This quarterly newsletter is written specifically for LES Benelux members and others with a professional or business interest in all aspects of technology transfer and the licensing of intellectual property throughout the world. Further copies are available on request. Unless indicated as author's copyright and subject to acknowledgement of the Society, all material may be used freely in other publications. Editorial, insert and advertising enquiries and contributions should be addressed to Saskia van Dijk-Struyk, LES Benelux, PO Box 6050, NL-2600 JA DELFT; phone +31 15 269 4923; fax +31 15 262 7311; e-mail vanDijk@cc.tno.nl.

At the international level, because the annual LESI conference was held outside Europe this year, we have a 2-day European Conference in Montreux, Switzerland, starting on the evening of 24 September, where I hope to see a good Benelux representation: and of course the annual conference of LES USA & Canada, where all LES members are welcome, is scheduled in San Diego for 2-5 November (details and booking forms were included in the June issue of les Nouvelles). Those of us who are members of LESI committees should note that there are meetings of these committees in San Diego on 7 and 8 November, with various add-on meetings on the day before. Details of all these conferences, and of meetings in neighbouring European countries, can be found on our Internet site.

I'd like to remind you of my request, in the last Newsletter, that members with special interest and/or experience in either of the developing IPR fields of Biosciences and Microelectronics should register these interests with me, so that you could be put in touch with others on our international network. Meanwhile, Marco Cecchini, who works in the EU Commission on the ESPRIT programme, has produced a useful paper on 'Trading IP in the European Microelectronics industry', covering problems arising from the system-on-chip evolution; copies can be sent to any members interested.

I look forward to seeing you at our topic meetings: but if you don't think that your own interests are being sufficiently covered in our programmes, please send your suggestions for future topics and/or speakers to our Programme Committee Chairman, Bruno Vandermeulen (fax +32 2 7341439; e-mail Vandermeulen@dba.be ).

Dennys Watson, President LES Benelux
phone/fax +32-2-732.63.22
E-mail: dennys_watson@compuserve.com

• Frans A. Dietz, Vereenigde Octrooi-bureaux, The Hague (NL);
• Roger Gobrogge, Dow Corning Europe, La Hulpe (B);
• Christian Huyghe, A.H.P. Pharma S.A./N.V., Louvain-la-Neuve (B);
• Bart Janse, Loeff Claeys Verbeke, Brussels (B);
• Michael Jaro, Medtronic Inc., Maastricht (NL);
• Jan H. Lunshof, Van Doorne's Transmissie B.V., Tilburg (NL);
• Robert G. Paulissen, Solvay Pharmaceu-ticals, Brussels (B);
• Akira Usui, Tanabe Seiyaku Co. Ltd, Zaventem (B).

For information on membership of LES Benelux, please contact Ms. Wil van der Voorde: phone +31 70 390 6873, fax +31 70 390 9113 or e-mail prsnl@euronet.nl.

With more than 40 participants empty chairs were difficult to find at our topic meeting held in Rotterdam on 10 September. The theme of the meeting "Evaluation of New Technologies: financial aspects" was excellently illustrated by speakers from KPMG (Johan van Helleman), Catholic University Leuven (Koenraad Debackere) and Paribas Bank (Erwin Laureys). After the meeting Nauta Dutilh offered drinks to all participants and in a good atmosphere the discussions started during the lectures were continued. Those who want to receive a copy of the transparancies used by the speakers, may contact Bruno Vandermeulen, fax +32 2 734 14 39, e-mail Vandermeulen@dba.be.

For the forthcoming meeting of LES Benelux on 26 November 1997 the topic will be "Exploiting results of EU funded research". The meeting will be held in Brussels at the premises of Loeff Claeys Verbeke) and preceded by the 1997 Annual General Meeting. Speakers will be Giulio Grata director DG XIII-d of the EU Commission in Luxembourg, Koen Wuyts from Imec and Hans Braquene. Final programme and registration form will be sent to all members in due time. For more information: http://les-europe.org/benelux/meetings.htm

The programme committee has drafted a schedule for the meetings to be held in 1998:

14 January 1998 - Rotterdam
"Clearing Licensing Fees for Multimedia and the Internet".
22 April 1998 - Antwerp
"Licensing Strategies for Public Market Companies".
7 October 1998 - The Hague
"Establishing and Enforcing Security Rights for Intellectual Property".
25 November 1998 - Brussels
"Impact of European Policies on Licensing".

From 10-11 September 1998 LES Benelux will again organise a Licensing Course in which the major aspects - practical as well as legal - of licensing will be discussed by national and international experts. The venue of this two-day course will probably be The Hague. More information about programme and registration conditions will be available in the December newsletter.

With less than three years to go before the LES International Conference will be held in Amsterdam (19-25 May 2000), the orga-nising committee is repeating their appeal that any suggestion, including offers for sponsorship, will be very welcome. Please contact Ms. Emmy van Oosterom (fax +31 70 328 08 14, e-mail emmy.oosterom@ pi.net).

Late registration is still possible for the 1997 European Conference to be held from 24-27 September in Montreux. Please contact the Conference Organisation: phone +41 21 962 8484; fax +41 21 962 7895.

LES Czech Republic is organising a 1-day seminar in Prague just after the European Conference on 29 September. For more details please contact the organisation committee: phone + 420 2 612 14 970; fax +420 2 612 14 921.

LES Russia is organising a 2-day seminar in Moscow on 18-19 November. Brochures with registration form are available from Saskia van Dijk-Struyk, fax +31 15 261 24 03; e-mail vanDijk@cc.tno.nl.

The European web site is extended with a web site of LES France. The European web site ( http://les-europe.org ) contains information on all European activities such as a list with LES-meetings in Europe and links to the home pages of other societies (Britain & Ireland, Czech Republic, France, Italy and Switzerland) and links to other sites with (European) licensing activities.

In the 18th LES Benelux Newsletter it was announced that each LES member would receive the first LES International Annual Report together with the June issue of les Nouvelles. Unfortunately, distribution was delayed until the September issue. For any remarks or suggestions with regard to this report, please contact Saskia van Dijk-Struyk, fax +31 15 261 24 03; e-mail vanDijk@cc.tno.nl.

The draft programme for the forthcoming LES International Conference "Major Advances in International Licensing" in Edinburgh (31 May-3 June 1998) is now being finalised by co-ordinator David Stanley and his team. The programme not only includes highly topical plenary and workshop sessions but also a "taste of Scotland evening" and a gala dinner and dance.

For more information please visit http://les-europe.org or contact Margaret Sherry: phone +44 131 556 92 45; fax +44 131 556 96 38.

The European Commission has recently adopted a Green Paper on the European Patent system, which is intended to provide a basis for consultation with all interested parties in order to determine whether users' needs are currently being met and whether new measures should be taken at EU level. The LESI European Committee will gather and discuss all comments of LES members. The Green Paper can be obtained from the European Commission, DG XV Unit E/3, in Brussels, fax +32 22961736 or down- loaded from the EUROPA web site: http://europa.eu.int/comm/dg15/en/index.htm

Deadline for delivering a contribution to the next newsletter is 30 November 1997.