THE DIGITAL ECONOMY IN 2025: A EUROPEAN INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY STRATEGY FOR THE 21st CENTURY 

EIF Breakfast Debate

18 March 2009 8.00-9.30
Private Salon, Members Restaurant, European Parliament, Brussels

Europe is and can remain a world leader in creativity, innovation and technology development. Further to the debate on the previous evening, this breakfast meeting addressed the following questions: Does a strong protection and enforcement of industrial property rights still play a role in a global internet-powered knowledge-based economy? Is it actually a key factor in this pursuit for competitiveness and how? What are the major road blocks? What is the extent of the damage that European companies suffer from counterfeiting and piracy of their products and services? Is consumer confidence in valuable brands eroded by this phenomenon? Will the digital economy of 2025 suffer more or less?

Programme

Welcome and introduction by the Chair:

Edit Herczog, MEP and EIF Governor

Speakers:

Margot Froehlinger
Director, DG Internal Market D (Knowledge-Based Economy) European Commission
An Industrial Property Strategy for Europe

David Benjamin
Co-Chairman of the Steering Committee of BASCAP
(Business Action to Stop Counterfeiting and Piracy)
Industry’s long term outlook in the fight against counterfeiting and piracy: what is at stake?

More info