The IPKat team: news, new arrivals and farewells

Merpel is getting ready for the promise of a new season of IP blogging

With Spring fast approaching [yay!] the IPKat is also embracing the impending season of renewal and growth with exciting announcements on this season's IPKat blog team. 

PermaKats

Annsley "the AmeriKat" Ward has relocated her Kat basket from Liverpool Street to Blackfriars, finding a cozy nook in the offices of elite IP practice, Bristows LLP.  When she is not clawing apart opposing counsels' cases in life sciences and TMT patent litigation, Annsley will be padding around for the latest IP stories to share with the Kat's ever voracious readers.  Readers can also expect her to continue to bat around her favorite (if a bit over-loved) Kat toy - the Unified Patent Court.  The Kats all wish Annsley well in her new position in which, they know, she will excel.  

Starting today, long-time Kat friend and contributor Alberto Bellan is welcomed as a permanent Kat bringing the team count to seven. Alberto will continue to delight us with his analysis of topical IP developments, with particular focus on information technology, copyright, trade marks, and data protection.  

GuestKats

Emma Perot

The IPKat team also welcomes our new Guest Kats who, over the next six months, will contribute insightful and witty pieces to the blog.  

They are Emma Perot, Nedim Malovic, and Mike Mireles:

Emma Perot (right) is a first year PhD student at King's College London, researching image protection in the UK.  Before beginning her PhD, she obtained her LLB at the University of Kent, LLM in IP at UCL, and passed the bar as a proud member of Lincoln's Inn. She is from Trinidad and Tobago (Trinidad to be specific) and despite strident efforts cannot seem to acclimatise to the English weather. 

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Nedim Malovic

A Swedish/English/Bosnian native/bilingual speaker and recent LLB graduate from the University of Southampton, Nedim Malovic (left) is currently an LLM student in European Intellectual Property Law at Stockholm University. 

He has a keen interest in the law and intends to pursue a career as a solicitor. When not busy thinking about ISP liability, Nedim can be found roaming the busy streets of Stockholm together with polar bears and confused hipsters. 

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Mike Mireles

Mike Mireles is an intellectual property law professor at the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento, California. Mike has three children, Estella, age 11 (named after Mike's favorite childhood book and character--she needs a new start, right?), Diego, age 8 ( after his favorite athlete--who can forget "the hand of God"), and Gabrielle, age 7 (after his favorite angel in the Bible). He shares space with three related cats, Speedo McGuido, Boots McPoots and Cutie McPootie. Mike became a fast fan of the IPKat after seeing a hilarious photo posted by Jeremy of a cat reading a paper thinking "maybe I'll buy a boat.". He couldn't stop laughing.  Mike, however, assures us that he really reads IPKat for the intensive and illuminating legal debate. 

Special contributions

The IPKat will also continue to benefit from regular contributions by its long-standing Swiss friend, Mark Schweizer (Meyerlustenberger Lachenal, Zurich). Mark is also a fellow Class 46 blogger and an adjunct judge in the Swiss Federal Patent Court.

Special thanks

The IPKat wishes also thank its former guest Kats, Nikos Prentoulis (Prentoulis Lawyers & Consultants, Athens) and Jani Ihalainen (Redd Solicitors, London). Both continue to blog: Nikos is a long-term member of the MARQUES Class 46 team and Jani writes his own IP Iustitia weblog.

Finally - last but not at all least - the IPKat wishes to thank long-term Kat Birgit Clark (Locke Lord) who is taking a break from blogging. Birgit has long entertained readers with her lively contributions on the Kat, including her infamous series on zoological IP issues (see Knut the Polar Bear).  Birgit continues to be a regular contributor to MARQUES Class 46 and the Journal of Intellectual Property Law & Practice.  We wish Birgit every success in her blogging sabbatical.