Having lemon flavored BECK´s [really nice one] at the Mannheim´s Bahnhof, Huťko has finally managed to save some time for his blog readers. WIPO Summer School on Intellectual Property 2010 held in Geneva is irreversibly over, but pleasant feelings and new friendships will hopefuly remain. This post is going to be more about what the WIPO summer school is and what you may expect than detailed comment on the lectures delivered there.

.what the WIPO-SS is?
– two beautiful weeks in Geneva with the passionate people from different backgrounds.
– as more than half of your stay will be filled with the lectures on intellectual property [classes are from 9.30 to 17.30], you may find it interesting only if you actually care.
– participants are definitely not a stiff nerds spending their entire “WIPO time” in the local library, but fun-loving people with the common interest in the field.
– lecturers are generally really knowledgeable people with the strong interest and knowledge of contemporary issues within IP.
– a place where you can meet new friends and get the insight of the WIPO work.
– an opportunity to speak with people who have actually read current decisions such as Google France or Vorschaubilder 🙂
– share the national legal perspectives with others.
– find your “legal focus” twins.
– an opportunity to experience different [not necessary only legal] cultures, e.g. the Iranian or Turkish food.
– a short trip to Geneva.
– in other words the highlight of your summer.

.what the WIPO-SS is not?
– a formal conference with no feedback for participants.
– the meeting of the lawyers [though lawyers are considerable part of participants].
– a place where you will get an immediate answer to your political questions.
– time of daily exams or assignments.
– a cheap place to stay 🙂

.recommendations?
Huťko has decided to share some of his tips, so maybe the newcomers could find it easier next year if they google this [please let me know if you did].

.1 applying
All the relevant information is on the WIPO website here. When accepted, you have to complete a distance learning course. That´s it! Nobody knows how many people apply for this event but the number of selected participants is 50 something.

.2 accommodation
Well, Geneva is really expensive city in an expensive country, so I recommend you not only to google information, but also to use other websites such as Wikitravels.org or discussion groups at the CouchSurfing.org. Generally speaking it is advisable to contact other participants before your arrival as you can possibly arrange some accommodation together. Cheap means anything below 60 CHF per night, a bargain means anything below 30 CHF per night. I have personally combined CouchSurfing [3 nights], Geneva Jungenherberge [awesome location & nice breakfast, but limited to 6 nights per stay] and City University Dorms [not really good location]. You may also consider places in France or outside of the city. Some people paid more than 200 CHF per night!

.3 stay safe
Be aware of pickpockets!

.4 budget
Be prepared to pay considerable amount for your food and beverage [probably the highest expense]. I have personally spend 700 EUR on the accommodation & other living expenses. Plus you have to pay registration fee and tickets to Geneva.

.5 food
For some bargains definitely refer to Migros or COOP [0.90 CHF drinkable beer, 24 CHF the six pack of wine for your picnic]. WIPO will probably provide you with the access to their cafateria which is relatively cheap [in the Swiss sense] and I personally found it tasty. Good option is to buy your food at the COOP right behind the UNHCR and have a picnic on the lawn next to the Geneva lake. It´s both nice and cost saving.

I invite all of my WIPO friends to add whatever they think might be useful [you may use the comments below]. Finally I would like to thank all the WIPO participants for such a nice days and talks in Geneva, WIPO staff for inspiring presentations and kindness, and Huťko´s readers for reading this post to the end :). Now, Huťko moves to the Hannover!