June 05, 2007

IP Conference

(Written Monday May 28)

No work for me today—at least no work at the office. Instead, our partner sent me to a conference at a nearby university on how bettering IP education in developing countries like Thailand can result in improved IP protection and enforcement. It was quite interesting to hear about improving IP by acting proactively, instead of reacting after violations, which is frequently the point when an IP lawyer will step in.

There were people at the conference from all over the world. I met two professors from Australia, a girl from Germany, a few people from France, and several lawyers from Indonesia, as well as quite a few Thais. I was the only participant from the US, so everyone was very interested in chatting with me during our coffee breaks about the US, California, law school, my internship, IP, and why I decided to come to Bangkok.

After the conference ended for the day, there was a welcoming dinner a short walk from the campus at the faculty center, which is a pretty, traditional wood building. Unfortunately, the building is also open to the elements, which meant it was hot and sticky, despite the 5 or 6 fans going full speed. Our timing was perfect: as soon as we were safely under the roof, it began to pour! Luckily, there was no wind, so the rain stayed outside, except for a small leak in the ceiling that resulted in many wet socks (we all left our shoes outside). Dinner was a tasty assortment of finger foods, including tiny hamburgers, which were adorable and delicious. After eating and listening to a group play some traditional Thai music, I braved the last of the rain and headed back to my apartment.

Back at home, I found that my receptionist Poi actually bought clothes hangers for me because she knew I needed them! She is very sweet.

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