JORNADAS CIENTÍFICAS

INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS

30 YEARS OF TRIPS AGREEMENTS: CURRENT CHALLENGES IN PATENT AND PLANT VARIETY LAW

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17th OCTOBER 2025

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30 YEARS OF TRIPS AGREEMENTS: CURRENT CHALLENGES IN PATENT AND PLANT VARIETY LAW

The WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) is the most comprehensive multilateral agreement on intellectual property. It plays a central role in facilitating trade in knowledge and creativity, in resolving trade disputes over IP, and in assuring WTO members the latitude to achieve their domestic policy objectives. It frames the IP system in terms of innovation, technology transfer and public welfare. This agreement constitutes a legal recognition of the significance of links between IP and trade and the need for a balanced IP system.

Leading institutions participating in the programme of this international conference include: the European Patent Office (EPO), the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW), European Commission, Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO), Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (SPTO), the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Spain), the Ministry of Industry and Trade (Spain), as well as universities, national associations, practitioners and researchers in the field of intellectual property.

This conference aims to explore the most pressing issues in patent and plant variety legislation and share experiences and best practices on the latest trends, including compulsory licences, artificial intelligence (AI), biotechnology patents and NGTs, innovations and plant varieties.

PROGRAMME

17th OCTOBER, ALICANTE 2025

8.45-9.10

RECEPTION

9.10-9.30

WELCOME ADDRESS
UA President Representative

Mr. Ignacio Gally. Dean of the Bar Association of Alicante.

PhD. Pilar Montero García-Noblejas. Full Professor of Commercial Law. University of Alicante. Director of the Master in Intellectual Property and Digital Innovation, Magister Lvcentinvs.

PhD. Esperanza Gallego Sánchez. Full Professor of Commercial Law, University of Alicante, Director of the Commercial Law Research Group. Director of the Chair for the International Protection of Intellectual Property. Permanent Member of the General Commission of Codification (Spanish Ministry of Justice).

PhD Pilar Íñiguez Ortega. Full Professor of Commercial Law. University of Alicante. Director of the Patent Technologies and Digital Innovations Specialist Title, Master in Intellectual Property and Digital Innovation, Magister Lvcentinvs.

9.30-10.10 – PANNEL 1: COMPULSORY LICENSES
Panel leader: Ms. María Meseguer. Technical Advisor on Legal Coordination and International Relations. Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (SPTO)

9.30-9.45

An effective EU Mechanisms Compulsory Licences in Europe
Ms. Virginie Fossoul. Policy and Legal Officer, EC Intellectual Property Unit, DG GROW
European Commission.

9.45-10.00

Future perspective of the compulsory licenses.
Mr Adrian Crespo. Counsel. Intellectual Property and unfair competition litigation. Clifford Chance. International Law Firm, Barcelona (Spain).

10.00-10.10

Colloquium with the attendees

10:10-11:00 – PANNEL 2: BIOTECHNOLOGY PATENT AND NEW GENOME EDITING TECHNIQUES
Panel leader: Prof. PhD Pilar Íñiguez Ortega. Full Professor of Commercial Law. University of Alicante. Director of the Patent Technologies and Digital Innovations Specialist Title, Master in Intellectual Property and Digital Innovation, Magister Lvcentinvs.

10.10-10.25

The new regulatory framework for New Genomic Techniques (NGT) in the European Union.
Ms. Ana Judith Martin de la Fuente. Secretary of the Interministerial Council on Genetically Modified Organisms (CIOMG) General Directorate of Agricultural Productions and Markets Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Madrid (Spain).

10.25-10.40

Patentability of biological material. Strategies of the SPTO.
Mr. Gabriel González Limas. Head of the Chemical Patents Department in the Department of Patents and Technological Information at the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (OEPM) (Ministry of Industry and Commerce), Madrid, Spain.

10.40-10.55

Patentability of biological material after TRIPS: Past, present and future developments in the era of New Genomic Techniques.
Prof. PhD. Mercedes Curto Polo. Full Professor Commercial Law. National University of Distance Education (UNED) (Madrid).

10.55-11.00

Colloquium with the attendees

11.00-11.30: Coffee break

11.30-12:30 – PANNEL 3: CURRENT ISSUES ON PLANT INNOVATIONS
Panel leader: Prof. PhD. Pilar Montero García-Noblejas. Full Professor Commercial Law. University of Alicante. Director of the Master in Intellectual Property and Digital Innovation, Magister Lvcentinvs

11.30-11.45

Seeds of innovation: 30 years of TRIPS and the evolving landscape of Plant Variety Protection.
Mr. Francesco Mattina. President of the Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO) (France).

11.45-12:00

Plant Innovation and agriculture: impact on the environment.
Mr. José Antonio Sobrino Mate. Deputy Director General for Agricultural Means of Production and Spanish Plant Variety Office, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries (Spain)

12.00-12.15

New stages comparative developments in Europe om the judicial protection of harvested material.
Mr. Pedro Tent Alonso. Partner at J&A Garrigues, S.L.P. International Law Firm, Valencia (Spain)

12.15-12.25

Colloquium with the attendees

12.25-13.05 – PANNEL 4: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND PROTECTION OF INVENTIONS
Panel leader: Prof. PhD. Paloma Moreda. Professor of Languages and Computer Systems. Member of Language Processing and Information Systems (GPLSI). Member of the Alicante Digital Intelligence Centre (CENID)

12.25-12.40

Artificial intelligence and Patent law: some reflections afters 30 years of TRIPS
Prof. PhD. Alberto Casado Cerviño. Ex-Vice-President European Patent Office. Of Counsel Baylos (Madrid)

12.40-12:55

Artificial Inventor (the status of inventor when inventions are made in whole or in part by intelligent systems).
PhD Luz Sánchez. Commercial Law Professor. University of Murcia (Spain).

12.55-13.05

PhD Marko Schauwecker. Lawyer. Patent Law and Procedures. European Patent Office (EPO)

13.05-13.20

Colloquium with the attendees

13.20-13.35

CLOSING CONFERENCE
Mr. Habip Asan. Director, Division for Transition and Developed Countries. World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

13.40

APPRECIATION SPEECH
Prof. PhD. Esperanza Gallego Sánchez. Commercial Law Full Professor, University of Alicante, Director of the Commercial Law Research Group. Director of the Chair for the International Protection of Intellectual Property. Permanent Member of the General Commission of Codification (Spanish Ministry of Justice).

DATE

17th OCTOBER 2025

VENUE

ICALI, Alicante

ATTENDANCE

In person

For more information, please contact

UA. Commercial Law Department. Law faculty
Magister Lvcentinvs
Email: [email protected]
Tel: (+34) 965909513 – 965909514

DIRECTORS

Prof. PhD. Esperanza Gallego Sánchez.

DIRECTOR

Commercial Law Full Professor, University of Alicante, Co-Director of the Commercial Law Research Group. Director of the Chair for the International Protection of Intellectual Property. Permanent Member of the General Commission of Codification (Spanish Ministry of Justice).

Prof. PhD. Pilar Íñiguez Ortega.

DIRECTOR

Full Professor of Commercial Law. Director Patents Technology transfer and Digital Innovation Specialist Title, Master of Intellectual Property and Digital Innovation. University of Alicante. Magister Lvcentinvs.

Mr. José Antonio Gil Celedonio.

DIRECTOR

Industry and Tourism Attaché. Permanent Representation of Spain to the European Union.

COORDINATORS

Prof. PhD. Alejandro Llopis.

COORDINATOR

Assistant Professor of Commercial Law. Coordinator of the Patents, Technology transfer and Digital Innovation Specialist Title, Master of Intellectual Property and Digital Innovation University of Alicante. Magister Lvcentinvs

Prof. Miguel Cano Menor.

COORDINATOR

Assistant Professor of Commercial Law. Deputy Coordinator Patents Technology transfer and Digital Innovation Specialist Title, Master of Intellectual Property and Digital Innovation University of Alicante. Magister Lvcentinvs

Prof. Marta García-Romeu.

COORDINATOR

Associate Professor of Commercial Law. Deputy Coordinator Patents Technology transfer and Digital Innovation Specialist Title, Master of Intellectual Property and Digital Innovation University of Alicante. Magister Lvcentinvs

DIRECCION AND ORGANIZATION COMMITEE

Prof. Álvaro Asencio Gallego
Prof. PhD. Altea Asensi Merás
Prof. PhD. Nuria Fernández Pérez
Prof. PhD. Andrea García Martínez
Prof. PhD. Vicente Gimeno Beviá

Prof. PhD. Jaume Llorca Galiana
Prof. PhD. Pilar Montero García-Noblejas
Prof. PhD. Jorge Moya Ballester
Prof. PhD. Ignacio Rabasa Martínez
Prof. PHD. Marina Vázquez Esteban