Notice of Meeting regarding Hague Convention

The United States Patent and Trademark Office and the United States Copyright Office are hosting a meeting to discuss the preparation of a new text of the Hague Jurisdiction and Enforcement of Judgments Convention. The meeting will be held at the USPTO and is open to all interested parties of the IP community.

Date and Time: May 21, 2003 from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m.
Location: The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, 2121 Crystal Drive, Crystal Park 2, Suite 902, Arlington, Virginia 22202.

During the past 9 years, the US government and other interested governments have worked together to draft the Hague Convention on Jurisdiction and the Enforcement of Civil Judgments. It was hoped that this convention would be an essential part of the future growth of the global economy and a cornerstone of a more harmonized worldwide civil justice structure. However, at the diplomatic conference of 2001, an impasse in the negotiations for such a convention prevented it from moving forward to completion. During 2002, interested governments decided to form an informal experts working group to draft a limited Convention with a narrow scope that would provide the most immediate benefits for international business. After several working group meetings, a new text has emerged that focuses on exclusive choice of court clauses in commercial contracts. This text is available at ftp://ftp.hcch.net/doc/genaff_pd08e.pdf. Interested parties should review Articles 1(3)(k); 1(4); 4(3); 7(1) and 7(2). The May 21 meeting provides an opportunity for interested parties of the IP community to receive a briefing on the progress of the expert working party meetings, and to discuss the new draft text to determine whether it is a basis for further work on the Convention.