WASHINGTON D.C. - American and European public officials will join intellectual property scholars and attorneys from both continents in an all-day conference in Prague January 17th co-sponsored by The Progress & Freedom Foundation. Keynotes will be given by Czech Republic Minister of Informatics Dana Bé rová and U.S. Ambassador David Gross. A full agenda is available on PFF's Digital Europe 2006 web site.

Co-hosted with CERGE-EI, a joint venture of Charles University and the Czech Republic Academy of Sciences, and the Liberálí Institut, a Czech-based think tank born of the "Velvet Revolution," "Intellectual Property and Innovation in the Digital World" will focus on both U.S. and E.U. approaches to intellectual property protection, with particular focus on patents, standard setting, interoperability and "open" platforms in the software and IT sectors. Those interested in attending or learning more should contact Eileen Goulding at 202-289-8928 or egoulding@pff.org.

"We are delighted to have gathered such a substantive array of intellect and talent to discuss the pressing issue of intellectual property in the digital age, and are looking forward to hearing from European luminaries in the subject," said PFF President Ray Gifford. "On both sides of the Atlantic , we are wrestling with the role of property in the global digital economy. It is crucial that policymakers be informed of the dynamic interplay among markets, property and creativity." Gifford and PFF senior fellows James DeLong and Tom Lenard are joined on the conference agenda by public officials such as Dr. Karel Cada, president of the Czech Republic 's Industrial Property Office, and an assortment of industry leaders and academics.

"Intellectual Property and Innovation in the Digital World" is The Progress & Freedom Foundation's second annual European summit. In February 2005 the Foundation organized Digital Europe 2005, which featured an all-day conference on standards, interoperability and intellectual property in Milan, Italy, and several presentations in Brussels, Belgium. PFF is building on its eleven-year track record in hosting the Aspen Summit, its annual gathering of the digital world's most prominent business leaders, probing thinkers and influential policymakers.

The Progress & Freedom Foundation is a market-oriented think tank that studies the digital revolution and its implications for public policy. It is a 501(c)(3) research & educational organization.