Welcome & network lunch

Setting the scene, by Katrien Meuwis, Manager Intellectual Property, Sirris

Software is everywhere — in devices, infrastructure, interactions, and decisions, but protecting it is fundamentally different from hardware. It's dynamic, scalable, and requires less capital, but that also brings legal and strategic challenges

“The evolving value of patents across a tech company's lifetime", by Dr. Ir. Lieven Vervecken, founder and CEO, Diabatix

The value of patents changes as your business grows. In the early stages, it's all about credibility and convincing investors. Later on, it becomes an asset that drives up your valuation, provides tax benefits (innovation deduction), and is indispensable in M&A or funding rounds.

‍

“How IP contracting affects the valuation of your business & lessons learned”, by Laurens Dauwe, Partner in the IT & IP team, Osborne Clarke

IP-related contractual decisions can materially influence company valuation. More in particular, we will address practical risks around termination clauses, AI-generated code, open-source software in M&A, data ownership, and the implications of the Data Act for cloud services.

Break

Testimonial on the patent strategy of I-care, by Pierre Colon, Reporting adviser & Sustainability Director, I-Care Group

“Value Creation through IP?”, by Benoit Olbrechts, Manager Technology Scouting & IP Services Intellectual property ,Sirris

Why IP matters, specially for scale-ups eyeing an exit. Discussion of a concrete case study.