IPR Summer School 2014

The first IPR Summer School in Finland has come true! The Summer School includes a range of different events and seminars. One aim of the Summer School is to offer an opportunity to those, who have been in the area a long time, to meet those, who are just starting their IP career, and to learn together more about IPRs. The Director of the IPR Summer School is Professor Niklas Bruun.

IPRs are truly international. This is also true for the Summer School: People from different countries and different backgrounds are participating in the same events. This offers an opportunity to change views and learn how IPRs are used and interpreted in different jurisdictions.

The education in IP issues has increased in Finland during the recent years, which is very pleasing. During the last 20 years the number of doctors who have made their dissertation in IPR has increased enormously. This has made it possible to include IP more in the basic education in different faculties in different universities. Although much is still to be done in this area, we are now in a situation, where the need for education in the universities is becoming more and more obvious. The universities are aware of the challenges in education.

During the years, IPR University Center has organized several long and short courses and seminars on IPRs from different angles. In our seminars, we have been able to utilize a large number of IP experts from Finland and other countries. Our education has been directed both for professionals and for beginners. There is also an increasing amount of lawyers, technically educated people, people working with finance, artists and designers, who need at least the basic knowledge about IPRs in their work. Our seminars are one way of getting that.

One of the ideas and aims of the Summer School has been to gather together in the same event practitioners, researchers, students and all those who have an interest in IP. We believe that a combination of practitioners and students, together with experienced academics, form a good basis for fruitful discussions and we hope that the whole IP Community in Finland will also join in.

The lack of education in licensing led to the founding of The International Patent Licensing Academy, with Dr Ilkka Rahnasto as its Dean. The week long seminar will cover topics such as the key elements of patent licensing, key commercial terms, preparing for negotiations, agreement drafting and negotiation tactics.

The IPR Summer School contains a specially created part for students, who can gain credits for participation. We are eagerly waiting for students from different parts of the world, as well as from Finland. We believe that the Summer School also serves as a possibility to build international partnerships and forever friends.

Welcome to Helsinki for all Summer School events!