Why are marketing and legal departments so often at odds with each other? And how can this be prevented? Why is ‘Mammut’ a good trade mark and ‘Swiss’ a bad one under trade mark law?

In this workshop, you’ll learn about the various legal requirements you need to fulfil in the trade mark registration procedure. We’ll examine the various grounds for refusal using examples from case law.

Learning objectives:

• Find out about the different approaches that marketing specialists and lawyers take to trade marks
• Learn about the various legal grounds for refusal that are examined

Prior knowledge

Basic knowledge of IP is required (e.g. prior participation in an IP Basic Workshop)

Target audience

People who want to create their own trade mark; trade mark managers of a company; employees of marketing agencies

Location

Video conference

Duration
Max. two hours

Price
Free of charge

Dates and registration

These workshops are offered sporadically. Please see the training schedule and subscribe to our newsletter ‘dips – news about intellectual property in Switzerland’ (in German and French) to find out about new workshops.

Contact
Do you have any questions? We’ll be happy to provide you with information: 
Email: trainingnot shown@ipito make life hard for spam bots.ch
Telephone: +41 31 377 72 44

Patents are a valuable source of technical information. In this workshop, we use practical examples to show participants how to use free online patent databases efficiently and do more than just ‘googling’.This workshop is only held in English. This workshop is only held in English.

Learning objectives

• Defining the aim of the search
• Developing search concepts
• Applying and improving search concepts
• Databases: Espacenet, The Lens 

Prior knowledge
Basic knowledge of the patent system, e. g. from the IPI’s IP Basic Workshop

Target audience
Researchers, start-ups, SMEs, innovation promoters

Patents in the area of life sciences are very important, especially for start-ups. The aim is to present the special features of the patent system in this area so that researchers can find their way around it. This workshop is only held in English.

Learning objectives

• Specific aspects of patents in life sciences: compounds, sequences, patent exclusions, supplementary protection certificates, second medical use, filing of microorganisms
• Useful patent classifications

Prior knowledge
Basic knowledge of the patent system, e. g. from the IPI’s IP Basic Workshop

Target audience
Researchers in the area of life sciences at universities and in industry; start-up founders

Patents contain important information, but how do you decipher them?  What does a ‘person skilled in the art’ mean and what does the term ‘state of the art’ mean? This knowledge is crucial to correctly reading and understanding patents.

Learning objectives:

• How do you read a patent?
• What role do patent claims play?
• What information can be gained from the description and drawings?
• What does a ‘person skilled in the art’ mean and what does the term ‘state of the art’ mean?

Prior knowledge

Basic knowledge of IP is required (e.g. prior participation in an IP Basic Workshop)

Target audience

R&D managers, researchers, PhD students. People who would like to use patents as a source of information and inspiration but have not yet been able to get to grips with them

Location

Video conference

Duration
Max. two hours

Price
Free of charge

Dates and registration

These workshops are offered sporadically. Please see the training schedule and subscribe to our newsletter ‘dips – news about intellectual property in Switzerland’ (in German and French) to find out about new workshops.

Contact
Do you have any questions? We’ll be happy to provide you with information: 
Email: trainingnot shown@ipito make life hard for spam bots.ch
Telephone: +41 31 377 72 44

The Lens is freely available search platform with broad coverage of both patents and scientific literature, including searching biological sequences. 
This workshop shows the key features to the platform and provides practical instructions for its use.

Learning objectives:

• General introduction to search strategies
• Functions of the Lens
• Practical examples 

Prior knowledge

Basic knowledge of IP is required (e.g. prior participation in an IP Basic Workshop)

Target audience

Researchers in academia, startups, and SMEs, TechTransfer officers

Location

Video conference

Duration
Two hours

Price
Free of charge

Dates and registration

These workshops are offered sporadically. Please see the training schedule and subscribe to our newsletter ‘dips – news about intellectual property in Switzerland’ (in German and French) to find out about new workshops.

Contact
Do you have any questions? We’ll be happy to provide you with information: 
Email: trainingnot shown@ipito make life hard for spam bots.ch
Telephone: +41 31 377 72 44

When creating a trade mark, you need to respect the rights of third parties. Trade mark owners also need to be aware of the limits of their trade mark protection in order to avoid unnecessary and expensive opposition proceedings. This course uses examples to highlight the most important criteria applied by the IPI or courts to decide whether a later trade mark must be cancelled in full, in part or not at all.

Learning objectives:

• Find out the various criteria used in a trade mark dispute
• Learn about the limits of the trade mark monopoly

Prior knowledge

IP Basic Workshop or prior knowledge of trade mark law

Target audience

People who want to create their own trade mark; trade mark managers in companies; employees of marketing agencies

Location

Video conference

Duration
Two hours

Price
Free of charge

Dates and registration

These workshops are offered sporadically. Please see the training schedule and subscribe to our newsletter ‘dips – news about intellectual property in Switzerland’ (in German and French) to find out about new workshops.

Contact
Do you have any questions? We’ll be happy to provide you with information: 
Email: trainingnot shown@ipito make life hard for spam bots.ch
Telephone: +41 31 377 72 44

A product’s appearance often determines whether someone’s going to buy it. There’s an easy and cost-effective way to protect advantages in this area. Find out what you need to consider and what steps you need to take.

In this workshop, you’ll discover the two conditions for design protection and the formal requirements that a design application must fulfil. Using examples from case law, the workshop will explain the theory and highlight potential pitfalls.

This workshop is only held in German. You can find course dates in our training schedule.

Learning objectives:

• Find out about the conditions for protection
• Learn what ‘abstract protection’ means in design law
• Discover the formal requirements for design applications

Prior knowledge

Basic knowledge of intellectual property is required (e.g. prior participation in an IP Basic Workshop).

Target audience

Individuals from industry, commerce or the arts who are involved in product development in any form.

Location

Video conference

Duration
2 hours

Price
Free of charge

Dates and registration

These workshops are offered sporadically. Please see the training schedule and subscribe to our newsletter ‘dips – news about intellectual property in Switzerland’ (in German and French) to find out about new workshops.

Contact
Do you have any questions? We’ll be happy to provide you with information: 
Email: training@ipi.ch
Telephone: +41 31 377 72 44

Software development has changed significantly in the last ten years. As a result, the granting of patents in this field has evolved too. Find out more about the basic requirements and difficulties associated with protecting software solutions. This basic knowledge will help you to better assess your own invention in the context of existing protection options. As there are a number of uncertain factors in this area, we recommend consulting a patent attorney in specific cases.

This workshop will teach the basics of intellectual property protection for inventions relating to software solutions, i.e. with regard to technicality, novelty, etc.

You’ll also hear about different cases from examination practice, which will help you to compare the theory with real, published cases. The workshop will include time for your questions so that you can develop a basic understanding of this increasingly important subject area. Further sources of information will also be provided.

Learning objectives:

• Discover the opportunities and difficulties of protecting an invention relating to software solutions.
• Work out possible protection options based on what you’ve learned.
• Discover other sources of information.

Prior knowledge

Basic knowledge of intellectual property is required (e.g. prior participation in an IP Basic Workshop).

Target audience

Suitable for anyone who has ever wondered whether software can be protected. Anyone with a general interest in the topic.

Location

Video conference

Duration
1.5 hours

Price
Free of charge

Dates and registration

These workshops are offered sporadically. Please see the training schedule and subscribe to our newsletter ‘dips – news about intellectual property in Switzerland’ (in German and French) to find out about new workshops.

Contact
Do you have any questions? We’ll be happy to provide you with information: 
Email: training@ipi.ch
Telephone: +41 31 377 72 44