LES-AC Holds Annual Meeting

Focus is placed on supporting innovation and creating an electronic database for promoting Arab inventions.

AMMAN ----- July 14, 2013 ------ The Licensing Executives Society-Arab Countries (LES-AC) held its 2013 annual meeting under the chairmanship of HE Dr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, LES– AC president at the Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Knowledge Forum in Amman.

The meeting discussed the Society’s programs and initiatives launched with emphasis on supporting innovation and promoting technology. Those included the Technology Commercialization Tour held in cooperation with UN-Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) with the aim of providing possible support to entrepreneurs and innovators in the various sectors of technology. The initiative also aims at offering opportunities to them to network and meet with investors.
 
 LES– AC Manager Ms. Renad Al-Noubani said “Encouraged by the first Tour’s success, we have opened registration for Tour 2013 since last June to receive applications from six countries, namely: Egypt, Kuwait, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates.”

An electronic database was also created for the commercial marketing of inventions in the Arab countries at (http://lesarab.org/inventions.aspx). It will help inventors show and market their innovations on the Arab and world levels and enable them to meet with interested investors. Investors, in turn, will have the opportunity to learn about up-to-date inventions registered in the Arab countries in various fields and choose any of them for investment.
 
The meeting commended the creation of the database, which reinforces the Society’s mission as an Arab invention marketing organisation.

Attendees also discussed the Society’s efforts in organising the Third Licensing Opportunity Forum. It is hailed as a genuine opportunity for connecting technology providers and seekers including local and

international industrial and technological companies with inventors and innovative solution providers. It is eventually hoped that such endeavours

will help in the creation of potential licensing and cooperation opportunities and offering ready-made technologies to the market. The Forum will be held in cooperation with the Arab Science and Technology Foundation (ASTF).

The Society has started the first phase of training courses in relation to the Arab Certified IP Licensing Practitioner (ACIPLP) program in cooperation with technology relevant universities in Arab countries. An agreement, in this context, was signed with Talal Abu-Ghazaleh University to electronically provide the Arab Certified Intellectual Property Licensing Practitioner testing program.

Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh underlined the role of the Society in serving institutions, think tanks, universities and associations in charge of technology.

On an international level, LES - AC participated in the annual meeting of the Licensing Executives Society (USA/Canada) represented by Vice-Chairman for International Relations, Mr. Nabil Salameh, who was appointed in that meeting as head of the International Relations Committee of the international organising. Another achievement of that meeting was the creation of a committee for Africa and Middle East headed by LES-AC’s Board Member Dr. Mohammad Al-Anasari and vice-headed by Mr. Faisal Al-Modlij and Mr. Ahmad Saleh.

LES-AC also participated in the questionnaire prepared by the Educational Committee in the international organisation for the establishment of a special international academy for granting certificates in the field of licensing and intellectual property asset management.

Dr. Abudllah Al-Najjar, ASTF’s president was elected in the meeting as a vice-president of LES- Arab Countries.

The meeting also reviewed and approved the 2012 annual report of the Society and the general budget as on December 31, 2012. HE Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh took the initiative to cover the deficit in the budget, a generous move appreciated by the members.