We are pleased to announce our forthcoming Conference entitled 'Industrial Property - Quo Vadis?' which we will be holding on the island of Ischia in the Bay of Naples in Italy from 5th - 7th October later this year.
This event is being organised by the European Commission in close cooperation with the Italian Presidency of the European Council and we are expecting participation at the highest level, for example Commissioner Bolkestein will be making the keynote address.
The aim of the conference will be to foster a genuine debate about the future of industrial property in the light of the economic, social and ethical imperatives which have to be taken into consideration.
Issues to be addressed include the relationship between IPRs and competition policy, limits on the scope of patentability, for example whether patents for software and business methods aid or block innovation and how to tackle the problem of access to patented medicines for people in the developing world.
The conference itself is scheduled to take place from the evening of Sunday 5th October until Tuesday 7th October. It will be based at the Hotel Regina Isabella in Lacco Ameno d'Ischia, a hotel and conference centre which offers very impressive facilities and a high level of comfort for conference delegates.
The preliminary program gives you an idea of the structure and themes of the conference. We look forward to your response and sincerely hope that you will be able to participate in this important event.

European Commission
DG Internal Market