The ECTA 41st Annual Conference ‘Exploring IP Magic’ is coming up in Prague from 28 June to 1 July 2023!

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Among other interesting sessions, we will discuss brands in sport. Let’s learn more from the moderator of this panel, Bernard Volken:

1. Could you please introduce yourself and your link to ECTA?

My name is Bernard Volken, partner of the Swiss law firm Troller Hitz Troller and Chair of the ECTA WIPO-Link Committee. I represent professional athletes (Olympic winners and World champions), sports associations, football clubs, and I also teach sports law in Zurich. I am glad to moderate this session.

2. Could you please introduce the topic of your Conference session?

There is no elite sport without trade marks. The topic of the session is ‘The Superpower of Brands in Sports’ and the intention is to show the importance of trade marks in sport.

3. Who will be on the panel for your session?

The Swiss ski racer Ramon Zenhäusern, Olympic gold and silver medalist, World champion, 12 podiums, winner of 5 World Cup slaloms (last victory in Chamonix on 4 February 2023), will share with us how trade marks influence his daily sports life and why he protected his trade marks.

Guillermo Mier Y Concha Martinez, Red Bull Brand Enforcement Manager Europe, will reveal to us how Red Bull’s sport engagements are conceived and structured.

Stefanos Tsimikalis, partner of the Greek law firm Tsimikalis Kalonarou, who attended the Olympic Games 2010 in Vancouver as a Ski athlete, will speak about the overlap between IP and sport, naming and image rights and the respective case law.

4. Why should Conference participants join your session, and at whom in particular will your session be directed?

The importance of IP in elite sports is significantly increasing. This session will showcase different actors and perspectives from the world of sports and its overlap with trade marks. The panel is particularly directed at practitioners passionate about sports and the practical approach of the discussion will provide insights into a field rarely known to IP attorneys.

5. Why should IP colleagues register for the ECTA Annual Conference?

The ECTA Annual Conference is a very valuable platform to increase IP knowledge and stay up to date with the latest trends. Practitioners from different countries bring in different approaches from different jurisdictions, and participation in the ECTA Conference is a perfect networking opportunity.

**Find out more about the other educational sessions here!**