in the setting of standards to create new business opportunities for the healthcare, consumer lifestyle and lighting sectors. With 450 employees in 26 offices in 17 countries, Philips IP&S has a strong global presence. Philips IP&S is part of Philips, a diversified health and wellbeing company focused on improving people's lives through timely innovations. Philips employs over 120,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries worldwide.

CPA Global is the world's leading provider of IP management and legal services outsourcing, including patent renewal services, document review, transaction support, contract solutions and legal research. With offices across Europe, the United States, Asia and the Pacific, CPA Global supports many of the world's best-known corporations and law firms with a diverse set of legal and IP-specific services. CPA Global helps clients to manage their valuable IP assets, such as patents, designs and trademarks, ensuring that their IP portfolios are protected, maintained and regularly reviewed in order to maximise value. Founded in Jersey, Channel Islands in 1969, today CPA Global employs more than 1,500 people, serving clients' needs in over 100 countries.
For further information visit: www.cpaglobal.com

Chipworks is the recognized leader in reverse engineering and patent infringement analysis of semiconductors and electronic systems. The company's ability to analyze the circuitry and physical composition of these systems makes them a key partner in the success of the world's largest semiconductor and microelectronics companies. Intellectual property groups and their legal counsel trust Chipworks for success in patent licensing and litigation - earning hundreds of millions of dollars in patent licenses and saving as much in royalty payments. Headquartered in Canada, Chipworks maintains offices in the USA, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan.

Marqera is an intellectual property banc, delivering a range of products and services tailored to parties' intellectual property needs including transactions for both patents and brands, advisory services ranging from large companies to VC/PE firms, and providing transaction capital and financing options for parties in need of IP based funding. Marqera maintains offices in the U.S. and abroad and is comprised of experienced professionals in the industry. For more information, please visit www.marqera.com.

Red Chalk Group is an IP professional services firm chosen by clients who are seeking unique insight and resolution to their most challenging and urgent IP-related issues. Our efforts integrate business, technical and legal expertise to deliver decision-grade results. We serve our clients through five specialised practice areas: consulting, transaction services, litigation support, investment research and patent data. We have experience in addressing IP-related issues for Fortune 500 corporations, small and medium-sized enterprises, law firms and the investment community.

Article One Partners connects IP leaders to the world's largest patent research community to increase patent quality and resolve litigation. Our global community of researchers finds key non-digitised patent evidence in multiple languages. Our clients use the community's results to resolve patent litigations, remove patents that are blocking inventions and simply strengthen their patent portfolios. Since launching in November 2008, Article One Partners has conducted over 150 patent studies and worked with 100+ clients, including 13 Fortune 100 clients, over half of the top 15 high-tech industry leaders, 50% of the top patent filers to the US Patent and Trademark Office and 40% of the top 30 companies as targets of non-practising entities.

Intellectual Ventures is the global leader in the business of invention and is interested in collaborating on your next big idea. Whether you’re an innovative product company looking to leapfrog a competitor or an inventor looking to monetise your invention, connect with us. We have the portfolio, network and capital you need to license, develop and sell inventions. Together, we can energise the invention economy and help to drive innovation around the world.

Papst Licensing GmbH & Co KG was established in 1992 by its president Georg Papst. In 1993 the patent licensing firm acquired the entire patent portfolio of Papst-Motoren, the company founded by Georg Papst's father Hermann Papst, and set out to take active action against patent infringements on the international level. Papst Licensing built up an international network of experts for monetising infringed patents, concluding more than 150 licence agreements with virtually all renowned companies in the IT and electronics industry. Georg Papst's sons, Constantin and Daniel, followed into the business and today Papst Licensing offers practical support to third parties facing infringements of quality patents, with the aim of securing licences from infringers. Operating investor independently, the Papst family is in its third generation of licensing and advancing innovation. Where no amicable resolution can be obtained, Papst Licensing is determined and experienced in enforcing its rights in court, especially in the United States and Germany.

IPXI is the world's first financial exchange focused on IP rights. Through its innovative product offerings, IPXI facilitates investment in and risk management of IP-related assets, and allows IP owners - both large and small - to unlock the value of their assets, creating an efficient and transparent means for technology transfer to improve price discovery. By enhancing efficiency and transparency in the marketplace, IPXI promotes a deeper understanding of the economics of innovation.

Patrafee provides everything you need to manage and renew IP rights. Since 1978 we have served the IP community with the most complete patent annuity services, renewal services, IP management software and patent budgeting software. Products include: Patrawin Enterprise – IP management software for companies’ IP departments; Patrawin Professional – IP management software for law firms; IP Forecaster – a patent budgeting software; and Annuities & Renewals – our standing order service, which is cost-effective, simple and secure.

inovia is a global leader in foreign patent filing, having served over 1,000 clients. Its global instruction platform, inovia.com, simplifies the Patent Cooperation Treaty national stage entry and European validation processes. With headquarters in New York, offices in London, Munich and Sydney, and agents covering over 80 countries, inovia provides support in all major time zones and IP jurisdictions. inovia's patented technology pioneered online foreign filing and is recognised among the World Intellectual Property Organisation's most notable inventions. For more information visit www.inovia.com or follow the company on Twitter at @inoviaIP.

American Express has created an Intellectual Property Zone (IP Zone) designed to promote the advancement of the intellectual property (IP) marketplace, including patents, trademarks, software and other IP products. The IP Zone(TM), which includes an online tool called Virtual Intellectual Property Exchange (VIPEX) and a physical office location, is a platform for buying and selling IP globally while cultivating an environment for open innovation and collaboration.

Acacia Research Corporation’s subsidiaries partner with inventors and patent owners, license the patents to corporate users and share the revenue. Acacia Research Corporation’s subsidiaries control 200 patent portfolios, covering technologies used in a wide variety of industries. Information about Acacia Research Corporation and its subsidiaries is available at www.acaciaresearchgroup.com and www.acaciaresearch.com.

Delta Cafés was founded in 1961 in Campo Maior, a small village in Portugal’s southern interior. Dedicated to coffee, Delta Cafés currently has about 3,000 employees and has been the market leader for coffee in Portugal since 1994. Over the past 50 years, customers have been a priority and Delta Cafés has recently been named the Reader’s Digest most trusted brand for coffee in Portugal for the 10th consecutive year. A family company, with growth based on a balance between management and family, Delta Cafés focuses on business sustainability, being more open to risks on new ventures and social responsibility.

Global IP Law Group is a law firm with global reach and experience focused on monetising intellectual property. Global IP has generated nearly US$5 billion for its clients in sales, licensing and litigation of patents, including the 2011 sale of the Nortel Networks patent portfolio. With offices in the United States, Europe and Asia-Pacific, Global IP offers services, insight and global resources to large and small-sized companies, independent inventors and universities seeking value for their IP assets. Global IP concentrates on all aspects of monetising intellectual property (particularly patents) through sale, licensing and litigation. Global IP emphasises a deal-oriented approach, while maintaining a robust litigation option. Global IP representations differ from widely used approaches in important ways: we explore all monetisation options with a tested and refined business model and have contacts in numerous industries that produce superior results.

BIAL is an international pharmaceutical group with products available in around 50 countries across four continents. BIAL is the largest Portuguese pharmaceutical company and is the partner of choice for many companies. It has a strong presence in the Iberian Peninsula, as well as in over 10 countries in Latin America and in around 20 French-speaking or Portuguese-speaking African countries. BIAL is strongly committed to therapeutic innovation, investing more than 20% of its turnover in research and development every year. By the end of 2009, BIAL had launched the first drug with a Portuguese patent, an anti-epileptic that is already available in several European markets. Key research areas for BIAL include the central nervous system, the cardiovascular system and allergen immunotherapy. BIAL has several other innovative programmes under development, which it expects to bring to the market within the few next years, thereby strengthening its position throughout Europe.

Charles River Associates is a leading global consulting firm that provides economic, financial, and business management expertise across North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. For more than 40 years, we've combined deep industry knowledge with rigorous, fact-based analysis to solve complex problems for legal, corporate, regulatory, and government clients. CRA assists clients in aligning IP and business strategy to maximize shareholder returns and has an established track record of identifying, screening and executing IP-rich transactions in a broad range of industries

Minesoft creates products and solutions at the forefront of today's patent information sector, such as PatBase, PatentArchive, PatentOrder, PatentTracker and Alert Management Solutions. Minesoft develops tailored patent archive and corporate intelligence systems to manage the gathering, flow and storage of critical patent information within a corporation. The strong in-house development team continually enhances standard products such as the searchable international, full-text, patent family database PatBase, and PatentOrder, Minesoft's extensive patent document delivery service. Minesoft clients are leading industrial corporations, national patent offices and attorneys worldwide.

Pluritas LLC is among the most active IP transaction advisers, providing rights holders with expert assistance on patent and brand assessment, and the valuation and commercialisation of IP assets. Since 2002, the firm has managed and successfully closed more than 75 deals on behalf of clients including Fortune 50 companies, small and medium-sized enterprises, distressed entities and independent inventors. IP sellers, buyers, investors and advisers worldwide rely on Pluritas for detailed patent and brand analysis, market intelligence and monetisation expertise. Pluritas professionals can be found in locations including San Francisco, Boston, Chicago and Houston.

Hovione holds over 400 patents worldwide, the greatest number of any Portuguese company. It has very active programmes for the promotion of innovation in-house and over 50 years’ experience in active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) development and compliant manufacture. The company has FDA-inspected sites in the United States, Portugal, Ireland and China; and manufactures on behalf of large pharmaceutical, biotechnology and generics companies from the United States to Europe and Japan. Hovione offers integrated API, particle design and formulation drug development. In the pulmonary inhalation area, Hovione is the only independent company to offer such a broad range of services.

Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox PLLC specialises in the protection, transfer and enforcement of IP rights. Located in Washington DC, it has more than 30 years’ experience in helping to strategise, build and enforce worldwide IP portfolios, including inter partes matters (eg, lawsuits, appeals, oppositions and re-examinations), preparing and prosecuting patent applications before the United States and foreign patent offices and advising on portfolio strategies (eg, valuation, acquisition and due diligence). In the fast-changing, competitive business world, it provides responsive, proactive counsel to innovators working in diverse areas of technology, such as biotechnology, nanotechnology, clean technology, hardware and software, telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, industrial products and grid resiliency technologies, as well as in a variety of consumer product sectors.

Questel has been focusing on its core business, intellectual property, since its inception in the early 1970s. We provide a suite of leading-edge patent and industrial design services to researchers, lawyers, scientists and competitive intelligence professionals. Questel built Fampat, the largest database collections in the world, and provides the Orbit.com portal for searching, mapping, watching, archiving and sharing information, as well as analysing and managing IP portfolios. Since 2007, Questel has been supported by leading European mid-cap private equity investor Syntegra Capital. For more information please visit www.questel.com.

Van Merle IP Counsel Select specialises in selecting outside IP counsel. We have been selecting patent firms, prior art search firms, patent translation agencies, annuity payment providers, EPO opposition experts and other IP service providers all over the world for more than 10 years. We serve companies worldwide, whether they file fewer than 20 or more than 1,000 patent applications per year. Our clients confirm the added value in terms of outside counsel quality improvement and 20% to 30% savings on attorney fees. For the country list with realised projects and further information, please visit www.vanmerle.com.

VALIPAT was created by GEVERS to offer administrative services related to obtaining and maintaining patent rights. European patent validation is a foundation of its success. Managed by European patent attorneys, it offers its services only to patent professionals.
VALIPAT provides automatically generated cost estimates, streamlined order processing and online progress follow-up. Translation and validation work is performed by patent attorney firms selected in each member state from among the best firms in Europe.
VALIPAT offers great costs reductions on validation prices, as well as on overheads, due to partial outsourcing of this work.

Hewlett-Packard (HP), the world’s largest technology company, brings together a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure at the convergence of the cloud and connectivity. HP is a global technology leader known for its highly innovative research and has a portfolio of more than 36,000 patents worldwide, as well as other intellectual property. HP is a highly sought-after partner for companies looking for leading-edge technologies and intellectual property to build and grow their business successfully.

For more information please visit www.hp.com/hpinfo/abouthp/iplicensing.

Microsoft has one of most valuable IP portfolios worldwide and a patent portfolio recognised as one of the highest quality portfolios in any industry. The Patent Board, a leading independent provider of patent metrics, ranked Microsoft number one in all three of its 2010 Patent Scorecards for the IT industry. Further, the March 2010 issue of IEEE Spectrum, published by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, ranked Microsoft as the IP leader among all technology companies for the third year running. Microsoft views IP as the currency of innovation and a key to bringing great ideas to companies and promoting healthy and competitive economies. Microsoft collaborates with companies of all sizes around the world, to enable access to the innovation taking place at Microsoft through programmatic IP licensing efforts. Since Microsoft launched its IP licensing program in December 2003, the company has entered into more than 700 licensing agreements.

GEDIPE was set up in 1998 as a collective management society to defend and protect the copyright and neighbouring rights of all audiovisual products produced and edited by the authors, producers and editors that it represents. These include all cinematographic, videographic and independent television producers. In the Portuguese territory, GEDIPE represents the Association for the International Collective Management of Audiovisual Works (AGICOA) and reciprocally represents the rights of audiovisual producers worldwide. GEDIPE is also a statutory member of the European Federation of Joint Management Societies of Producers for Private Audiovisual Copying (EUROCOPYA). GEDIPE reciprocally represents equivalent national and international societies across different areas of copyright and neighbouring rights. GEDIPE collects, manages and distributes retransmission rights, private copyright and public communication rights.

The Portuguese Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) was created in 1976. Operating under the aegis of the Ministry of Justice, INPI is an autonomous government agency with its own legal personality, as well as administrative and financial autonomy and independent assets. INPI grants and protects IP rights on a national and international level, in collaboration with the international organisations of which Portugal is a member. It also actively promotes the use of the IP system, mainly through partnerships, in order to support Portugal’s capacity to innovate and compete, to ensure fair competition and to fight counterfeiting.

The Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) is the world's largest organisation serving the professional and business interests of attorneys who practise in the legal departments of corporations, associations and other private-sector organisations around the globe. We promote the common interests of our members, contribute to their continuing education, help them succeed in their careers and provide a voice on issues of national and international importance. With over 28,000 members employed by more than 10,000 organisations in 75 countries, ACC connects its members to each other, and to the people and resources necessary for their personal and professional growth.

The International IP Strategists Association (INTIPSA) is a professional organisation serving the community of IP strategists worldwide. Its members come from a wide variety of disciplines and share a common interest in aligning IP assets with business strategy. INTIPSA aims to raise awareness of the value of IP strategic management; allow professionals to build their careers and networks; enable knowledge sharing and best practice; and promote excellence and professionalism within IP strategy.

Established in Portugal in 2001, União de Marcas is an informal association of trademark holders that encompasses 13 brands of the textile and footwear industry – namely, Nike, Converse, Umbro, adidas, Reebok, Puma, Levis, Dockers, Lacoste, Burberry, Pepe Jeans, Tommy Hilfiger and Desigual. Together these brands optimise their activities investigating the market to detect the origin of fakes; preparing joint surveillance actions and raids cooperating with the enforcement authorities; promoting training sessions with respect to their products and labels; sharing information and expenses on common judicial cases; and endorsing national awareness campaigns and debate over the growing problem of counterfeiting.

Established in 1965, the Licensing Executives Society (United States and Canada) Inc (LES) is a professional society comprised of nearly 5,000 members engaged in the transfer, use, development and marketing of intellectual property. The LES membership includes a wide range of professionals, including business executives, lawyers, licensing consultants, engineers, academicians, scientists and government officials. Many large corporations, professional firms and universities are members. LES is a member society of the Licensing Executives Society International Inc (LESI), which has a worldwide membership of over 12,000 in 30 national societies, representing over 80 countries.

Audiogest, a public utility society and a member of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, is the producers’ collective management society for neighbouring rights in Portugal. Its main activity is to license the use of recorded music for public performance, broadcasting and the Internet, in partnership with GDA (Portugal’s artists’ and performers’ collecting society) under the PASSMUSICA trademark. Audiogest also works to fight piracy, educate authorities and build awareness of IP rights. The success of recent years has made Audiogest an example of IP rights enforcement. It gets the right value for music.

The cradle of tourism in Portugal, the Estoril Coast is a few kilometres from Lisbon and just 25 minutes from the airport. It enjoys a privileged location between the Sierra de Sintra and the sea, offering beautiful landscapes and 17 white sand beaches. In this idyllic setting, Cascais - equally beloved by fishermen and kings - has provided the stage for large international and high profile events over the years. Now a town with close to 200,000 inhabitants, it has hosted conferences and trade fairs, fashion shows, sporting events and world championships in various sports, such as golf, sailing, motorcycle racing and horse riding. Winning awards nationally, the cultural offerings of Cascais include the Cultural Centre, the Citadel, the Santa Marta Lighthouse Museum, the Library-Museum Condes de Castro Guimarães and the House of Stories, a museum showcasing a unique body of work by Paula Rego, one of the biggest names in contemporary art. Cascais’s fantastic food, friendly and hospitable people, high-quality hotels and restaurants and a sustainable Green Venue-certified Congress Centre help to promote sustainable tourism and quality. For this and much more, we invite you to experience Estoril in all its splendour. One place. One thousand sensations.

Launched in 1998, the International Law Office (ILO) is the nexus where global corporate counsel engage with the world's pre-eminent law firms, and with each other. The ILO brand encompasses a multifaceted online resource for senior international corporate counsel, which provides tailored, quality-assured updates on global legal developments, a database of the world's major deals and the legal advisers involved, and a comprehensive directory of firms and partners. Recognising its unique relationship with global corporate counsel, ILO is an Online Media Partner to the ACC, IBA, ABA Section of International Law, IPBA and ECLA.

Lexology is a fully customisable daily newsfeed of law firm client alerts, articles and blogs delivered to the desktops of senior business lawyers worldwide on a daily basis.

World Trademark Review is a bi-monthly, practitioner-led publication which focuses on the issues that matter to trademark professionals the world over. In each issue the experienced editorial team and extensive panel of correspondents provide in-depth coverage of national and regional trends, profile the world's major trademark offices (including how they function and handle important registration issues), and conduct interviews with leading trademark personalities.