IS THIS REALLY THE TOP TEN?

Top ten IP sources?

The IPKat stumbled across an outfit called Top Ten Sources (whose methodology is explained here), which lists what it calls the Top Ten IP sources. Even allowing for the fact that Top Ten assumes that IP begins and ends in the United States, it has a few surprising choices in its list, in addition to some of the IPKat's favourites (among which are the excellent Patently-O and Patent Baristas).

The Top Ten list includes Patently Silly (see logo, left) which is, as its name suggests, patently silly and quite good fun - but hardly an information source for anything except silly patents. There is however no room for such highly useful US sources as

* the highly informative and indeed provocative Trademark Blog by Marty Schwimmer;

* Legislating IP, which has some useful information and comment on US IP litigation in progress;

* the perhaps underrated Pierce Law IP blog, which keeps its entries short and sweet;

* Lessig Blog, on which vigorous debate as to controversial copyright issues can be found;

* Berkeley's bIPlog, which gives a West Coast/academic perspective to high tech IP developments;

* John L. Welch's TTABlog, which provides unbeatable and accessible coverage of TTAB decisions.

Outside of the US there exist some excellent websources (even apart from the IPKat). These include the software-savvy TechnoLlama (left), Markenbusiness, not to mention Domain Name/Nom de Domain ! from Cedric Manara (right) and the umbrella service of MultiReg.com. The Kat could mention more, but Merpel hates lists and tells him to quit now that he has made his point.

The IPKat notes Top Ten's claim that its staff is

"... comprised primarily of editors, researchers, and very friendly technologists. The Top 10 editorial team employs an iterative methodology with a constant core -- combining technical metrics with nuanced editorial judgment -- to draw together and contextualize the freshest, most relevant content on the web. Editors and researchers have developed subject matter expertise and track closely the communities on the web that are established, and constantly re-established, around ideas and topics".

If that were indeed true, and assuming that Top Ten's anonymous staff actually exists, the list of sites selected is surprising indeed.