Will Uganda paintmaker get the brush-off? A word on patent attorneys; Cisco blog
Will Uganda paintmaker get the brush-off?The IPKat reads from the Uganda website New Vision that Kenyan paint-makers Basco Products have sued Bascom Company for trade mark infringement. Basco, of Kenya, is seeking permanent injunctive relief against the alleged infringer, a Ugandan paint producer. A likelihood of confusion is alleged. If the illustration (right) is anything to go by, the claim looks likely to succeed.
The Kat hopes for further news of this action. In particular, he's curious to know how long it takes to get to court and how the court will handle it. If any reader has any further information on this dispute, will he please keep him informed.
Why paint is a hot topic in Uganda right now here
Children's painting in Uganda here
A word on patent attorneys
The IPKat's weblog is rarely entirely becalmed, but assiduous readers will probably by now have noticed a good deal of huffing and puffing over what to do about patents for computer software (see postings here and here, lavishly garnished with readers' comments). Bloggie David is handling this debate, but Jeremy wants to make one small comment upon it. The suggestion is sometimes raised that patent attorneys (formerly 'patent agents' in the UK) are biased in favour of the patenting software because they are paid large sums to secure software patents for their clients. This is not really a valid point: patent attorneys are also paid to find grounds upon which a software-related patent can be invalidated or upon which, if it is not vulnerable to an invalidity challenge, it may be worked around so as to avoid infringement.
It is unfair to identify the interests of a profession as a whole with the perceived interest of a particular client sector. One may as well say that lawyers who specialise in criminal law are in favour of crime because their income depends on the continued criminality of a class of persons.Left: every patent attorney appreciates a little tender loving care from time to time
Be nice to spiders here; be nice to nettles here
Sadly, the IPKat's Google search for "be nice to patent attorneys" netted a zero response
Cisco blog
Thanks, M. Jones, for letting the IPKat know that Cisco has started its own blog on the iPhone dispute. This one will run and run. Says Merpel, if it's about phones, you mean this one will ring and ring ...