After a highly successful first step into the world of VC seminars, on the 11th November Haseltine Lake Kempner hosted our second seminar on European IP for the German speaking world. Once again hosted by Soni Basra and Robert Margue, we were pleased to also have two members of our litigation team Nicole Ockl and Richard Kempner speaking.

We began the seminar with our standing feature, an EPO case law update by Robert Margue which focused on the admissibility of late filed requests, documents and arguments. The second talk moved onto litigation, covering 'Cost effective patent strategies for multijurisdictional new product launches – using the litigation process as a tool to maximise success'. We were joined by two of our litigation experts, Richard Kempner from the UK and Nicole Ockl from Germany, who took us through a case study to explore the various aspects of litigation proceedings in both jurisdictions that could help facilitate a successful new product launch. From doing nothing, filing for or strategically preparing to defend an interim injunction, to beginning revocation proceedings, the speakers gave a succinct but practical overview of the tactical options available to both the alleged infringer and the infringed, and in so doing highlighted some key differences between the German and UK jurisdictions. The seminar ended with a Q&A session where questions on any aspect of the seminar were invited in English and German.

Following two successful seminars, we have more in the pipeline. Session three will be held on the 27th January. Titled 'Differing approaches towards national EP rights', the seminar will cover an EPO case law update, Utility Models and the Doctrine of Equivalents.

Thank you to everyone who attended our seminar and we hope to see you at more HLK events in the future.

If you would like to receive invitations to future HLK events then please register your areas of interest here – https://www.hlk-ip.com/newsletter-sign-up/

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