We’ve come a full year since the start of the Global Digital Encounters. We’ve successfully celebrated 12 encounters, with 41 panelists from over 17 countries, the Internal Support Team has risen to 27 people, and 19 Support Entities have signed up for the ride.

In the midst of a Global Pandemic, Fide and TIPSA got together to try and shed light on the topic of how Intellectual Property would respond in the face of such a challenge. To do so, we got together with experts in the various fields of IP and tackled topics from the IP system in general, to GIs, SGDs, and many others.

We now present this final paper with the reports from all the 12encounters we’ve carried out throughout the academic year 2020-2021.

THE ROLE OF IP IN A POST-CRISIS WORLD, Global Digital Encounters

A thorough analysis of how Intellectual Property has responded to the COVID-19 crisis, and the challenges it faces beyond.

We also include a series of Questions that were posed by the audiences of the different encounters to stimulate further debate, and highlight those matters that are still unclear, and need further analysis.

This document closes the first year of academic activity by the GDE and opens a new future for the organisation. After all the work carried out throughout the 12 GDEs organised so far, we have come to the conclusion that we should as of now expand our focus from the “post-crisis world” to a broader scope, so that the work of future GDEs be fully deployed in light of world events.

Fide and TIPSA are therefore committed to continue developing the Global Digital Encounters program, for further think-tank work, with a new and expanded goal and logo:

Re-Imagining IP in an ever-changing world

With this new and revised goal in mind, in order to be able to involve the Global Community and collect feedback from all countries and parties involved in the revision of IP practices and policies, we shall continue to develop our activities in a Digital format.

The GDEs will continue to focus on sharing experiences and expertise amongst professionals from the various fields of IP, via monthly Encounters and informal talks.

With the lessons learned, we now look to the future, and invite you to join us on the road ahead, and hopefully, together, we’ll shed some light on the future of Intellectual Property.

Thank you for your continued support, and we hope to see you again at our future GDEs.