The fourth Korea-EU Conference on intellectual property rights is scheduled to be held Thursday here, according to the European Chamber of Commerce in Korea.

During the conference, experts from both the public and private sector will present on pertinent developments in the field of IPR in Korea and Europe. 

The conference will begin with a keynote speech titled “Patent protection to secure future growth” by Heli Pihlajamaa, director of patent law at the European Patent Office.

In the afternoon, three distinctive sessions on topics -- introduction to IPR, patents and respect for IPR -- will take place.

The conference co-hosted by the ECCK, the European Patent Office, the European Union Intellectual Property Office, the French Patent & Trademark Office and the Korean Intellectual Property Office will take place at Conrad Hotel in Yeouido from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Half of all EU industries are highly dependent on IPR. Those industries account, directly and indirectly, for 1 in 3 jobs in the EU and close to 40 percent of the total European gross domestic product, according to ECCK.

By Park Ga-young (gypark@herald.com)