The seminar was organised in collaboration with Microsoft Malta who hosted an official from MAMO TCV Advocates, the local representatives for Business Software Alliance (BSA), namely Dr. Claude Micallef Grimaud and Mr. Thomas Limouzin-Lamothe, Microsoft Attorney from Legal and Corporate Affairs who was the guest speaker and addressed the current major sources of piracy and the potential threats and the negative impact that piracy could have on the local economy and on society at large.

Business Software Alliance, considered as the world’s foremost association in the software industry explained how the software industry organizes itself worldwide to combat piracy through education, enforcement and partnerships with Governments and other copy right / trademark holders.

In complement, the Director General Commerce and Comptroller of Industrial Property, Mr Godwin Warr provided an interesting overview of the history of IP in Malta and the related treaties and conventions that Malta has endorsed to date. He also imparted some interesting statistics about IP registrations in Malta and the national challenges faced. Mr Warr stressed the importance of raising awareness amongst businesses, schools and youths and mentioned some initiatives that the Commerce Department is undertaking in this area.

Another speaker at the seminar was Dr. Jeanine Rizzo, associate at Fenech & Fenech Advocates who gave a quick overview of the different forms of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and the legal implications. Moreover, she also explained the manner in which some cases in breach of IPR had been adjudicated.

“The aim of this conference was also to educate and create awareness around intellectual property rights.  Specifically, we discussed how intellectual property rights impact business to business including software developers and the IT industry,” said Celia Falzon, Chief of External Relations who chaired the seminar. “To better understand how IPR and piracy affect the local context, it is important to have a look at what is happening in other countries. By taking a closer look at how other economies are engaging all available resources in order to take advantage from IPR, we will be better positioned to understand the financial impact on business owners, industry players and ultimately on Malta’s economy,” she continued.

Such fora are proving to be very successful in getting stakeholders together and generating discussion on topics of varied interests. The MCA hosts such events on a regular basis, one of which is the eCommerce forum that is held on a quarterly basis.

 

Presentations given during the seminar:

 

'Fighting Software Piracy: Why & How?' by Mr. Thomas Limouzine-Lamothe, Attorney, Microsoft Central and Eastern Europe.

 

'Computer Software: Legal protection under Maltese law and enforecement thereof' by Dr. Claude Micallef Grimaud, Associate, Mamo TCV Advocates, local representatives for BSA.

 

'IP Protection: National Challenges and International Obligations' by Mr. Godwin Warr, Director General Commerce and Comptroller of Industrial Property.

 

'Intellectual Property in the Digital Millenium' by Dr. Jeanine Rizzo, Associate, Fenech & Fenech Advocates.