OxFirst Club’s 15th IP & Competition Forum at the University of Oxford and 16th IP & Competition Forum at Residenz Palace Munich to Examine Global Patent Enforcement

 

OxFirst Club’s 15th IP & Competition Forum will take place on 13–14 January 2027 at the University of Oxford, followed by the 16th IP & Competition Forum on 3–4 June 2027 at the Residenz Palace in Munich. Together, the two Fora form a connected 2027 programme examining how patent enforcement, licensing and competition policy are shaping global business strategy.

The 2027 programme will bring together senior judicial, institutional and market perspectives from across the global patent ecosystem. The wider OxFirst Forum community has included senior representatives from Amazon, BMW Group, BSH Hausgeräte, ByteDance, Dell Technologies, Deutsche Telekom, Ericsson, Giesecke+Devrient, Harman, HP, Huawei, LG Electronics, Nokia, Panasonic, Philips, Qualcomm, Samsung, Xiaomi, RPX and Access Advance.

The Oxford Forum will set the international reference point. It will bring together senior judicial and institutional perspectives from the UK Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, the High Court, the Unified Patent Court, the Commercial Court of Brazil and the Patent Court of Korea, alongside industry leaders, competition authorities, patent offices and private practice.

The Munich Forum will then carry the discussion into the European enforcement landscape, with a particular focus on the Unified Patent Court, the Munich Regional Courts, the Boards of Appeal of the European Patent Office and perspectives from judges in the United States. Taking place in one of Europe’s most important patent litigation centres, the Munich Forum will examine how European institutions are shaping the future of patent enforcement, competition policy, patent quality and licensing strategy.

The two Fora are linked by one central question: how can global patent enforcement become more predictable in a fragmented world order?

Patent disputes are no longer confined to individual courtrooms or national borders. A decision before a national court, the Unified Patent Court or a court outside Europe can influence settlement dynamics, licensing negotiations, product launches and commercial behaviour in several jurisdictions at once. This is particularly visible in disputes involving standard-essential patents, FRAND licensing, injunctions, global rate-setting, cross-border enforcement and competition policy.

At Oxford, the discussion will focus on global patent strategy and the broader interaction between courts, regulators, markets and technology companies. The Forum will examine how leading courts, including the UK Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal, the High Court and international patent courts, approach questions of injunctions, licensing conduct, jurisdiction, proportionality and the economic consequences of patent enforcement.

In Munich, the focus will become more European and UPC-centred. The 16th Forum will examine how the UPC is developing as a forum for patent enforcement, how the Munich courts continue to influence European patent litigation, and how the EPO Boards of Appeal contribute to questions of patent quality, validity and institutional coherence. It will also consider how European patent enforcement interacts with competition law, market access and global technology licensing.

The corporate participation reflects the practical importance of patent enforcement and licensing for companies operating in fast-moving, innovation-driven markets. For these companies, patent disputes are not isolated legal events. They affect product strategy, market access, licensing negotiations, investment decisions, supply chains and the economics of innovation.

The University of Oxford setting gives the January Forum a distinctive platform for serious discussion across law, economics, policy and business. The Residenz Palace in Munich gives the June Forum a European institutional focus, close to the courts and patent institutions that are central to the next phase of patent enforcement in Europe.

Between Oxford and Munich, the OxFirst Expert Groups will provide a bridge for continued discussion. They will allow selected participants to carry forward the issues raised in Oxford and refine them ahead of the Munich Forum, creating a year-round structure for dialogue on patent enforcement, licensing, competition policy and innovation governance.

“Patent enforcement has become a matter of international strategy,” said Professor Roya Ghafele, convenor of the Forum and Managing Director of OxFirst. “Injunctions, standard-essential patents and global licensing disputes are no longer isolated legal questions. They shape market access, competition and the global economic order.”

The purpose of the 2027 programme is not merely to discuss legal doctrine. It is to understand how patent enforcement now interacts with markets, competition and international economic strategy. Businesses need legal certainty to invest, license and innovate. Courts, patent offices and regulators, meanwhile, face the difficult task of balancing effective patent protection with competition, market access and technological diffusion.

In a fragmented world order, patents have become more than technical rights. They are instruments that can influence bargaining power, market entry, investment and industrial positioning. OxFirst Club’s 2027 IP & Competition Fora will provide a high-level platform for examining these issues from judicial, institutional, industry and economic perspectives.

The 15th IP & Competition Forum will take place on 13–14 January 2027 at the University of Oxford.

The 16th IP & Competition Forum will take place on 3–4 June 2027 at the Residenz Palace in Munich.

To join OxFirst Club, register interest, or explore speaking and sponsorship opportunities, visit https://oxfirst.club/ or email info@oxfirst.com.