IPTA Annual Conference

Dear Colleagues

On behalf of the IPTA Annual Conference Sub-Committee, I have enormous pleasure inviting you to the IPTA 2024 Annual Conference, including the 105th Annual General Meeting, which will be held in our capital city Canberra at the "Hotel Realm" from Wednesday 20 to Friday 22 March 2024.

The traditional custodians of the Canberra region founded in 1913 are the Ngunnawal people, who continue to have a cultural, spiritual, and historical connection to the region.

The last time the IPTA Conference was held in Canberra was 2004, and it will be great going back after 20 years to see how much the city has changed, particularly in the coffee culture, food and wine scene.

This conference is going to be a unique one. As you know, Canberra is also home to IP Australia who features prominently in our business program. I do thank IP Australia for their involvement and generosity. IP Australia is hosting patent and trade mark sessions at IP Australia, featuring a "show and tell" on arrival, small group tours of IP Australia with Examiners, followed by a Q&A session and morning/or afternoon tea. These IP Australia sessions will be additional to our business program which is a solid one, packed with meaty interesting topics, and following our recent format of Wednesday being the trade mark day, Thursday being the day of overlapping content or general IP interest and Friday being the patents day.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has dominated the airwaves in recent years and there appears little in the life of the modern attorney that is not presently being affected or has the potential in the very near future to be affected, by AI. As such, given the importance of AI in our world, we have made it bit of a feature of the IPTA 2024 Annual Conference.

A highlight of the conference is a presentation by David S Gooder, Commissioner of Trademarks at the USPTO who will share the USPTO's views on the issue of unqualified agents and the integrity of the US IP system. Other highlights of the program include keynote presentations by Harry Knight, Xero Limited and Hon Steven Rares KC, NSW Bar. There are also two panel discussions on the topics of "Artificial Intelligence: Challenges to the IP system" and "Harvesting the IP fruits in the Agriculture Sector: A conversation about some well-known and less known IP rights". There is an Ethics session on the topic of "Scope of Privilege" by Greg Chambers of Phillips Ormonde.

On the personal development and mental wellness side of things, we have scheduled a session on the somewhat confronting topic of "Delivering bad news" by the very engaging Robyn Brady, one of Australia's leading mental health consultants. Those who attended our conference in Kingscliff in 2022, may recall Robyn presenting a very lively, enjoyable and helpful session to us and we are expecting more of the same spark in Canberra.

Being a firm believer in the "work hard, play hard (within reason)" motto, we have organised three social nights out at some very special Canberra venues. On the Wednesday evening, there is a Welcome Reception at "The Marion" a new venue located right by Lake Burley Griffin. The Marion was inspired by Marion Mahoney, wife and business partner of Walter Burley Griffin and the venue features spectacular lake views and an art deco feel. The Thursday night takes us back in time and to dinner at "Old Parliament House" where we will get an opportunity to tour some of the rooms including the Prime Minister's Suite. Friday night is party night and culminates in our "Groovy Gala" at the "National Arboretum", a mosaic of living forests and gardens located just outside Canberra which was established in 2013.

While all business sessions and social nights are included in the full delegate registration fee, day registration is available for those who can't attend the whole conference. YIPTA and 70+ years and Past Presidents members will enjoy discounted registration fees to encourage attendance so we can have the benefit of a rich diversity of age and experience.

In accordance with the Trans-Tasman IP Attorneys Board (TTIPAB) guidelines, patent and trade marks attorneys attending the conference may claim one-hour CPE for each hour of business sessions they attend. This provides the opportunity to record approximately 18 hours of CPE as detailed in the business program.

This year we are launching a new initiative - the IPTA Conference App - which will allow you to view the program, be reminded of sessions, record attendance and ask the presenters questions. It is hoped that the IPTA Conference App assists you in managing attendance at the conference and helps make it more enjoyable.

On the accommodation front, the "Hotel Realm" is part of "The Realm Precinct" which will provide you with four accommodation choices - "Hotel Realm", "Burbury Hotel & Apartments", "Little National Hotel", "Brassey Hotel".

Our annual conference is organised in totality by the IPTA Secretariat and Annual Conference Sub-Committee who provide their time on a voluntary basis, so that our members can have the best possible conference experience at great value for money.

The deadline for conference registration is 21 February 2024. Online registration, the first edition of the program and a link to special accommodation rates are now available on the IPTA website.

I do hope you will be able to come to our IPTA 2024 Annual Conference and I really look forward to seeing you there.

Best Regards