U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gutierrez to Address Global International Collaboration and IP Protection at International Judges Conference

    WASHINGTON, Oct. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- The IPO Education Foundation (IPOEF)
 today announced that U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez will
 address participants at the International Conference on Intellectual Property
 Law.  Secretary Gutierrez is expected to discuss U.S. commitment to
 international collaboration on intellectual property issues during the
 luncheon session Tuesday Oct. 25, 2005.
     The conference, held Oct. 24-26 at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in
 Washington, DC, is designed to advance judicial decision-making in IP cases
 worldwide by fostering international dialogue and cooperation.  Seventy judges
 from more than 30 different countries will attend a variety of panels on
 patent litigation, IP rights and judicial processes.
     The conference comes at a critical time as countries around the world are
 attempting to enhance their ability to safeguard intellectual property in
 order to crack down on piracy, increase R&D and attract foreign investment.
 The U.S. has recently encouraged foreign countries to become more proactive in
 protecting IP rights.
     "The protection of intellectual property is vital to our economic growth
 and global competitiveness, and it has major consequences in our ongoing
 effort to promote security and stability around the world," Gutierrez said in
 a departmental release on Sept. 21, 2005.
     "We are honored to host the international IP community and have Secretary
 Gutierrez address our guests," said IPOEF President Harry Gwinnell.  "We hope
 that open dialogue and the exchange of diverse ideas will help promote
 stronger intellectual property protection throughout the world."
     IPOEF is a non-profit organization that hosts educational and charitable
 programs to improve IP rights.  "The IPO Education Foundation is dedicated to
 educating the public about the importance of intellectual property rights,"
 added Gwinnell.  "It is very appropriate that Secretary Gutierrez, will be
 addressing those entrusted to strengthen and uphold IP laws around the world."
     IPOEF is also co-sponsoring a seminar in Beijing, China on Nov. 8-9, 2005
 entitled "Corporate IP Management in China and the U.S."  The seminar, which
 is for corporate employees, is cosponsored with the Patent Protection
 Association of China (PPAC), a relatively new organization formed to provide
 education to Chinese companies that are interested in intellectual property.
 The two-day program will provide a forum for U.S. and Chinese corporate
 employees to share experiences and perspectives on intellectual property
 practice in their countries.
     For more information or to register for either conference, please go to
 http://www.ipo.org, or contact Chris Roche at (202) 775-2675 or
 croche@brodeur.com.
 
     About IPO Education Foundation
     Intellectual Property Owners Education Foundation is a non-profit
 organization devoted to educational and charitable activities designed to
 improve intellectual property rights.  IPO Foundation conducts programs to:
 Broaden public understanding of systems for protecting intellectual property
 Sponsor awards for the purpose of recognizing outstanding achievement in the
 fields of invention, creativity, and IP rights
 Publish reports dealing with legal, economic, and other aspects of
 intellectual property.
 
 

SOURCE  Intellectual Property Owners Education Foundation