Helsinki IP Summit 2023

The Helsinki IP Summit was organized for the third time on the 4th and 5th of October. The Summit, hosted by the IPR University Center, took place in the meeting facilities of hotel Paasitorni in Helsinki. This time we were able to host the event fully in person although a possibility to participate remotely was offered as well. The event gained up to two hundred participants from Finland and abroad.

Day 1: Patents, artificial intelligence and future

Juha Vesala and Tuomas Mylly kicked off the first day with their opening words. Next Elina Hiltunen provided a thought-provoking speech about our future and the ever developing technologies.

Probably one of the most awaited speeches was given by Rasheka Scott and Sofia Wang. Their presentation was about artists as brands. They discussed the topic especially in the context of Eurovision runner-up Käärijä. That presentation was not only interesting for lawyers: people from other backgrounds could also benefit from the knowledge shared. We also heard interesting speeches on digital fashion, artificial intelligence, SEP proposal and patents.

Mikko Antikainen gave an insightful speech on design law and artificial intelligence. The crowd really enjoyed this topic and gave useful comments.

All in all, day 1 was full of insightful speeches. After the official program, it was time for a networking night. The guests enjoyed sparkling wine kindly provided by Berggren as well as a salad buffet. This was a great opportunity to get to know more of the central IPR people in Finland and abroad. It also gave an opportunity to share thoughts risen from the speeches given earlier. 

Day 2: Data, business stories and trade secrets

The second day of the IP Summit started with a keynote speech from Sari Multala, Minister of Science and Culture. In her speech, Multala highlighted the importance of education as well as talked about innovations as a prerequisite for the economic growth of Finland. The second speech of the day, held by Antti Niku, started off the AIPPI program that went on for the whole day in one conference room. The program was hosted by Kalle Hynönen from Krogerus.

AIPPI Program included speeches inter alia on trade secrets, algorithms, technology regulation and EU’s data package. The speakers came from diverse backgrounds: from corporations, Columbia Law School and European Commission, just to name a few.

On the second day, two different programs were running in the other rooms. There the guest had an opportunity to listen about data, branding and patents from variable perspectives. For example Helena Marjaranta gave an insightful speech about brand renewal as a business tool from the perspective of Metso Oyj. Also, Patrik Hammarén’s and Teo Taponen’s speech about patent licensing in the Internet of Things era sparked a lot of lively discussion from the listeners.

The AIPPI program’s panel discussion about data and trade secrets was the last part of the scheduled program for the IP Summit. It gave an excellent ending to the day and the whole summit. Overall the speeches held on the second day of the IP Summit gave much food for thought.

Juha Vesala, director of IPR University Center, summed up this year’s IP Summit the following way “IP Summit Helsinki 2023 featured leading experts from both Finland and beyond addressing many of the most important topics in the area of IP law and practice at the moment as well related areas of policy, business and economics. It is always very useful to bring people from diverse backgrounds together to exchange views and share their experiences, especially at times like this when important legislative work is ongoing in the EU and first cases are being decided at the UPC. It was also very nice to meet and catch up with so many people in person at the event. We at IPRUC very much appreciate the excellent work by everyone who made IP Summit Helsinki 2023 the success it was, and are looking forward to organizing the event also in the future.”

A big thank you to every participant once again for coming and the speakers for sharing their knowledge and skills to a larger crowd! We hope to see you again in the next IP Summit which will be hosted in 2025.