MARQUES in Porto II

The IPKat accompanied a group of enthusiastic intellectual property practitioners to the Porto v Liverpool football match last night. The game ended in a 1-1 draw.

Right: the red shirts of the travelling Liverpool fans contrasted well with the blue of the empty seats in the away supporters' end of the stadium.

Several interesting issues arose in the course of the evening's research. These included

* legal remedies for composers of songs and lyrics that are seized upon by groups of football fans and converted into chants and anthems;

* whether the singing of such songs in the intimate surroundings of a Porto railway carriage constitutes "performance in public";

* whether the "dive" - the manoeuvre whereby a footballer dazzling creates the illusion that he has been mercilessly hacked to the ground whereas in reality his adversary did not even touch him - is protected as a dramatic work under the Berne Convention;

* whether footballers who "dive" are obliged to land logo-side-up for the sake of their team and kit sponsors.

Following the match, the investigative team repaired to the Meridien Hotel, where the first major event of the conference took place: a giant party sponsored by Danish IP firm Zacco.

Left: Zacco hostess and former MARQUES chair Tove Graulund welcomes the IPKat to her firm's reception.

Accompanied by the gentle strains of a jazz combo the conference participants took the opportunity to discuss the latest issues arising from the Madrid Protocol, Community design registration and the European Commission's proposal to standardise the size and content of business cards so as to provide a level playing field for the exchange of professional information in the single market.