IP and the Circular Economy: The Case of Upcycling – part 1

In the growing need for a circular economy, ‘upcycling’ is becoming a fashionable and sustainable way of creating ‘new’ products from trash. However, upcycling, i.e., transformative recycling of tangible copies of works or goods that are protected by some form of intellectual property (IP) law, is becoming the next conflict zone for IP rights holders and sustainability-oriented producers over the recycling of used consumables. This is especially true since IP rights and the circular economy are often in conflict by relying on the same resources with significantly different logics and policies.

This webinar series delves into the meaning and the promise of upcycling in a circular economy and the most fundamental conceptual elements of this phenomenon.

The two interconnected webinars analyse the legal meaning and risks of upcycling in all the major fields of IP law (including copyright and the various forms of industrial property law), and zooms out to inspect the impact the global impact of upcycling-related IP policies in the post-colonial Global South. The webinar also touches upon some major competition law related aspects of upcycling. The speakers include leading experts both from the academic and practical sides of IP law.

Moderator / chair: Dr. Heidi Härkönen, University of Turku Faculty of Law

Program

The first webinar gives a primer to upcycling from the IP point of view. It focuses on the theoretical and substantive normative questions, and sheds light on the Global meaning of IP related ucpcyling policies. The conflict between upcycling and IP rights is also discussed from the perspective of a practicing lawyer. The second day 19.11. in the webinar series focuses on the design and competition aspects of upcycling.

13.00-13.05 Welcoming words
Heidi Härkönen, Doctor of Law, University of Turku

13.05-13.35 Keynote: a primer to upcycling
Péter Mezei, Professor of Law, Docent, University of Szeged / University of Turku

13.35-14.05 Human rights and upcycling: Conflicts with trademark and copyright laws
Elena Izyumenko, Assistant Professor, University of Amsterdam

14.05-14.20 Break

14.20-14.50 Innovation and upcycling: the patent perspective
Rosa Maria Ballardini, Professor of Intellectual Property Law, Vice Dean, University of Lapland

14.50-15.20 Trademark exhaustion and upcycling: a practical perspective from a trademark attorney
Emilia Hodge, Senior IP Lawyer, Properta Attorneys Ltd.

15.20-15.45 Discussion and comments

The program is subject to change.

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PART 2
19.11.2024 at 13.00 – 16.00