Around the blogs ... and other news

Afro-IP, the intellectual property blog which is aimed specifically at IP legal and commercial developments within the vast enigma which is Africa, has just undergone a template face-lift. Gone is the reversed-out white-on-black text; in its place is an altogether lighter, brighter backgrop. You can check it out here.

Right: this cat reading the news is one of the lovely (and reasonably-priced) works from Eva Mautner that can be purchased here

New patent weblog PatLit, launched at the beginning of this month, has already notched up its 100th email subscriber. If you've not already seen PatLit, you can catch it here.

Just over a year (almost to the day) since its birth, the IP Finance money-meets-intellectual-property weblog has picked up its 350th email subscriber.  The IP Finance weblog, which seeks to explain and demystify some of those problems that the IP community faces when dealing with issues such as valuation, securitisation, royalty calculation, revenue and RoI strategies and damages assessment, can be perused here.


The news has broken (thanks to IP Watch) that WIPO's Head of Global IP Issues Antony Taubman, a valued supporter of both this weblog and The SPC Blog (being the supplier of some very helpful content), is to head the World Trade Organization's IP Division from 1 May 2009. Congratulations, Tony -- we wish you the best of luck.

Not quite official news, but definitely in the category of official rumour, is that word has reached the IPKat that there will definitely be a new (fourth) edition of the copyright law classic Laddie, Prescott & Vitoria, The Modern Law of Copyright and Designs.  The third edition was published in 2000 and the keenly-awaited fourth has been pencilled in for December 2010.  A fresh edition will be a fitting monument to the memory of Sir Hugh Laddie, for whom a Thanksgiving takes place on 4 March (see sidebar for details).