Monday miscellany

"Legal Rights for Yorkshire Puddings" is the slightly misleading title of a news item spotted by the IPKat's friend Sang Nkhwazi (Mancunium IP), since the rights are actually being sought for those who believe themselves to be the persons exclusively entitled to describe their wares as Yorkshire Puddings. According to the news item,

"A consortium including three industrial manufacturers - Roberts, the Real Yorkshire Pudding Company, and Aunt Bessie's - is backing the bid. They have sent the proposals to the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs before they are considered by the European Commission. The companies hope to gain money and legal support from Brussels, such as that gained by Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb last month.

If the plan becomes law, only puddings baked in Yorkshire or Humberside could be called "Yorkshire puddings", denying the same name to frozen food manufacturers overseas. The market for frozen Yorkshire puddings overseas has grown rapidly, and the Real Yorkshire Pudding Company now exports 80,000 puddings per year".

A depressing sign of the times is the observation that "China has pushed aggressively into the Yorkshire pudding market in recent years, seeking business from British expatriates".

Last Tuesday the IPKat drew the attention of readers to Case C-4/10, Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac v Oy Gust. Ranin, a Finnish reference to the Court of Justice of the European Union of some questions relating to the interrelation of the regimes for the protection of trade marks and geographical indications. The Kat has since learned from his valued blogging colleague Hugo Cox (1709 Blog) that the International Policy Directorate of the UK's Intellectual Property Office is inviting comments by this Friday, 12 March, before it decides what to do about this reference. If you'd like to shape the IPO's thoughts on this subject, or bend its collection of ear, please email here.

Today the IPKat team welcomes a new member, Dr Neil J. Wilkof. Some readers may already know Neil either as the author of a leading text on trade mark licensing or as an active and often contributor to the IP Finance weblog on a variety of IP topics. As both a busy practitioner and an active academic, Neil will bring to this blog a depth of scholarship and a range of real-world perspectives. We welcome Neil to our team and feel sure that his thoughts and comments will be a valuable asset.

The April/May issue of the World Trademark Review (and the IPKat thought it was only just March ...), published bimonthly by Globe Business Publishing, has the flavour of international trade about it. Topics covered include the subtle differences between the US and Canadian approaches to grey goods by Blakes' Antonio Turco and a powerful piece on goods in transit by Allen & Overy's Paul Reeskamp and Eva den Ouden. There is also an analysis by Iris V. Quadrio and Andrea Mackielo (Marval O'Farrell & Mairal past and present) of the present problems and pleasant prospects for trade mark protection in Latin America -- an appropriate follow-up to the piece on Latin America's love-hate relationship with the Madrid Protocol that was published in WTR's previous issue. You can see the full contents of the current issue here.

World Intellectual Property Day, Monday 26 April, looms ever closer, and the IPKat is pleased to say that, a little later this week, he will be inviting all his friends and readers to a lovely party from 5pm to 7pm in Central London. He can also tell you that his friends at the IP Finance weblog have organised a lunchtime event from 12.30pm to 2.30pm, also in Central London. Details of both events will be announced tomorrow. Both events are free, thanks to the generosity of the sponsors. Mark your diaries ...!