MARCH FORUM - OFFSITE AT THE
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AUSTRALIA

This month, our regular forum will be held offsite at the National Museum of Australia, where we will be presented with a special presentation by the Senior Curator in the Collections Development Unit. I would like to encourage as many members along to this presentation, as for those of you that attended the Questacon forum last year can testify, our offsite evenings are alot of fun and very entertaining and interesting! Please remember that guests are welcome, just ensure that you send their details to the Chapter Administrator.

30th ANNIVERSARY FUNCTION / PMAA 06 INFORMATION NIGHT

The April Forum is also shaping up to be a highly informative and very entertaining evening which hopefully will encourage more members to participate in our annual PMAA night, the highlight of the annual calendar.

Members and corporates alike will learn that putting together a submission for the PMAA need not be daunting, and EVERYONE WILL HAVE A WONDERFUL EVENING !

We will be having an audio visual presentation as well as having available past judges to give guidence and support if required.

We would like to see as many members turn up, as submissions for the PMAA close on the 1st June. If you haven't already received your application form in the mail with last year's 2005 PMAA Commemorative Booklet, please contact the Chapter Administrator.

CHAPTER COUNCIL ELECTIONS

In a couple of months, the ballot will be opened for anyone wishing to run for the ACT Chapter Council. If you are interested, and are able to volunteer approximately 8 hours per month to the Chapter, please contact the Chapter Administrator to register your interest.

AIPM 30th ANNIVERSARY

As I've mentioned in previous newsletters, the AIPM are celebrating their 30th Anniversary this year. There are number of special celebration activities in the pipeline, the April Forum being the centrepiece.

Also, if any members have any pertinent historical information / stories they'd like to impart, please contact the Chapter Administrator.

PMAA 06 SPONSORS

I'm delighted to announce that we have secured our Gold Sponsor for this year's PMAA. We will announce the Gold sponsor at the March Forum and all our sponsors will enjoy wider exposure immediately but particularly at the April Forum. We still require silver and bronze sponsors to maintain the event standard that we have come to expect.

Event participation by members is greatly appreciated and is the most subtle form of sponsorship. Start working on the boss now to take a table or two and build the PM team, a table for 10 is $1100, surely the team is worth that much? Heck, if they are going to spend a grand, why not spend five and be a Bronze sponsor?

Don't miss it.

Paul Black

Top

When it rains it pours, and the PMAA team are in need of more gumboots. It's been a busy few months signing up sponsors, and planning events that would knock the socks off prime time television! (Mental note: Get phone number changed so Jamie Packer stops calling). What we need is more volunteers to bolster the front line and assist with submissions, judging, planning, sponsors, or moral support - just 30 minutes a week will bring a resounding cheer from the team.

Submissions are due by June 1st, so now is the time to prepare your award winning entry. The Gala night will be held on August 30th, leaving ample time to practice your winning speech and those hard nosed negotiation skills for the myriad of job offers you will be pestered with from the talent scouts. I hear previous winners have had to hire full-time PA's to sign autographs and filter offers.

It's getting closer.....

Dwight Bonney

Top

Our monthly Forums are held on the last Wednesday of every month, at the Canberra Club, 45 West Row, Civic, commencing at 5:30pm until 7:30pm. Drinks and cocktail food are served, and members are more than welcome to bring a guest. For all RSVP's please contact the Chapter Administrator.

Top

Did you know that we need to have four new members join each month to maintain our membership numbers. Well we continue to exceed that number – a warm welcome to our new members listed in the newsletter. Continue the great work of spreading the benefits of joining AIPM. Each and every one of us is an ambassador for the AIPM and as such can spread the word on the benefits of membership in our professional institute.

The AIPM national website continues to be updated – do you have this site in your list of favourites? Prospective new members should be directed to the AIPM website for benefits and joining details.

Don’t forget you can bring a mate/friend/prospective to the monthly forum to introduce them to the benefits of AIPM membership. See you at the March Forum on Wed 29 March and be ready for an entertaining night of activities at the National Museum. Yes remember the event is at the National Museum of Australia on Acton Peninsular.

regards John Jacobi

Top

Kerry Dunstan is a project manager, mediator and arbitrator, as well as a legal practitioner, with extensive experience as a senior manager in both the public and private sectors.

She regularly vets contracts for the impact of the Intellectual Property contract Clauses and represents the Department of Immigration and Indigenous Affairs (DIMIA) in a number of Intellectual Property Forums, including the Government Round Table on Open Source Software and the Whole of Government Intellectual Property Policy Initiative.

Kerry focussed on the opportunities and challenges for project managers when dealing with, or failing to deal with, Intellectual Property in their projects.

Kerry noted that the Attorney General’s Department is about to implement a Whole of Government approach to Intellectual Property, the details of which can be found at www.ag.gov.au\\ccawebsite.

At first blush one might have thought this was going to be a pretty dry topic but Kerry’s delivery and subject matter fully engaged the audience, which was reinforced with an extensive Q&A following the presentation.

Kerry left us with a number of her Tips ‘n Traps and a list of “things to remember” from Richard Stamos.

Tips ‘n Traps

1. Always include a copyright statement on documents as well as a general statement to cover the entire website, including some form of identification on every document on the website.
2. Defence to an alleged infringement of a Patent lies in finding the existence of prior art that shows the Patent may not be novel.
3. Company employees need to understand that once information is allowed to leave an organization via the email, or other electronic communications channel, then all control and influence over how that information is used in the future has evaporated. Such action also defeats claims for confidential information.

Top 10 Things to Remember

1. There are different types of IP and Associated Protections.
2. IP Rights can overlap.
3. Just because you have a Patent doesn’t mean you can practice the Invention.
4. It can be expensive to procure and maintain IP Rights.
5. It can also be expensive to ignore other people’s IP Rights.
6. Getting the IP Right is only half the equation. You may need to enforce the Right.
7. Choosing an IP Practitioner is a significant decision.
8. IP Rights are not a requisite for commercial success, but they can be a great help.
9. Valuation of IP Rights can be difficult; know when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em.
10. Common sense is underrated when developing IP Portfolio Strategy.

If you are interested in pursuing this topic with Kerry you might contact our Administrator. Thank you Kerry it was a very, very useful presentation and most enjoyable.

Top

Please Note: Hard copy certificates will be sent to those who are listed below, within 2 weeks of the newsletter publication date. If you received your membership or certification in the months listed, and received electronic confirmation from our National office, and your name is not listed below, please contact the Chapter Administrator.

Top

If there are any errors in the above lists, please notify the Chapter Administrator.

Top

Project Management - Museum Style!

Guest Speakers
Mr Guy Hansen, Senior Curator
Mr Steven Fox, Manager, Museum Enhancement Program
National Museum of Australia

Guy Hansen is a Senior Curator in the Collections Development Unit at the National Museum of Australia. Guy joined the Museum 1991 and has worked on a large number of collecting and exhibitions projects. These include the Museum’s series of political cartooning exhibitions, the Nation: Symbols of Australia exhibition , one of the permanent exhibitions at the Museum, and most recently the Captivating an Curious exhibition.

Top

As we are fast approaching membership renewal time, I would like to ask all members to ensure that we have your current contact details in our system. I will be shortly posting out to all members, a notice that has your current listed contact details that AIPM have. Please ensure that you review these details, and if any changes are required, notify AIPM via the options given on the notice. Please contact me if you do not receive a notice.

Top

Top