The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation has announced that 30 intellectuals and 200 thought-leaders will provide critical insights into the state of intellectual property rights and its role in the region’s economy, at the first in a series of seminars to mark the Arab Strategy Forum, a crucial platform for policy makers to network and share expertise on economic, geopolitical, social and cultural issues.
To be held in Dubai, the session titled ‘Transfer or indigenisation (sic) of knowledge?’ will define the second day of the event that will be held on 28th and 29th of October.
The discussions will apparently throw light on the legislative, organizational, cultural, and material requirements for intellectual property rights and will specifically examine the extent of Arab contributions to the development of the international conventions on property rights.
For more information: http://www.ameinfo.com/213654.html
We wonder if our good friend Dr. Amir Khoury of Tel Aviv University will attend and hope the event does not turn into another fiasco trying to copyright Hummous and the pyramids.
Come to think of it, as of tomorrow, I am expecting to pass the 100,000 reader mark on this blog, which makes me far and away the region’s most popular writer on IP issues. Although, not a major IP writer by Jewish standards, with a much smaller readership than either, say, Professor David Nimmer or Professor Jeremy Philips, nevertheless, as the Middle East’s number 1 IP blogger, who faithfully tries to cover IP events in Arab countries, I’d have expected an all expense paid, complimentary trip to this conference. Ah well.
Still, it would be nice if the Arab States decide to allow Israeli companies to register trademarks there. It would be nice if, 15 years after signing a peace treaty, Jordan would allow Israeli companies to register patents…
Posted by Dr Michael Factor 
