Since the conceptualization of the first programmable computer in the early 19th century and the technological developments that followed, computer technology has permeated nearly all areas of modern life, finding application not only in the telecommunications sector, but also in myriad other industries including transportation, and life and medical sciences.

In continuous reflection of technological and business developments, courts around the world are engaged in ongoing efforts to define the contours of innovative activities as patentable subject matter in the context of computer-implemented inventions.

They are often called to consider fundamental questions, such as whether a computer is a mere tool in which the invention is performed, or whether the invention lies in computerization; or whether the invention is an abstract idea or an integration of an idea into something more.

On this occasion, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is organizing an interactive webinar for judges, in which three eminent jurists from three continents will explore the questions of patentability for computer-implemented invention.

Justice Stephen Burley of the Federal Court of Australia will present recent developments in jurisprudence in Australia, culminating in the May 2020 decision of the Full Federal Court in Commissioner of Patents v Rokt Pte Ltd [2020] FCAFC 86, which addressed these issues in a patent application for a digital advertising system and method. Circuit Judge Kimberly A. Moore of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and Senior Judge Edger F. Brinkman of the Court of the Hague will share reflections on their jurisdictions’ approaches, identifying common threads and discerning contrasts and variations.

The webinar will be conducted in English on July 1, 2020, with simultaneous interpretation provided in French and Spanish. Participation is open only to judges and members of quasi-judicial bodies that are active in adjudicating intellectual property disputes.

Registration will be open until 18:00 on June 29, 2020.

More details on how to register for the event can be found here: https://www.wipo.int/about-ip/en/judiciaries/news/2020/news_0003.html#