The CIOPORA Academy has had a successful start in Asia. After eight years at various venues in Europe, America, and Africa, it was time to venture towards the East. The first CIOPORA Academy Workshop took place on September 5th in Hong Kong. We had the privilege of hosting it at the Hong Kong office of Baker McKenzie, which was an excellent venue.
The opportunity to receive firsthand information and network with an experienced representative from the Chinese Ministry was highly appreciated by the 15 participants from China, Japan, New Zealand, and Australia. They also valued the presentation on India and being initiated into the experiences of our member Driscoll’s after 10 years of doing business in China. The panel discussion comparing the PBR developments in four different Asian systems (Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam) was particularly valuable. Two additional presentations by Baker McKenzie highlighted essential aspects to consider when starting business in China.
Our thanks to our expert speakers in Hong Kong: Ms. Yang Yang, Ms. Xinxing Chen, Mr. Andrew Sim, Ms. Malathi Lakshmikumaran, Mr. Tsugihiro Okada, Mr. Ho-Hyun Nahm, Mr. Nont Horayangura, Mr. Vo Chi-Dung and Mr. Jae Chun.
An additional opportunity to network with colleagues, exchange experiences and knowledge (which is one of our strengths at CIOPORA) was the relaxed networking dinner after a long learning day.
We will be working on an exciting program for September 2024 and look forward to welcoming again a motivated audience and lecturers.
The CIOPORA Academy Workshop Madrid 2023
The CIOPORA Academy Workshop in Madrid traditionally takes place the day before the start of Fruit Attraction, one of the most important trade shows for fruit varieties. This date provides our members and guests with a valuable opportunity to stay informed about the key topics in the field of intellectual property for horticultural plants. There is no other way to expand our community’s knowledge on current issues in PBR in such a compact and high-level manner.
This year, representing the fifth edition of The CIOPORA Academy in Spain, our experts Carolina Cordero di Vonzo (Baker McKenzie, Italy), Isabel Pérez-Cabrero (Garrigues, Spain), Alexandra Sapir (Grapa Varieties, Israel), Rose Souza Richards (ISF), Fleur Tuinzing-Westerhuis (Houthoff, The Netherlands), Giacomo Moleri (Spheriens, Italy), and Pedro Tent-Alonso (Garrigues, Spain) shed light on topics such as the Unitary Patent System in Europe, Licensing Revenues after the expiration of PVRs, Customs Enforcement, Harvested Material, and ePhyto. The international audience contributed to this valuable event with numerous questions and points for discussion.
If you would like to be part of the audience, save the date October 7, 2024, stay tuned on www.ciopora-academy.org for next year's program and registration, and let us know if you would like to suggest any eminent topics to be covered.