Overview
This seminar shall take a closer look at the current developments in intellectual property law in the EU and Japan. Experts from Europe and Japan will provide most recent information on the following subjects which are closely related to business activities:
a) The EU Unitary Patent is approaching the final stretch, despite different legal issues in several European member states. The presentation will address the latest preparation steps, the current status of the system and the first steps to take after the start of the Provisional Application Phase.
b) With the recent boom of Artificial Intelligence, more and more creative works and inventions are the results of non-human authors and inventors. Computer algorithms and learning machines have become a new source of creativity and inventiveness. Are the results generated by AI eligible to legal protection under Japanese and European copyright and patent statutes, and in whom do such rights vest? Two presentations will cover AI and copyright and AI and patent issues.
c) In Europe, particular issues arise in the rapidly growing field of life science and biotechnology inventions such as nucleic acids, genes, proteins and organisms, where patentable subject matter may be limited by way of legal provisions. A presentation will reflect the steadily developing interpretation of the EPC concerning biotechnology in interaction with EU law.

Programme
14:00-14:05
Opening Remarks by Mr. Gabriele Lo Monaco, First Secretary, Trade and Economic Section, Delegation of the European Union to Japan
14:05-14:30
“Update on the EU Unitary Patent System”
Speaker: Dr. Christian Kau, German Attorney-at-Law, Preu Bohlig & Partner
14:30-15:10
“The application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its IP law aspects in Japan and the EU – Part I: Copyright”  Speakers: Dr. Axel Oldekop, German Attorney-at-Law, Preu Bohlig & Partner,
Ms Ayuko Nemoto, Japanese Attorney-at-Law, Sonderhoff & Einsel Law and Patent Office, Mr. Grant Tanabe, Registered Foreign Attorney, Sonderhoff & Einsel Law and Patent Office
15:10-15:20
“Music demonstration of a work made in collaboration between an AI and a musician”
Speaker: Prof. Noriko Otani, Department of Information Systems, Faculty of Informatics, Tokyo City University
15:20-15:40
Coffee break
15:40-16:20
“The application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its IP law aspects in Japan and the EU – Part II: Patents” Speakers: Dr. Christian Einsel, German Patent Attorney, Pruefer & Partner,
Mr. Felix-Reinhard Einsel, Japanese Patent Attorney, Sonderhoff & Einsel Law and Patent Office
16:20-17:00
“The recent practice of the European Patent Office regarding life sciences/biotechnology” Speaker: Dr. Dorothea Hofer, German Patent Attorney, Pruefer & Partner
17:00-17:20
Patent protection in AI and life science/biotechnology: Comments from US perspective Prof. Toshiko Takenaka, University of Washington School of Law; Keio University Law School/ Of Counsel, Seed IP Law Group
17:20-17:30
Questions and Answers
17:30-17:55
Panel Discussion
Moderator: Mr. Luca Escoffier, EU-Japan Technology Transfer Helpdesk, Project Manager, EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation
*Panelists to be selected among the speakers
17:55-18:00
Closing Remarks by Mr. Luca Escoffier, Japan Technology Transfer Helpdesk, Project Manager, EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation
18:00-19:00
Networking Reception