LES BENELUX

NEWSLETTER

TWENTY NINETH ISSUE - MARCH 2000

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

FOR YOUR DIARY 21 - 24 May 2000 - LESI Conference Amsterdam Hotel Krasnapolsky

Dear Members,

We had a very good meeting, chaired by Nigel Wagstaff, on the 16th of February with interesting presentations on "What's New in Chemical Business/ Licensing". Expert information on e-commerce and changing perspective in chemical industries attracted a good attendance for this meeting. Our thanks go to ExxonMobil in Machelen for its hospitality in their beautiful modern buildings and especially to Arnold van Eck and Ellen De Buyzer for all their efforts.

In January the LESI Expanded Executive Committee Meeting was held in Vienna, Austria. This year also national presidents were invited, a good initiative of our International President. This will have a positive effect on the communication within LES. During the meeting useful information was provided as to all the activities on the international level; a selection:

• the Education Committee reported that a list is being set up of 250 speakers from recent LESI conferences. Furthermore the Committee is checking the feasibility of using the bulletin board for a list of FAQs in the licensing field;
• the Membership Committee is reviewing the situation of three candidate countries: India, Singapore and Poland;
• the Patent and Licensing Committee reported on the survey on patent licensing. The Committee is working on a list of "Success Stories", which promises to be interesting for all LES members;
• The European Committee will meet in May with the new DG XV Director responsible for vertical restraints;
• The Presidents of the European LES societies took the opportunity to meet briefly and discuss matters of common interest in Europe, e.g. future European LES conferences and possible assistance to eastern-Europe LES societies.

Any LES member will be able to benefit professionally from the international contacts and the expertise available within LES International. I would encourage all LES Benelux members to use this network and to try to attend an international LES conference regularly. Needless to say, the organizing committee of the LES 2000 Conference in Amsterdam, hopes to welcome a large part of the members of LES Benelux at the Conference in the Krasnapolsky Hotel.

Do not miss this opportunity and register for the conference if you have not already done so.
Looking forward to seeing you in Amsterdam !

Emma van Oosterom
President LES Benelux
e-mail: Vanoosterom@oos.eur.nl

New members

• Sakari Aalto, Morrison & Foerster, Brussels (B);
• Ann G.Y. De Clercq, Ann De Clercq & Co bvba, Sint-Martens-Latem (B);
• Bart De Greef, Free University of Brussels (B);
• Luc Delcommune, Solvay SA, Brussels (B);
• Arnaud van der Gracht de Rommerswael, Erachem Europe SA, Brussels (B);
• Paul van Grevenstein, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden (NL);
• Menno J. Heerma van Voss, Caron & Stevens / Baker & McKenzie, Amsterdam (NL);
• Vincent Larik, Bakker Research Center, Maastricht (NL);
• Kevin J. Maule, Hydro Fertilizer Technology B.V., Brussels (B);
• Edward John Nevard, Huntsman Polyurethanes, Eversberg (B);
• Allen Norris, UCB SA, Brussels (B);
• Joost van Rossem, Shell International BV, The Hague (NL);
• Leo H.L. Ryckeboer, Ir. Leo Ryckeboer bvba, Bellegem (B);
• Jan Siffert, Free University of Brussels (B);
• Tineke Westerhuis, KPN NV, The Hague (NL);

For information on membership, please contact Wil van der Voorde: phone +31 70 3906873; fax +31 70 3909113 or e-mail Membership@benelux.les-europe.org

LES Benelux

27 September - Brussels, Belgium: half-day topic meeting on ''Key factors for a successful implementation of a licensing agreement''.

15 November - Rotterdam, The Netherlands: full-day topic meeting, including Annual Member Meeting, on ''Licensing results of university research in the Benelux''.
Details of program, venue and registration will be sent to all members in due time. For more information on meetings, please contact Bruno Vandermeulen, e-mail: Bruno.Vandermeulen@twobirds.com

les Nouvelles

LES Benelux has some spare copies available for members who want to complete their volumes. These copies are from December 1997, June, September and December 1998 and March, June and December 1999. Those members interested are requested to contact Wil van der Voorde, fax +31 70 3909113 or e-mail: prsnl@euronet.nl

Jobs available

News

Other events in 2000

15 March - AIPPI, Symposium Ïntellectueel Eigendom, Zeist (NL). Program with registration form have been sent to all Benelux members. For more information: phone +31 20 684 39 47; fax +31 20 681 20 39.

10-13 May - LES USA and Canada Spring Meeting, New York - USA. For information and registration, please contact Braunstein@frlicense.com

9-16 September - LES USA and Canada Annual Meeting, Toronto - Ontario. For information and registration, please contact StevensM@les.org

3-12 July - Training Course: obtaining, enforcing and evaluating IPR in Europe, Munich - Germany. For more information: phone + 49 89 384 07 20; e-mail Goddar@boehmert.de

Next Newsletter

Deadline for delivering a contribution to the next newsletter is 31 May 2000.

''A World of Innovation''
21 - 24 May 2000 in Hotel Krasnapolsky

And … it will be great, promises Emma van Oosterom, president of LES Benelux. Heading the Organising Committee for the LES International Conference 2000 in Amsterdam, she is the one to know. The conference, from 21-24 May, will be held in the traditional old Dutch Hotel Krasnapolsky in the very heart of Amsterdam at the Dam Square - opposite the Royal Palace.

The center of Amsterdam is world-wide famous for the beautiful canals where wealthy 16th century merchants built elegant homes and sturdy warehouses, in the time when Amsterdam was the richest city of the world. There will be ample time for sightseeing in Amsterdam, Dutch country sight, a boat trip at the old canals or even a golf tournament. The Netherlands is a very good starting point for trips in Belgium, Luxembourg and all other European cities. Amsterdam boasts one of the largest and best-equipped airports in the world: Schiphol and the Thalys train will take you from and to the center of Brussels in two hours or from and to Paris in less than four. All the main German cities are within an easy distance.

The Conference, ''A World of Innovation'', will host a large variety of highly interesting topics. On Sunday afternoon the conference starts with three add-ons: a Licensing Course and workshops on Communication techniques and Consultancy. The Plenary Sessions on each morning of the conference are crammed with specialists of high-tech industries and organisations with in the first session on Monday morning speakers of Royal KPN, Philips, Lernout & Hauspie and TNO, one of the largest contract research organisations in Europe. On Tuesday Professor Charles Gielen of Nauta Dutilh and the Honorary Justice Hugh Laddie will lead a debate on the protection of trademarks followed by presentations on strategies for technology management.

Wednesday morning the conference presents two unusual topics as Industrial Espionage and Marketing and Licensing Sports Events.

The Monday and Wednesday afternoons are filled with twelve workshops with such a wide range of topics that these will give each conference participant the opportunity to select a topic of his/her special interest.

All together, with almost 100 speakers and chairs from more than 30 countries around the world, combined with a splendid social and partner program, exploring all interesting venues of Amsterdam and its surroundings, the LESI 2000 Conference promises to become the event every one interested in technology and licensing has to attend.

Full program details, including conference registration and hotel reservation forms are published in the September 1999 issue of les Nouvelles and at this web site

Additional information on conference registration and hotel reservation can be obtained from:

LES 2000 Conference Secretariat, c/o LGCE, P.O. Box 83005,
NL-1080 AA Amsterdam, The Netherlands
phone +31 20 679 3218, fax +31 20 675 8236,
amsterdam2000@benelux.les-europe.org

For information on sponsoring opportunities, please contact Emma van Oosterom at e-mail vanOosterom@oos.eur.nl