The first Forum in April, 2006 was a great success, attracting more than 350 attendees over the course of three days of presentations, networking events, and receptions. Speakers at the First Forum included a variety of influential Chinese and American government officials as well as experienced IP attorneys from law firms, pharmaceutical companies, and others.

Forum key organizers from left to right: Sunny Wang, Guang Cao,
Zhao Chunshan, Brian C. Meadows and Ma Xiushan

The Forum kicked off on Tuesday morning, April 25, with a meet-and-greet session including Chinese and American government officials, members of the Forum Organizing Committee, Forum sponsors, and featured speakers. The first Plenary Session opened with brief introductory remarks from the Forum host organizations, including the China Intellectual Property Society, the Chinese-American Chemical Society, and the Division of Chemistry and the Law of the American Chemical Society. The remaining morning talks included a variety of presentations by high-ranking Chinese officials on various aspects of China’s IP system.

After a luncheon, the afternoon Plenary Session featured presentations on IP rights and protection in a global economy, including talks by IP attorneys from law firms and pharmaceutical companies. The Tuesday afternoon session also included a presentation by Judge Paul Luckern of the U.S. International Trade Commission. Judge Luckern spoke about ITC practice and procedure, in particular enforcement of U.S. patent rights before the ITC.

Wednesday April 26 began with a morning Plenary Session on patent prosecution and enforcement, which included more presentations by IP attorneys from law firms as well as pharmaceutical companies. Topics included U.S. patent practice and procedure, drafting a patent that can withstand litigation challenges, and claim construction under Phillips. At the conclusion of the morning Plenary Session, another luncheon was held for the organizers, speakers, and attendees.

The Forum symposia continued with the Thursday morning Plenary Session, during which IP attorneys from the U.S. and Europe presented case studies on various topics in pharmaceutical patent law. Topics included Pfizer’s Lipitor®, AstraZeneca’s Nexium®, and various pharmaceutical patent litigations in Europe. After the Thursday morning session concluded, the organizers, speakers, and attendees participated in networking tours over the next day and a half, visiting the Summer Palace, the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, and the Ming Tombs.

Law firm participants at the 2006 Forum included speakers from Finnegan Henderson, Jones Day, Nixon Peabody, Knobbe Martens, Needle & Rosenberg, Cohen Pontani, Wilkinson & Grist, and King & Wood. Corporate speakers included representatives of sanofi-aventis, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Dow Chemical, Genentech, and Myriad Genetics.