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The Egyptian National Group
Activity Report for Year 2003
During 2003, the Egyptian Association for Protection
of Intellectual Property ("AEPPI") organized and
participated in many activities whether locally or
internationally.
The following is a summary of these
activities:
1-WIPO/AEPPI International
Symposium on Intellectual Property Protection in the
21st Century: Challenges and Opportunities for
Developing Countries.
This Symposium was held on April 14 -15, 2003, in
the Nile Hilton Hotel and was attended by 120
participants, mostly local patent attorneys and
representatives from the pharmaceutical industry.
Several participants came from Eastern Europe and
some Arab countries.
The Minister of Higher Education and Scientific
Research gave the opening speech together with Mr.
Sherif Saadallah Director for Cooperation and
Development (WIPO) and Mrs. Hoda Serageldine
President of AEPPI.
The presentations and topics discussed were:
(a) Health Issues under the Doha Declaration by Dr.
Hossam Loutfi (Shalakany Law Office).
(b) The WIPO Patent Agenda by Mr. Anthony Taubman
(WIPO).
(c) Compulsory Licensing by Mrs. Esmee Du Plessis
(Adams and Adams)
(d) Biodiversity and Biotechnology by Dr. Eid Abdel
Maguid (AGERI)
(e) The Protection of Geographical Indications by
Mr. Hopperger (WIPO)
(f) The Exhaustion of Rights in the UK by Mr. Paul
Harris (Hammonds)
(g) The Exhaustion of IPR's in Egypt by Mr. Samir
Hamza (Baker & McKenzie,Cairo)
(h) Multilateral Enforcement Issues by Mr. Taubman
(i) Dispute Resolution Process by Ms. Ola Zahran
(WIPO); and
(j) The Domain Names Dispute Resolution by Dr.
Hossam Lotfi
The final session was chaired by the President of
the Academy of Scientific Research in Egypt.
2- Seminar on the New Egyptian Intellectual
Property Law and the Trips:
This Seminar was held on July 8, 2003 and featured
the presentation of Dr. Hossam Badrawi, member of
the Egyptian National Assembly, who participated in
the issuance of the new Intellectual Property Law,
and Ambassador Gamal Bayoumi from the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs
3-AIPPI Executive Committee Meeting :
This meeting was held in Lucerne, Switzerland,
during the period from October 25 to October 29,
2003. The Egyptian delegation was represented by
four members who participated in all the activities
associated with this meeting.
4-Response to AIPPI Questions :
The Egyptian Group responded, during 2003, to the
following questions:
Q174 Questionnaire on Jurisdiction and Applicable
Law
Q178 Questionnaire on Scope of Patent Protection
Q180 Questionnaire on Content and Relevance of
Industrial Applicability for Patentability
Q181 Questionnaire on Conditions for Registration
and Scope of Protection of Non-Conventional
Trademarks
Q182 Questionnaire on Database Protection at
National & International Level
Q183 Questionnaire on Employers' Rights to
Intellectual Property
5-General Assemblies :
There were two general assemblies held during 2003,
one Ordinary General Meeting (OGM) and the other an
Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM).
The OGM elected the current board of directors for a
term of two years and the EGM normalized the legal
status of AEPPI based on the new law for
associations issued in 2002
6- Meetings with Egyptian Officials :
The AEPPI board members met with numerous government
officials and presented several memos that highlight
the interest of its members, including comments for
overcoming the problems encountered in dealing with
both the Trademark Office and the Patent Office in
Cairo.
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