InnovationJoin Melbourne Law School’s 2025 Francis Gurry Lecture with Kathi Vidal, exploring how IP can unlock innovation while ensuring global access.

Date: November 12, 2025
Time: 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM (GMT +11)
Venue: Melbourne Law School, 185 Pelham Street, Carlton
Theme: Unlocking Innovation: Balancing Protection and Access
Speaker: Kathi Vidal, Former Director, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Melbourne Welcomes the 2025 Francis Gurry Lecture

Every year, Melbourne becomes a hub for innovators, legal minds, and policy thinkers when the Francis Gurry Lecture on Intellectual Property takes place. This annual lecture, hosted by Melbourne Law School, celebrates the spirit of innovation and explores how intellectual property (IP) shapes our modern world.

The 2025 lecture, titled “Unlocking Innovation: Balancing Protection and Access,” promises to be one of the most important events for anyone interested in technology, creativity, and law. It will feature global IP leader Kathi Vidal, who will share her insights on how nations can protect new ideas while ensuring everyone benefits from them.

For Melbourne’s fast-growing innovation community, this is more than just a lecture—it’s a chance to understand how intellectual property can unlock opportunities for the future.

What Is the Francis Gurry Lecture on Intellectual Property?

The lecture series bearing the name of the happy alumnus of the Melbourne Law School and a former Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Francis Gurry is now among the most admired intellectual property events in Australia and globally.

The program has been developed to unite the best minds in the world who discuss the emerging role of IP in business, research, and technology. Every year, a notable speaker talks about the global trends and the ways they affect the position of Australia in the world of innovations.

The 2025 lecture is the next step in this trend – it is a mesh of world experience and the life of technology and research in Melbourne.

Origins & Significance of the Francis Gurry Lecture on Intellectual Property

Established in 2009 by Melbourne Law School and the Institute of Patent & Trade Mark Attorneys of Australia (IPTA), the Francis Gurry Lecture on Intellectual Property honours Dr Francis Gurry, the former Director-General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

The inaugural lecture was delivered by Dr Gurry himself, setting the tone for what has become a prestigious annual event celebrating innovation, creativity, and intellectual property leadership. Over the years, the series has featured world-renowned figures including Dr Jeremy Phillips, Benoît Battistelli, Bill Ferris AC, Daren Tang, Shira Perlmutter, and António Campinos—each bringing global insight to Melbourne’s vibrant IP community.

The program has evolved from foundational IP discussions to exploring frontier topics such as AI, sustainability, and creativity in the digital era. Typically featuring networking sessions and interactive public lectures, the event now attracts audiences both in-person and online across multiple cities.

More than a lecture, it’s a celebration of Melbourne’s role in shaping international IP thought and innovation policy—a tradition that continues to grow in influence and prestige each year.

About the Speaker – Kathi Vidal

This year’s speaker, Kathi Vidal, is one of the world’s leading voices in intellectual property and technology law.

Former Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) from 2022 to 2024

Managing Partner at Winston & Strawn LLP, where she led high-stakes IP litigation

Background in Electrical Engineering, giving her a unique perspective on law and innovation

During her time at the USPTO, she championed reforms to make the patent system more transparent, efficient, and inclusive. She also pushed for initiatives that encouraged underrepresented groups—such as women and minority innovators—to participate fully in the innovation economy.

Her experience positions her perfectly to discuss how countries like Australia can strike the right balance between protecting creativity and ensuring technology benefits everyone.

The 2025 Theme – Unlocking Innovation – Balancing Protection and Access

With the world making leaps in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and biotechnology, ownership, sharing, and fairness are the topics of concern like never before.

The lecture delivered by Kathi Vidal will be based on the ideas that IP systems can be developed to address these challenges:

• How do we safeguard innovators and creators and at the same time, open innovation?

• What can we do to prevent building fences that inhibit cooperation or retard scientific development?

• Which policies will enable more people to become part of the innovation ecosystem?

It will also be discussed how powerful yet pliable IP systems may be used to prepare against future global crises, like a pandemic or climate change, by making sure that invaluable information is not just preserved but distributed as well.

Melbourne, a city that is well-known in terms of universities, startups, and research centers, is a city where the subject matter is close to home.

What to Expect at the Melbourne Event

🕠 5:30 PM – Pre-Event Refreshments

A relaxed networking session where attendees—from students to senior IP professionals—can connect before the main lecture.

🕕 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM – Public Lecture

Kathi Vidal will take the stage to deliver the keynote presentation, offering a global perspective on how IP policies are shaping the next generation of innovation.

Key takeaways you can expect:

• How global IP systems are adapting to new technologies

• Lessons from the U.S. experience in modernizing patent frameworks

• The importance of inclusive innovation policies

• How nations can collaborate instead of compete destructively

• Insights on what Australia and Melbourne can do to stay ahead

Why It Matters for Melbourne and Australia

Melbourne is known as the innovation capital of Australia with the world-leading institutions of higher education, biotech, creative, and research centers. However, with an increased pace in innovation, intellectual property rights become increasingly important, particularly when it comes to such fields as health technology, artificial intelligence, and clean energy.

Such events as the Francis Gurry Lecture keep Melbourne in touch with the IP discourses of the world. They provide some lessons on how to be responsible in being innovative, to offer economic growth and benefit to the people.

In the case of law students, business owners, policymakers, and innovators, this lecture provides a close-up of what is in store with IP.

Event Details

📍 Venue: Melbourne Law School, 185 Pelham Street, Carlton

🗓️ Date: Wednesday, November 12, 2025

🕠 Time: 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM (GMT +11)

🎥 Live Stream: Registration is available online through Melbourne Law School’s event page.

Who Should Attend

IP Lawyers and legal professionals keen to stay ahead of global IP reforms

Entrepreneurs and Start-up Founders looking to protect and grow their innovations

Researchers and Academics exploring technology transfer and patenting

Students interested in law, business, engineering, or creative industries

Policy Makers shaping Australia’s future innovation strategy

The 2025 Francis Gurry Lecture on Intellectual Property is more than just an academic event—it’s a celebration of how innovation and law can work hand in hand to create a fairer, more prosperous world.

For Melbourne, it’s an opportunity to reaffirm its place as a global thought leader in innovation, research, and intellectual property.

Whether you attend in person at Melbourne Law School or join the live stream, this event is a must for anyone passionate about the future of technology and ideas.

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