Wednesday whimsies

A happy juxtaposition of the concepts
of 'steering', 'chair' and 'dummy'

If he didn't have to fill in an application form, the IPKat would do this job with pleasure: under the heading "Non-Executive opportunity, Chair of the Steering Board, Intellectual Property Office", the UK's Intellectual Property Office seeks a new Steering Board Chair "to provide strategic direction to the Intellectual Property Office and to speak on behalf of the Steering Board". Further details are available from The Whitehall and Industry Group here.  Closing date: 13 October 2010.

The IPKat has recently come across the website of AdSlogans, which you can visit here.  Since slogans are now generally agreed to be registrable as trade marks even in Europe (and how much more so in the United States), he wonders whether members of the brand and trade mark fraternity make much use of AdSlogan's services, and how they have found them.  Readers' comments are welcomed.

Fashion and the environment go back
a long way. Here we see Adam and Eve,
in their matching biodegradable outfits

Yesterday's fourth live post on the Handbags at Dawn IP and Fashion conference (here) reported on Kathrin Vowinckel's talk on fashion brands, IP and the environment, but didn't hyperlink the email address for for anyone wanting to see Kathrin's PowerPoints. If you'd like sight of them, click here and use the subject line "Environmental IP".  Incidentally, if you missed the conference, you can read all about it here, here and here too.


The IPKat is seeking a couple of favours.  He is trying to organise two events right now and he is looking for an IP practice, an institution or a company that is willing to host them.  The first is a public meeting which the Kat would like to hold in October or November on the desirability and feasibility of appointing an "IP Tsar" in the UK, perhaps corresponding to the equivalent position in the United States (click here and here for some thoughts on the topic).  The second is a buffet networking lunch for the informal group of around 40 IP publishers and editors, to take place early in December. If you can offer a venue and some hospitality for either (or both) of these events, and don't mind receiving the attendant publicity and a good deal of gratitude, please email IPKat team member Jeremy here and let him know.

Upcoming events -- and another competition.  Not everyone has yet booked for the IP and Finance conference on 20 October (details here).  Bookings are now being taken for Music and Intellectual Property: Identifying, Protecting and Enforcing Rights in Music, which will take place in Central London on 8 December (details here).   Finally, on 17 November the annual Copying Without Infringing conference will take place (details here), also in Central London.  The competition here is to create the best intellectual property-relevant anagram of the words "fair dealing for the purposes of private study".  The prize -- free admission (plus lunch) to Copying Without Infringing.  Deadline for entries: close of play on 31 October.

Good news for those who have trouble remembering where to stick the 'h' in 'Kazakhstan'. You can check it on the World Intellectual Property Organization's website since the Republic's name will now show up on the roster of countries that have subscribed to the Madrid Protocol on the international of trade marks.  The Protocol kicks in on 8 December 2010, just in time for Christmas.


There's some welcome evidence of activity at the Intellectual Property Institute, with news of a forthcoming IPI/BLACA seminar on the topic of European Copyright Reform, scheduled for 14 October: further details here.