On 16 February 2023, a special talk by Professor Sir Robin Jacob was successfully held at DVC Conference Centre, with around 80 legal practitioners, professionals and in-house counsels attending in person.
DVC was delighted to invite Professor Sir Robin Jacob, Chair Professor of Intellectual Property Law UCL and former Justice of the Court of Appeal (England and Wales) to share his insights on global patent rights, copyright and trademarks, and his thoughts on where they should go. DVC’s Winnie Tam SC acted as moderator.
In his insightful speech, Sir Robin examined and countered the common trend of overhyping copyright and trademarks while devaluing the utility of patents. Where would we all be today without Covid vaccines? And where would those vaccines be without a robust system of patents to incentivise pharmaceutical R&D?
In his usual defiant style Sir Robin poignantly laid bare the mistakes made in several decisions of the Court of Justice of the EU which resulted in overprotection of trademark rights. He also questioned the excessive term of copyright by tracing the development of the law.
Sir Robin shared with the audience his important work in establishing the United Patents Court and his disappointment over the UK’s decision to withdraw from it.
The audience were enchanted by the thoughtful speech, amusing stories, exquisite drinks, and enthusiastic atmosphere.
