Legal Knowledge Transfer Accelerator for SME cluster and Digital Business Ecosystems

LEKTOR/LEXELERATOR Workshop, Brussels, 7th May 2008

Speakers' profiles

	Philippe Wacker, Director, European Multimedia Forum Philippe Wacker specialises in supporting digital content & technology companies in their international expansion. As an advisor to numerous multinational corporations, SMEs as well as the European commission and EUREKA, Philippe has gathered extensive experience at European and international level over 20 years. From 1994 to 2007, the managed the worldwide network of the European Multimedia Forum. In this capacity, he was at the helm of a "cluster" comprising more than 5000 companies throughout Europe & the word, dozens of trade associations and numerous experts covering all professional specialties which are of relevance to the digital industries.
	Gérald Santucci, Head of Unit, DG InfSo, European Commission Gérald Santucci has worked with Directorate-General Information Society of the European Commission since 1986. Dr. Santucci has been involved in the strategic planning of European research in the field of telematics, research into networked enterprises and, most recently, RFID - Radio Frequency Identification. As Head of Unit, he currently manages the "Networked Enterprise & RFID" unit of DG INFSO.
	Dieter Grohmann, Director, UEAPME Dieter holds a Master of law and graduated in NPO-management, Film-documentary, Communication consulting and Advertising management. He worked as CEO in NPO's, Associations, Advertising, Politics Consultancy and Economic Chamber. Currently, he is employed by WKO (Federal Austrian Economic Chamber), and is Director-Communication & Media for UEAPME, Head of Strategy - European Think Tank for Academy Avignon and Film-Director.
	Enrique de Aresti Gutiérrez, Lawyer, DG Enterprise, European Commission Education : MA in Law at Deusto University (Bilbao, Spain), DEA in European Law, Centre Européen Universitaire (Nancy, France), DEA in Computer Law and Automated Treatment of Legal Information (Montpellier, France). Areas of specialization: Intellectual and Industrial Property, Competition Law, Contract Law including Consumer Law, EU and International Trade Law, e-Business Law.
	Esther Hoorn, University of Groningen Esther Hoorn is a lawyer with specialization on Informatics. She is professor at the University of Groningen, The Netherlands. Her expertise lies in the area of Law and ICT (cybercrime and copyright). Furthermore, she explores innovative forms of publishing legal content. As such, she studied in recent years forms of Open Access to legal information, and the use of legal Wikis for this purpose.
	Andreas Meiszner, SPI/Open University Andreas Meiszner is a PhD researcher at the Open University with focus on virtual informal learning environments, trying to identify which of their aspects might be leveraged to (formal) educational settings. A focus here is on FLOSS (Free/Libre Open Source Software) communities, though he also tries to keep an eye on similar initiatives that are directly targeting education, such as Wikiversity or OpenLearn / LabSpace.Besides the world of academic research he also worked in various business sectors during the past 14 years, having obtained three higher education degrees in management.
	Thibault Verbiest, ULYS lawfirm Thibault Verbiest obtained his Law degree at the University of Brussels and has advanced degrees in Economic Law (university of Brussels) and in International Entertainment Law (university of San Diego). He is lawyer in information technology, partner with the firm "Ulys" based in Brussels and Paris, and attorney at the Bars of Brussels and Paris. He is the co-aouthor of "Le Droit de l'internet et de la société de l'information", Larcier, Brussels. Thibault Verbiest teaches at the Law Schools of the University of Liège and of the University of Paris X. He is also Chairman of the federal agency "Observatoire des Droits de l'internet - Observatorium van de Rechten op her Internet" (Belgium).
	Kim Fisher, Prologue International, USA Kim Fisher holds a MBA in Management of Technology, Marketing and Entrepreneurship of the University of California at Berkeley, a BS in Economics and Marketing of the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia) and a VBA in Psychology. In 1995/1996, she created one of Lithuania's first web development companies, in 2000, she was awarded the "Best Women-led Venture Capital Funded Company" as CEO and co-founder of "AudioBasket" in the USA. She continued her career as Managing and later on Executive Director of the WTC - Women's Technology Cluster, San Francisco, California of which she is still on the Advisory Board. Since 2004, she is partner and co-founder of Prologue International.
	Humberto Carrasco, ADI Chile Humberto Rolando Carrasco Blanc graduated as a lawyer from Universidad Austral de Chile. He holds a Master's Degree in Corporate Law of the Universidad del Desarrollo de Concepción, Chile, as well as an LLM from Queen Mary College of London, with specialization in Law of Finance & Foreign Investment in Emerging Economies, Intellectual Property in the Digital Millennium, Internet Law and Telecommunications Law.
	Yolanda Ursa, Inmark, Spain Yolanda Ursa is the International Area Manager of INMARK, a marketing and management consultancy company based in Madrid (Spain) and operating throughout Europe and Latin America. Yolanda has worked in Marketing Research and Strategic Consultancy throughout her career having twenty years of experience in providing organizational and change management advice to top public and private corporations. Currently she is the project co-ordinator of the LEKTOR/LEXELERATOR project.
	Oumeira Tegally, ICT lawyer AECOM Oumeira Tegally is a lawyer specialized in ICT, and Manager Legal Affairs in AEC - Aquitaine Europe Communications. AEC is a partner in the PEARDROP project that investigates the usability of digital business ecosystems in a regional environment. PEARDROP collaborates with the LEKTOR/LEXELERATOR project.
	Margaretha Mazura, Secretary General, European Multimedia Forum Margaretha Mazura is a Doctor in law of the University of Vienna with specialization in European law (College of Europe). During the last 12 years, she worked in the area of information society, multimedia and new technologies, with a focus on SMEs and how to improve their market performance taking advantage from ICT. Margaretha Mazura advises companies on public (EU and national) and private funding opportunities and acts as an external expert to the European Commission. She is administrator of the Lexelerator.
	Paul Rübig, MEP, President of SME Global Paul Rübig studied economics and holds a doctorate of the Linz University Institute for Auditing, Tursteeship and Accountancy. He is Member of the Austrian Nationalrat; Member of the European Parliament; Industry Vice-Chairman, Austrian Chamber of Commerce; President, SME Global.