Background
The Hague Conference on Private International Law, an international organization headquartered in the Netherlands, is sponsoring negotiations for a convention on the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments in civil and commercial matters.
In February 2016, the Conference’s Council on General Affairs and Policy created a special commission to prepare a preliminary draft text of the convention. In June 2016, at its first session, the special commission produced a Preliminary Draft Convention that contains general and specific provisions that would apply to the recognition and enforcement of judgments arising from transnational intellectual property disputes.
Public meeting to solicit input from U.S. stakeholders
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) seeks public comments on the June 2016 Preliminary Draft Convention as it relates to intellectual property matters. To this end, it will host a public meeting on January 12, 2017. This meeting will be open to all members of the public and will provide a forum for discussion of the questions identified in a Federal Register notice. Written comments in response to the questions set forth in the Federal Register notice will also be accepted.
• Registration: There is no charge to attend the January 12 meeting. Register to attend the public meeting.
• Requests to speak: Those wishing to speak at the meeting must submit a written request no later than December 29, 2016.
• Written comments will be accepted until January 9, 2017. See the Federal Register notice for details.
For more information
Requests for additional information should be directed to Michael Shapiro, Senior Counsel, Office of Policy and International Affairs, USPTO, telephone (571) 272–9300; email: judgmentsproject@uspto.gov.
December 29, 2016