The Fenech & Fenech IP Forum was successfully held on the 26 June 2017 at Fort St Elmo, Valletta. This half-day conference dealt with the most current and topical Intellectual Property law issues, with specific focus on Brands, Innovation and Start Ups.
Dr Ann Fenech, managing partner of Fenech & Fenech Advocates opened the IP Forum and explained that the purpose of the IP Forum was to raise awareness about the subject of intellectual property rights, to show how every company, enterprise, and organisation owns an element of intellectual property, and that this bears recognising and protecting as necessary.
She was followed by Mr Godwin Warr, Comptroller of Industrial Property for Malta, who discussed the more recent developments undertaken during the Maltese Presidency and gave the audience an understanding of what is to come in the field of IP in Malta.
The discussion then centred on the European Commission’s legislative proposals involving copyright. This was followed by a vide message from Dr Therese Comodini Cachia, who shared her first-hand experience in discussing amendments and dealing with lobbyists when reporting on the proposed EU directive on copyright in the digital single market.
Our foreign guest, the esteemed Dr Sergio Riccardi, patent attorney at IPSER Intellectual Property Services Milano, travelled to Malta to participate in the IP forum, and delivered a very well-received paper on intellectual property as a means of employee engagement.
The IP Forum also hosted two panel discussions which welcomed the participation of young entrepreneurs who are shaping Malta’s business landscape in various sectors, ranging from technology, fashion, real estate and beverages. The first panel discussion was dedicated to brand value and was composed of Luca Amato from POANG!, Benji Borg from ANCHOVY., Steve Mercieca from Quicklets and Zanzi Homes, and Carla Grima from Carla Grima Atelier. The panel was moderated by Jeanine Rizzo, who raised questions about the trade mark rules, and their impact when choosing the right brand. The second panel, moderated by Alistair Facciol discussed the importance of intellectual property in the context of running a start-up with the participation of David Darmanin from Hotjar, Patrick Camilleri from POANG!, James Abela from The Student Campus, Lewis Holland from DiscountIf, Simon Azzopardi from Silicon Valletta and Sherpa, and John Borg Barthet, brewmaster at Stretta Beer.
