FRIDAY BITS AND PIECES

As usual, the IPKat and Merpel offer you a selection of goodies to ponder over while you enjoy your weekend.

Christmas for historians of IP. Malcolm Langley, of the Centre for Commercial Law Studies, Queen Mary, University of London, has informed the IPKat that the IP Mall at Pierce Law Center has digitised 250 historical treatises on IP, including the early editions of Copinger [on copyright], Terrell [on patents] and Kerly [on trade marks], which means that complete series are now available to readers. The archive is available on the IP Mall website here.


Name that duck! As reported last week, Isabel Davies (CMS Cameron McKenna) is nobly auctioning the right to name her rubber duck. Proceeds from the sale of naming rights to his very special duck (left), signed by man of the moment Andrew Gowers (right), will go to the Intellectual Property Institute - a registered charity. At present the top bid stands at £101 - but bidding remains open till Friday 15 December. Bids by email to the IPKat, please, at theipkat@yahoo.co.uk.


It's still not to late to book a place on the IPKat's briefing session on the Gowers Review this Monday, 11 December. Email IPKat co-bloggie Jeremy here if you want to come. Details here.


Copying, but not plagiarism. Here's a link to a fascinating article in The Daily Telegraph on why Ian McEwan's copying of materials from another work in his best-selling Atonement should not be regarded as plagiarism. The work allegedly plagiarised - which McEwan has openly acknowledged drawing on for referential purposes - is Lucilla Andrews' wartime autobiography No Time for Romance. McEwan's supporters include Thomas Pynchon, John Updike, Martin Amis, Thomas Keneally, Zadie Smith and Margaret Atwood. McEwan's own views on the subject are here.


Best bit of nonsense in the Gowers Review. Will the person who either wrote, or persuaded someone else to write, the following statement please either own up or substantiate it? At paragraph 1.28 of the now-fabled document the text reads:

“New bands increasingly trade mark their names so that, when their works fall out of copyright protection, their brand will still entitle their estates to some remuneration”.

Probably not Pete ("Hope I die before I get old" Townshend of The Who)...


Usual announcements. (i) to join the IPKat's email circular list, click here; (ii) if you want to take a licence to use any of the IPKat's copyright material, click here; (iii) don't forget to have a lovely weekend and enjoy yourself.