LES BENELUX

NEWSLETTER

TWENTY FOURTH ISSUE - DECEMBER 1998

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 licen-sing of intellectual property. 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. Unless otherwise agreed, acceptance of any submission for publication in this Newsletter is on the understanding that the author also consents to publication in the same or edited form on the LES Europe site at http://www.les-europe.org/. Editorial insert, advertising enquiries and contributions should be addressed to Saskia van Dijk-Struyk, LES Benelux, P.O. Box 6050, NL-2600 JA DELFT; phone +31 15 269 49 23; fax +31 15 261 24 03; e-mail saskia.dijk@wxs.nl

Dear Members,

Building on the success of our Basic Licensing Course in 1996, our Advanced Licensing Course in September in The Hague attracted more than thirty participants from eight countries, whose feedback evaluation forms rated it very highly; we are particularly grateful to the international team of speakers who put their knowledge and experience at our disposal.

1998 has been a year of continued Benelux participation in the international activities of LES, with members working actively in most international committees, including a good presence at the LESI Edinburgh conference, and some at the LES USA and Canada conference in Miami Beach in October. This participation provides more opportunities for networking across borders with other LES members, as well as developing knowledge in a licensing environment which is undergoing many changes. With this in mind, our Program Committee, chaired by Bruno Vandermeulen, has planned a series of five topic meetings in 1999, details of which will appear in this and forthcoming Newsletters and on our web site. In addition, preparations continue for the LESI 2000 Conference in Amsterdam.

Our numbers continue to grow steadily, with around 240 members at the end of 1998: and we hope to continue along this path. I thank my colleagues on the Board and all members for their support, before handing over the presidency with confidence to Emma van Oosterom.

Dennys Watson, President LES Benelux
e-mail: dennys_watson@compuserve.com

Membership

• Eric M. van der Aa, N.V. Organon, Oss (NL);
• Joost F. Berting, Eastman Chemical, The Hague (NL);
• Lodewijk Bessems, Food Processing Systems FPS, Nootdorp (NL);
• Lucie Hattink-Roes, Solvay Pharmaceuticals, Weesp (NL);
• Wim Hermans, ID-NL Patents & License B.V., Rotterdam (NL);
• Andrew J. Hooks, Shell Technology Ventures, Rijswijk (NL);
• Erik Jongedijk, Monsanto Europe SA, Louvain-la-Neuve (B);
• Arpad Kupecz, Octrooibureau Los en Stigter, Amsterdam (NL);
• Jens Otto, Joint Research Centre - European Commission, Brussels (B);
• Paul L. Reeskamp, Loeff Claeys Verbeke, Amsterdam (NL);
• Niek Roosdorp, Biorogen BV, Amsterdam (NL);
• Alain Strowel, Nauta Dutilh, Brussels (B);
• M. Claire Van de Velde, University of Ghent (B);
• Florence Verhoestraete, Nauta Dutilh, Brussels (B);

Invoices
Together with this Newsletter the invoices for the 1999 membership fee are sent to all members. Those whose payment is received before 15 January 1999 enjoy a 10 % discount (NLG 175 instead of NLG 195 and BEF 3200 instead of BEF 3600). Cancellations of membership should have been received before 15 November.
For information on membership, please contact Wil van der Voorde: phone +31 70 3906873; fax +31 70 3909113 or e-mail prsnl@euronet.nl.

LES Benelux

10 February, Rotterdam - IPR's and standardisation : licensing issues. One of the speakers will be Simon Topping of Bird & Bird, Brussels on "Competition aspects of IPR licenses under standardisation arrangements".
24 March, Brussels - Searching for patents and available technology over the internet: a practical demonstration (in co-operation with EPO and Belgian Patent Office).
23 or 30 June, Rotterdam (full-day meeting) - Biotech and IPR's: recent trends.
1 September, Brussels - Character licensing in the Benelux: are there substitutes for Disney?
17 November, Rotterdam - Tax aspects of international licensing: a comparison between Dutch, Belgian and Luxembourg experiences.

Details of program, venue and registration will be sent to all members in due time. For more information on meetings, please contact Bruno Vandermeulen, chair Program Committee, e-mail Bruno.Vandermeulen@twobirds.com.

Board LES Benelux 1999
President: Emma van Oosterom
Vice-President: Dennys Watson
Secretary: Nigel Wagstaff
Membership Secretary: Wil van der Voorde
Treasurer: Saskia van Dijk-Struyk
Program Committee: Bruno Vandermeulen (chair), Ruprecht Hermans, Michel Van Malderen and Thomas Vinje.

Annual Report
For those who did not receive a copy of LES Benelux' Annual Report, a copy can be obtained from Saskia van Dijk-Struyk, fax +31 15 261 24 03; e-mail saskia.dijk@wxs.nl.

LES International

On 27 January 1999 the quite new Society organizes a seminar on Principles of Successful Technology Transfer in Cairo, Egypt. Information on this seminar can be obtained from Ms. Sherine El Maghraby, e-mail ghazaleh@rite.com.

On 1 October 1998 also some LES Societies merged: LES Peru merged with LES Colombia/ Ecuador into LES Colombia, Ecuador and Peru and LES Spain and LES Portugal merged also into one society: LES Spain and Portugal.

LESI Conferences

"Licensing in the 21st century: the big picture" - Melbourne, 26-30 April 1999
In the September 1998 issue of les Nouvelles and at the LESI web site www.lesi.org detailed information can be found about this LESI Conference.

"A World of Innovation" - Hotel Krasnapolsky, Amsterdam, 21 - 24 May 2000
The theme of the Conference "A World Of Innovation" will be the framework for a wide range of interesting topics. For information about sponsoring, please contact Emma van Oosterom, phone + 31 70 324 44 63; fax + 31 70 328 08 14; e-mail emmy.oosterom@wsx.nl.

Officers LES International 1998-1999
President: Platon Mandros, LES USA/Canada
President-elect: Heinz Goddar, LES Germany
Past-President: Rodney De Boos, LES ANZ
Secretary: James Leavy, LES France
Treasurer: Mel Jager, LES USA/Canada
Vice Presidents: Jonas Gulliksson, LES Scandi-navia and Saskia van Dijk-Struyk, LES Benelux.

LESI web site at http://www.lesi.org
The aims of this site are to serve as a marketing tool for prospective and present LES members and to serve as an electronic discussion platform. The site has three levels: level 1 is open to anyone interested in licensing and technology transfer, level 2 is open to members and non-members interested in knowing more about LES: for this level visitors have to register. The third level is only available for LES-members and is password protected. At this level information on LESI Delegates and Committee meetings is listed. It contains several bulletin boards including two for requests and offers of speakers. Any member who wants to have information on a link on this site to the site of his or her company or organization (having relevance to licensing or the activities of LES) is asked to contact Saskia van Dijk-Struyk, e-mail saskia.dijk@wxs.nl.

LES Europe

The LES Europe web site http://www.les-europe.org is also open to members wanting a link from this popular site to the site of his or her company or organization. Applications for these links, for which there will be a charge of UK£ 50 per link/year, should be sent to Barry Quest, LES Britain & Ireland, e-mail bquest@wgm-patents.com.

Other events for 1999

25 January: Tel Aviv - Following the LES Interna-tional Expanded Executive Committee meeting LES Israel organises a one-day seminar "Technology Management for the third millenium". For more information and registration, please contact Nuria Mercade of ECI, fax +972 3 696 79 90, e-mail eshet_in@nstvision.net.il.
28 January: London, LES Britain and Ireland - Annual Lunch with Trevor Bayliss on the proposed Academy of Invention. For information, please contact Renate Siebrasse at fax +44 171 6299705.
4 February: Paris, LES France - Financial and strategical evaluation of Pharma projects. Copies of program and registration form can be obtained from Saskia van Dijk-Struyk, fax +31 15 261 24 03; e-mail saskia.dijk@wxs.nl.
3-6 March: 2nd AIPPI Forum, Lyon/France - Integrated Management and implementation of IPRs. For more information, please contact AKM Congress Service at fax +41 61 686 77 88 or e-mail akm@bluewin.ch.
17 March: AIPPI - Symposium Zeist (NL). Program and registration form will be sent in due time.
23- 27 October: LES USA and Canada Annual Meeting, San Antonio - Licensing: the Profession of the New Millenium.

News

The 1998 Belgian Arbitration Reform Act, a new law reforming the existing arbitration law, entered into force in Belgium on 17 August 1998. The purpose of this law is not to enact a complete new set of rules but rather to harmonise the existing rules with those of other European States, in order to promote Belgium as a centre of inter-national arbitration. The most important changes to the existing legislation can be found on the LES Europe site at www.les-europe.org or ask for a copy at e-mail Bruno.Vandermeulen@twobirds.com.

LES Japan publishes "Winds from Japan", a Newsletter in the English language to give information and ideas to foreign visitors before they come to Japan about licensing and technology transfer. For a copy of the September 1998 issue, please contact Saskia van Dijk-Struyk, fax +31 15 261 24 03 or e-mail saskia.dijk@wxs.nl.

The LESI Health Care Products Committee has published a Health Care Directory Europe. For more information, please contact Ronald Vles, fax +31 20 553 36 00 or e-mail r.vles@edh.nl.

Next Newsletter

	18th Newsletter - June 1997
	19th Newsletter - September 1997
	20th Newsletter - December 1997
	21st Newsletter - March 1998
	22nd Newsletter - June 1998
	23rd Newsletter - September 1998