Friday fantasies

Old Nick. This coming Tuesday, 23 April, this Kat will be meeting a couple of visiting IP enthusiasts for a pleasant drink and an IP chat at The Old Nick, Sandland Street, Holborn, between 5.15 pm and 6.30 pm.  If you'd like to join us, you'll be more than welcome.

Meet the Bloggers IX. So many people have emailed the IPKat to ask if this year's International Trademark Association (INTA) Meeting next month in Dallas, Texas, will be the catalyst for another informal Meet the Bloggers gathering that he suspects that they may not have spotted his earlier post on the subject: so here's the information again.  Everyone is more than welcome to attend the ninth annual "Meet the Bloggers" event, which is scheduled to take place on Monday 6 May, from 8 pm till 11 pm.  The venue is the Press Box Grill (left).  Details of how to get there and who is hosting you can be found on John L. Welch's excellent TTABlog® here. Admission is congenially free.

Around the weblogs. here's a thoughtful and provocative piece by Mark Anderson (IP Draughts) which makes some radical suggestions for the ideal national intellectual property office. Having praised 'fair use' over 'fair dealing' as the best sort of defence to an action for copyright infringement, this Kat noted with interest Iona Harding's post on the 1709 Blog entitled "Canadian collecting society wages war on fair dealing". There's another cracker from fellow Kat Neil on the IP Finance blog on corporate neglect of intellectual assets, here.  For jiplp weblog readers Darren Meale explains the legal detail behind the attempts of one part of the Cipriani clan to retain some small ability to incorporate his surname into that of his restaurant without falling foul of a court order. Finally, a well-written post on the MARQUES Class 46 blog by Nikos Prentoulis illuminates a brisk spot of litigation on Greece over some rather izzy trade marks.

With the tragic events of the Boston Marathon and its aftermath still unfolding before our very eyes, it is good to know that there are still some idealistic souls who are prepared to put themselves out for charitable purposes with a good heart, despite the actual and potential hardships.  Writes cuddly trade mark attorney Aaron Wood (Briffa): "I am running the [London] marathon [this Sunday] for Macmillan Cancer Care. My family have received a lot of support over the year and it is a small hope to raise as much as possible to help other families by supporting them with information, grants and pastoral care. I’ve an online page if people would like to help in any small way and I promise to send an appropriately embarrassing picture of me in my unlicensed superhero comic book character outfit". Katfriend Bratin Roy (Google UK) is running for Macmillan Cancer Support and Kankhal Medical Aid. To donate, or even if you're just curious about the charities, click here.  Both the IPKat and Merpel wish Aaron and Bratin the best of luck; they are sure that there are more IP folk raising money for good causes in Sunday's run. Do tell us if you are one of them.

CLA Evening Meeting? It's a Privilege ...  Coming up so soon, well, on 29 April, is an event so imminent that there's nothing for it but to mention it here and now. It's a Competition Law Association event, "Privilege: Its scope under English and Community Law", with speakers:Charles Hollander QC, Nicholas Fox and Paolo Palmigiano.  The venue is the office of law firm Addleshaw Goddard (Milton Gate, 60 Chiswell Street, London EC1Y 4AG).  Feel free to click here for further details.