Sunday Surprises

With a new week just about to start, readers are informed about relevant developments in the IP world.

Forthcoming events

New events and conferences are added to our Events page continuously, so do not forget to check it out regularly!

Reminder of IPKat event ‘(Re-)discovering the copyright basics – Originality after THJ v Sheridan’ (14 March)

The IPKat is thrilled to announce that, in the evening of 14 March 2024, a stellar panel has been gathered to discuss the Court of Appeal of England and Wales judgment in THJ v Sheridan [2023] EWCA Civ 1354 regarding copyright originality in certain graphic user interfaces (GUIs). You can attend either in person (on a first-come-first-served basis!) or on Zoom. See here.

CIPIL Annual Intellectual Property Lecture on ‘Physicalism in Intellectual Property’ (12 March)

The 2024 Annual International Intellectual Property Lecture, 'Physicalism in Intellectual Property', organized by the Centre for Intellectual Property and Information Law (CIPIL) will be held at Emmanuel College, Queen's Building Lecture Theatre at Cambridge University on March 12th at 17:30pm. Register and read more about the lecture here.

Webinar on navigating intellectual property in sustainable fashion (13 March)

4IPCouncil is organizing a webinar on second-hand luxury markets on 13 March at 16:00 CET. Register for the webinar here.

IMRO and Law Society Annual Copyright Lecture (1 May)

The 5th annual IMRO/Law Society of Ireland Copyright Lecture will be held in Dublin on 1 May, 18:00 – 19:30. The theme of the lecture is ‘Music Copyright: The Text and Data Mining Exceptions and the EU's AI Act’. The event is an in-person event and will not be available online. Read more about the speakers and register here.

Conferences and Symposia

Copyright conference in Namur, Belgium (8 – 9 April)

Organized by the Belgian presidency of the Council of the European Union in Namur, the main theme of the conference is the action of the EU and its Member States in favour of fair remuneration of authors, performers and creative industries in the digital content landscape. It will be held between 8 and 9 April. For further information about the agenda and topic, see here.

AI Disrupting Law Online Symposium 2024, Chicago-Kent Law Review Online Symposium (26 April)

At the Chicago-Kent Law Review’s Online Symposium on AI Disrupting Law, leading IP scholars from around the world will discuss some of the major challenges posed by AI. Register and read more about the symposium here.

2024 European Copyright Society (ESC) Conference on conflict and trust in the European copyright system (24 May)

The 2024 ECS conference will address current conflicts over the scope and enforcement of European copyright law and look for ways to resolve them in a trustworthy manner and with a balanced outcome. Register and read more about the program here.

42nd ATRIP Congress: intellectual property, ethical innovation, and sustainability – Towards a new social contract for the digital economy? (30 June – 3 July)

The 42nd ATRIP Congress will explore how intellectual property laws and their enforcement need to be conceived and applied in order to foster ethical innovation and/or sustainability. The Congress will be held at LUISS University in Rome on 30 June - 3 July. Read more about the program and learn about the call for papers here.

Campaigns

The UK IPO’s campaign ‘Choose Safe not Fake’ targets beauty and hygiene products, with research by the IPO finding that many consumers are not aware of the risks of using unlawful products. Insights produced for the IPO to underpin this new campaign identified that consumers purchasing such products wrongly assumed them to be produced in similar – or even the same - conditions as genuine ones and were typically unaware of related health risks. This new campaign supports the IPO's commitments to raise public understanding, and ultimately respect, for IP rights. Read more about it here.

In memoriam: Prof. Antoon Quaedvlieg

It is with great sadness that we need to report on the sudden passing of Prof. Antoon Quaedvlieg on 28 February 2024.

Here is what ALAI writes:

Antoon has been of tremendous importance to the development and study of copyright and intellectual property in the Netherlands and abroad. As professor of intellectual property law at the Radboud University Nijmegen Antoon trained generations of IP scholars and practitioners. As a legal practitioner himself and as a deputy district court judge and appellate court justice he has shaped our case law. In 2010 Antoon was appointed to the Copyright Committee that advises the government on legislative matters.

Antoon has been an active member of ALAI, both as a member of the Executive Committee and as a vice president and member of the Bureau. Antoon was a board member of the Dutch Group since 1992 and served as president from 2004 to 2011. We look back at this with utmost gratitude and will continue to remember Antoon’s role in the passionate discussions we have had during our scientific meetings.

We are privileged to have known Antoon and to experience his charm, eloquence, wit, sense of humor and kindness.

Rest in peace, Antoon.

Vacancy: Lecturer in intellectual property law, University of Leeds 

The University of Leeds is currently looking to recruit a Lecturer in IP law. The position is well suited to someone who is finishing/recently completed their PhD and is looking for their first academic role. The School is in particular need of specialists in copyright law, although the position could be open to someone who specialises in another area of IP, as long as they are willing to teach copyright. Read more about the opening here.