Friday fineries

The number of events listed in the IPKat's efficiently-updated 'Forthcoming Events' feature, which lives on the left-hand side-bar of this weblog's front page, still stands at 48. FREE events are listed in an interesting colour.

The IPKat can confirm that, despite some confusion, it now emerges that David Lammy is the UK government’s new Minister of State for Higher Education and Intellectual Property . Lord (Paul) Drayson is the Minister of State for Science and Innovation. The IPKat has again been excluded from high office, though he has often fancied sitting on the Woolsack.


Entries for the "name the new WIPO Building" competition have been few (click here for original announcement), though the quality has been excellent. There's still time to enter and there's even a GENEROUS PRIZE! (a free one-year subscription to the World Intellectual Property Review as a prize for each of the three best suggestions). Please email your suggestions here by not later than midnight (GMT), Sunday 12 October, using the subject line 'WIPO Building'.

The IPKat's friend Justin Watts (Freshfields) must be one of the most disagreeable people around. Not only is he known to be formidable in IP disputation but he is even taking his skills in verbat combat one step further by entering the British Indoor Rowing Championship on 26 October.

Right: Justin's next challenge, after indoor rowing, will be indoor sailing ...

He's doing this to raise money for two good educational causes: Redlands in Tower Hamlets and a number of schools in Nachingwea, Tanzania. You can join the IPKat and others by making your donations here: www.justgiving.com/justinwatts. Merpel says, er, I think this event is supposed to be "rowing", not "rowing".