The latest edition of the HouseMARQUES newsletter has been published. It includes an interview with MARQUES 1^st Vice-Chair Antony Douglass and further information about the upcoming Annual Conference.

In the interview, Antony explains how he will be joining the hybrid Annual Conference virtually and provides some tips for others who are unable to travel to The Hague.

“I think one thing we have all found during the pandemic is that professional development has been quite far down the list compared to maintaining business services and coping with change. So I’m looking forward to concentrating again on self-development and planning ahead. The Annual Conference gives that opportunity,” he says.

He also notes the advantages of combining physical and virtual attendance: “The hybrid format will provide flexibility to cater for all those individuals in-house and in private practice wherever they are, and we are continually learning lessons that will serve us well. In particular I think flexibility will continue to be key for all our events in the future.”

It is still possible to register to attend the Conference virtually. You can find out more and sign up on the dedicated page on the MARQUES website.

Along with the MARQUES Secretariat, Antony has been developing a new tool to help teams plan and coordinate their work. This will be revealed to Team chairs, and subsequently members, during September. “We recognise that all Team members are volunteers and we're all time-poor so this tool should help lighten the load a bit. It will streamline activities and maybe simplify some of the procedures we have now, such as minute taking,” he says, adding: “It's an exciting piece of work as we continue to develop new content within MARQUES. This is version 1 so we can be flexible and continue to update it as we go. If this tool is my legacy I'll be delighted!”

The August issue of HouseMARQUES also includes a link to an article by MARQUES Chair Joachim Hofmann, a video interview with Sandra Müller of the Education Team and tips on how to engage with the Conference on social media (including the new MARQUES Instagram page).

Other articles cover EUIPO’s latest IP case law update, the forthcoming Academy webinars, other events on the horizon and WIPO’s virtual GI exhibition.

You can read the latest issue here. MARQUES members can also sign up to receive e-mail alerts when a new edition is published.