Friday fantasies

Patently Absurd revisited.  First, a big thank-you to all who took the trouble to post comments on Zoe Birtle's guest review of this week's BBC radio broadcast. Secondly, here's news of an update: Zoe spotted that the BBC has suddenly expanded its information page relating to this radio programme to include a “beginner’s guide” to IP terms, which you can peruse here.  It's pretty good, presumably because it has been composed with the input of real lawyers (Jonathan Radcliffe of Mayer Brown and Andrea Matwyshyn, University of Pennsylvania).  Fellow blogger and Australian IP scholar Warwick A Rothnie has also drawn the Kats' attention to a podcast on Intellectual Ventures at This American Life, noted on ipwars.com, here.

Looking for something to read over the holiday weekend (if you're in a jurisdiction that is enjoying a holiday weekend, that is)?  Until 28 August 2013, patent attorney and katfriend Kfir Luzzatto's An Italian Obsession is on sale for just $0.90 (or euro 0.89), reduced from its regular price of $3.99). The book is available through all major retailers, including Amazon Kindle and Smashwords. Merpel was amused to discover that this book is set in the 1970s, when "In the lax atmosphere of middle-class post-war Italy, sex and drugs are easy to come by".  She guesses that not much has changed with the passage of time ...

Wondering whatever happened?  If you have feverishly clicking away at the hyperlink to CLT's forthcoming IP and Fashion conference, in London on 16 October, and not finding it -- don't worry, there is an explanation.  CLT has revamped its website and now has brand new links instead of the old ones.  The details of this lovely and historically popular event can now be sampled and savoured by gently clicking here.  Kat-lovers may note that the contributors to this event include IPKat blogmeister Jeremy, kat colleages Eleonora and Laetitia and one-time guest Kat Robert Cumming -- so you know what to avoid expect.

Weal squeal!  This Kat was delighted to receive an email earlier this week from Keltie patent assistant Emily Weal, who writes: "This site has caused everyone in our office to weep with laughter this week" (if you wonder what the good folk at Keltie get up to when no-one's looking, just take a peep at the piccie on the left ...).  Naturally, we Kats assumed that it was our own site that had this effect.  If the reality is different, we're willing to accept it as such, since the site in question is The Life of an IP Attorney, here.  Says Merpel: this deserves an Oscar of some description!

There aren't many Kingdoms around these days, especially if you don't count the ones that originate from Disney.  However, one of the more recent ones -- Spain -- has been busy in diplomatic circles. According to PLT Notification No. 38,

"The Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) presents his compliments to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and has the honor to notify the deposit by the Government of the Kingdom of Spain, on August 6, 2013, of its instrument of accession to the Patent Law Treaty, adopted in Geneva, on June 1, 2000. The said Treaty will enter into force, with respect to the Kingdom of Spain, on November 6, 2013. August 6, 2013".