NOT the INTA Run!

The IPKat has received this epistle from IP enthusiast, blogger and keen athlete Peter Groves, who writes:

"This year, for reasons I cannot begin to comprehend, INTA is not holding a 5K race - or any sporting events. Unfortunately I had already registered before I learnt this. However, I consulted with Rudi and Marek and we decided to try to find a race during INTA in the Berlin area.

Right: another event that INTA wisely declined to organise -- the Berlin Stiletto Run

We found the Straßenlauf durch Frohnau, a 10K race. Frohnau is a suburb of Berlin, with a U-bahn station: Marek's contacts in Berlin confirm that it is a nice place for a run, and about 15 minutes by taxi from downtown. The race is at 1000am on the Sunday morning, 18 May. Those of you who like to get together with thousands of other trade mark lawyers to have brunches at the expense of certain Chinese law firms will consider this unfortunate. If I am forced to choose between the brunches and a run with some close and long-standing friends, I know which I will go for. I am even prepared to miss the opportunity to add to my collection of Lehman Lee ties this year.

Better still, the entry fee for this race is €8. You could do this ten times for the price of an INTA 5K! Be aware, as we are all lawyers, that no-one is assuming any liability for anything and that INTA knows nothing about this whatsoever. Rudi, Marek and I simply hope that as many as possible of our running friends will choose to do as we have, and enter the Frohnau event.

To enable you to accomplish this, here are instructions kindly provided by my colleague Carol Howarth, whose German is fluent: When you get to http://www.lgnord.de/ <http://www.lgnord.de/>, choose the "Veranstaltungen" (events) link at the top, and that brings up a list which includes your event ("Strassenlauf durch Frohnau"). Then choose the link "Online-Anmeldung bei davengo", and when you get there if you make the page full screen you can choose an English version using the link at the top right - this has the information you need to register. Feel free to ask your friends if they would care to enter the event too, but take care to avoid all possible legal liability to them! I don't have an email address for Mario de Justo, so if anyone can forward this to him (and tell me you've done so) please do!I look forward to seeing you in Berlin. If you're travelling through London before or after the meeting, please let me know: we would be very pleased to see you here (this offer does not apply to addressees who come from London in the first place)".

You can contact Peter by email here.

Says the IPKat, bravo Peter! Merpel adds, I do hope that some kind soul from Lehman Lee & Xu is kind enough to give Peter a tie -- though, given his proclivities, it would be better if it were made of Lycra.