VZCZCXRO2026
RR RUEHFL RUEHNP
DE RUEHRO #1396 3551530
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 211530Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY ROME
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3031
INFO RUEHFL/AMCONSUL FLORENCE 3939
RUEHMIL/AMCONSUL MILAN 0377
RUEHNP/AMCONSUL NAPLES 4160
RUEAHLC/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC

UNCLAS ROME 001396 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PLEASE PASS TO USTR FOR ERIN MCCONAHA, JENNIFER CHOE GROVES, 
CHRISTOPHER WILSON 
STATE PLEASE PASS TO EEB/TPP/IPE FOR TOM O'KEEFE, JOELLEN URBAN, 
TIMOTHY MCGOWAN 
DEPT OF COMMERCE FOR SUSAN WILSON 
DHS PLEASE PASS TO ICE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: IT KIPR ETRD ECON EINT
 
SUBJECT: IPR IN ITALY - AMERICAN VOICES AMONG ITALIAN ELITE 
 
REF: (A) ROME 1047 
 
 
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Summary 
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¶1. (U) Three American speakers, recruited by Embassy Rome, recently 
spoke at an intellectual property rights (IPR) conference held in 
Rome.  The two USG speakers and one private sector speaker spoke on 
issues of IPRs and competition law, emerging areas of patent law, 
and U.S. approaches to copyright.  This conference allowed U.S. 
perspectives to be heard at a gathering of Italian academics and IP 
professionals who are influential in the field. End summary. 
 
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LUISS CONFERENCE - IPR:  CONVERGENCES AND DIVERGENCES 
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¶2. (U) Embassy Rome was co-sponsor of a seminar hosted by LUISS 
Guido Carli University.  LUISS is a prestigious private university 
sponsored by Confindustria, Italy's largest industry association. 
The Queen Mary Intellectual Property Research Institute of the 
University of London was also a sponsor.  The goal was to discuss 
differences and similarities in IPR law in the U.S., Europe and 
Asia. 
 
 
¶3. (U) The Embassy, with assistance from USTR and the IP office at 
the State Department, recruited three speakers: Michael Shapiro, 
from the USPTO, Alden Abbott, deputy director of special projects in 
the international office of the Federal Trade Commission, and Jorge 
Goldstein, a leading American biotech patent attorney. Speakers from 
LUISS University addressed EU issues, while the Queen Mary Institute 
provided lectures focusing on China and India. 
 
¶4. (U) Participants addressed a number of complex matters including 
the intersection of IPR and competition law, the patenting of 
genetic resources, and fair use.  Differences in legislation, 
approach and philosophy emerged, but there was much discussion of 
similarities.  There was a particular interest in the U.S. approach 
to fair use. 
 
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COMMENT 
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¶5. (U) Participants and speakers were scholars and professionals who 
wield influence in the IPR realm, in Italy and in some cases in 
other parts of the EU.  For example, the GOI often creates 
consulting committees when studying reforms or proposing new 
legislation and university professors are usually a large part of 
these committees.  As such, this forum provided an important 
opportunity for a U.S. perspective to be heard. 
 
¶6. (U) Italian academics, while willing to discuss the value of 
patents and recognizing the need for trademark protection, are often 
weak supporters of strong copyright protection.  The conference 
offered one immediate example of the importance of a U.S. 
perspective in this debate.  Gustavo Ghidini, conference organizer 
and one of Italy's IP czars, has often taken position against strong 
copyright protection.  Under the previous Prodi government, Ghidini 
was an active and influential member of the Culture Ministry 
committee tasked with drafting a comprehensive IP reform package. 
On that project, Ghidini had been an advocate of significantly 
weaker copyright protection legislation which the draft package 
reflected.   Although the draft legislation was scuttled after the 
fall of the Prodi government, we have had an ongoing dialogue with 
Ghidini on this matter.  At the conference, in his closing remarks, 
Ghidini actually spoke in favor of copyright protection as a key, 
alongside with patents, to advancing the process of innovation and 
progress in knowledge-based societies. 
THORNE