Friday fantasies

The IPKat regrets to inform readers that one of the weblog's treasured contributors, Dr Neil J. Wilkof, lost his mother earlier this week.  All the Kats offer their sincere condolences to Neil and to all his family on the occasion of their bereavement.  May we all be spared to celebrate happier times together.


Forthcoming events.  Please remember to check this blog's Forthcoming Events page here for a generous selection of conferences, seminars. talks and, well, IP things.  We may even meet you at one of them.

Stuart Lumsden may not yet be  household name, yet his claim for prominence on the back pages of the newspapers should not be overlooked.  Stuart runs the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA) and Informals' cricket team [will it merge with the cricketing interests of the Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys, wonders Merpel --or should we keep politics out of sport?].  Stuart explains that, at present,  all the players have to cover their own costs (e.g. equipment, pitch hire).  Pitching for some sponsorship from CIPA, he discovered that they weren't overly keen to underwrite this activity, citing the fact that Stuart's team mainly play laws firms and barristers' chambers. However, Stuart alleges that he was told that, if he could only get fixtures against teams from the media or some other worthy foe, he might justifiably argue that his team was promoting CIPA in some way which would persuade that august body to cough up some money. Stuart therefore asks if the IPKat could raise a team of readers, writers, comment-posters etc, against whom his team might play.  The IPKat is and always was a hopeless cricketer, but any team member or reader who wants to take on the job of raising a team, managing it and writing a short match report for this blog should email blog-team member Jeremy here and volunteer (please use the email subject line 'Owzat').  In the unlikely event that more than one person volunteers, the IPKat will put them in touch with each other and let them fight it out.

Earlier this week the IPKat and his friend Afro Leo both growled at the International Trademark Association (INTA) for dropping the Africa Regional Session from the programme for its 138th Meeting, this May, in San Francisco (see posts here and here).  The two felines just want to acknowledge the incredibly quick and positive response from INTA, assuring us all that the Africa session will be back for 2012.  Thanks, guys!

"Why UK may be the future of Legal Process Outsourcing for Solicitors". That's the title of this piece posted on SOLO IP by fellow blogger and visionary Shireen Smith (Azrights).  Running her own IP micropractice, Shireen writes: "Niche firms, and those with expertise in areas where another firm needs to make savings, are best placed to provide the efficiencies. There is an oversupply of solicitors and paralegals in this country, so why go offshore in search of outsourcing solutions?". If you are interested in this topic, read Shireen's thoughts and then share yours with her.  She's really keen to hear from you.

ECJ or CJEU?  With only a few hours to go, the poll conducted on the jiplp weblog (click here for background details) as to the preferred form of abbreviation of the name of the top court of the European Union indicates that ECJ is still well ahead of its closest challenger, CJEU.  The gap has closed both in absolute terms and in proportions, and a late surge of votes from committed anti-ECJ people might yet change the likely outcome.  Whichever name triumphs, thanks at least for making the effort to vote!

"Most impressive, but I don't think I'll
buy one till they bring out an online
version ..."

WIPO head set for Paris summit.  The World Intellectual Property Organization's newsroom has issued the information ("Global Anti-Counterfeiting and Piracy Congress to Meet in Paris", here) that the organisation's Director General Francis Gurry meets Ronald K. Noble (head of INTERPOL) and Kunio Mikuriya (head of the World Customs Organization early next month at the Sixth Global Congress on Combating Counterfeiting and Piracy.  The three will be there "to address the question of building respect for intellectual property in a balanced and sustainable way".  The media release adds:

"Discussions will be wide-ranging – from the growing menace associated with internet trade to the role of corporate responsibility in nurturing respect for IP. It will be anchored in the theme of the Congress, to find sustainable solutions that take account of the role and rights of stakeholders, as well as the cost to them, of fighting counterfeiting and piracy".

For once, the IPKat is making no comments at all.  In the light of recent events they would be superfluous.