(L to R) Andrew Karp, Vision Monday; David Jacoby, Schiff Hardin; Karen Giberson, Accessories Council; Judith S. Roth and Cindy Yang, Schiff Hardin.





 
Andrew Karp makes a point during his presentation.
NEW YORK—The Accessories Council, in partnership with Vision Monday and law firm Schiff Hardin, presented a program on June 25 at Schiff Hardin’s New York office that examined new vision technologies and the legal ramifications associated with them. The program, “See it Coming, New Eyewear & Accessory Technologies, New Legal Issues,” was attended by Accessories Council members, optical retailers and reporters from the consumer press.

Andrew Karp, group editor, lenses and technology for the Jobson Optical Group and editor of Vision Monday’s Eye2 e-newsletter and print edition section, opened the program with a survey of product and technology developments in eyewear. He offered a detailed look at how wearable computers are being used in sports, recreation, industry and vision care.

“As consumer electronics and eyewear converge, eyewear is rapidly becoming a vehicle for many new technologies,” said Karp.

The second portion of the program was devoted to a panel discussion in which David Jacoby, Judith S. Roth and Cindy Yang, lawyers at Schiff Hardin, spoke about legal and societal issues related to new eyewear technologies such as privacy, liability, patent protection and licensing, as well as venture capital.

“The Accessories Council was delighted to be able to team the Vision Monday staff with the Schiff Hardin experts, both leaders in their fields for this extremely informative session,” said Karen Giberson, president of the Accessories Council.

“The accessories industry has an opportunity to embrace and incorporate some of the amazing new technologies that are coming out of the eyewear business. It is clear that these applications will become part of consumers’ lives in the not too distant future. It is also a bit intimidating to think of the legal challenges that could come with these advances. This program helped our members get a clear understanding of the issues involved and how they can navigate this exciting new terrain.” ■