Monday miscellany

Now we know
what he's
smiling about

Katfriend and IP/IT enthusiast Giulio Coraggio -- who also runs the GamingTechLaw weblog -- has emailed the Kat to tell him that he is running a webinar on wearable technologies in the healthcare sector, privacy and intellectual property rights. If you are curious, as Merpel was, to know what wearable technologies are, Giulio provides the answer:

"Wearable medical technologies are either implanted or merely worn by patients in order to allow their medical practitioner to monitor their health conditions and to collect data relating to their disease as part both of their medical treatment and of clinical trials and studies. However, since sensitive personal data relating to patients are collected through such technologies, not only a written consent from patients will be required, but it shall also be assessed whether such practice requires to be notified to the competent Data Protection Authority and/or fall under their general authorization".

The webinar, which takes place this coming Wednesday, 20 November, is free and you can access further information and registration details here. If you are currently wearing a brain implant and plan to join the webinar, someone may already know ...

The fall: best time
for loose leaf supplements

European Patent Decisions.  If you are a devotee of Sweet & Maxwell's loose leaf European Patent Decisions (here), you may be pleased to know that Release 45, published last month, has now been sent out, updating the volume to September 2013.  This Kat is no fan of loose-leaf as a genre and he's amazed that so many such titles continue to exist -- but he has a soft spot for this one since it's edited by Noam Shemtov and Florian Leverve, for whom he has both respect and affection.  Incidentally, this release -- like all good loose-leaf releases -- comes with filing instructions [says Merpel, filing is what you do to your nails once you've already broken them trying to get the binder open in order to insert the new material].

Not quite so pressing, but definitely impending, is a seminar on making groundless threats to sue good folk for infringing someone else's intellectual property rights.  It is in this context that Julia Jarzabkowski (Team Lawyer, Law Commission for England and Wales) tells the Kats:

"We are being hosted by DACbeachcroft for a seminar and discussion on what the responses to the recent [Law Commission] consultation on groundless threats [on which see here] has thrown up. We've got some preliminary ideas on policy but there are a few grey areas that we want to get views on. Members of the Law Society IP Working Party will also be there. It's happening on 11 December". 

If you'd like to join Julia and the crew at this important and interesting seminar, the link to the invite and application is just here.

Not the MIPS dinner, but
a graphic representation of
the Unified Patents Court

Never on a Thursday? Not this time, anyway.  On Wednesday, 27 November 2013 [which is most definitely a Wednesday and not a Thursday, says Andrew J. Clay, who ought to know a thing or two about it since he has experienced many Wednesdays and Thursdays in the course of his IP practice] Professor Sir Robin Jacob will be addressing the Midlands Intellectual Property Society on "The Unitary Patent and the Unified Patents Court - An Update".  The venue will be, as usual, the quiet private room at Opus Restaurant, 54 Cornwall Street, Birmingham B3 2DE, though it may not be so quiet once drinks will commence at 6.15 pm.  Dinner is at 7.00 pm, followed by Sir Robin at about 8.15 pm. The evening should finish at about 9.15 pm. According to Andrew, the cost, £55 per head (inclusive of any applicable VAT), includes a three course meal with half a bottle of wine per person, plus some wine on arrival.  There will be soft drinks, and receipts, for those that want them, he warns.  The drinks event will qualify for 1 hour's CPD and an attendance list will be circulated at the event.  To attend, email Andrew at Andrew.Clay@squiresanders.com and tell him, or phone Mary Ryan on 0121 222 3671. To choose your dinner, click here.

Nice one, Cipil? Someone's maybe looking for you! The Centre for Intellectual Property and Information Law (CIPIL) at the University of Cambridge is currently scouring the planet in search of the following person:

"...  a post-doctoral researcher, or person with equivalent experience [this raises an interesting question: what precisely is an equivalent to post-doctoral research, wonders Merpel. ], to undertake research on a two year project on the problems facing print journalism in the digital environment and the prospects for copyright-based solutions. The project is jointly headed by Professor Ian Hargreaves, Professor of Digital Economy at Cardiff University, formerly Editor of The Independent, and author of Digital Opportunity: Intellectual Property and Growth (2011) [the fabled Hargreaves Review], and Professor Lionel Bently, Director of the Centre for Intellectual Property and Information Law at the University of Cambridge. The researcher will probably be based in Cambridge, associated with the Centre for Intellectual Property and Information Law, whilst developing and drawing on relationships with Cardiff's Centre for Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies. A Cardiff base is also a possibility. The researcher will spend much of the project gaining a deep understanding of how newspapers have been reacting to the challenges and opportunities of the digital environment, and thinking about the potential implications of these changes.

The successful candidate will be a post-doctoral researcher in journalism, history of journalism/news or copyright law, or have equivalent relevant experience. If the candidate has a background in law, he or she will be expected quickly to become familiar with the history, practice and business of print journalism. If the candidate has a background in the history, practice or business of print journalism, he or she will need to obtain quickly a knowledge of copyright law and practice. An ability to interview effectively those in the field is essential to the success of the project. An ability to read and speak French and German would also be an advantage. The researcher will publish at least three articles, organise workshops and a final conference.

For further information and details of how to apply please see here".

Another look at IP and small furry innovators. This Kat has learned that the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) has released a new research paper on the role of intellectual management in innovative small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), “Enhancing IP Management and Appropriation in Innovative SMEs”. You can read all about it here. According to the ICC this paper -- the first in ICC’s research series on the interface between innovation and intellectual property [what took them so long, wonders Merpel] -- has been researched and written by Jennifer Brant and Sebastian Lohse, based on existing academic research as well as interviews with business leaders from innovative SMEs in high technology sectors. It has also been reviewed by and benefited from insights and feedback from innovation experts with diverse experiences. The paper discusses how intellectual property interacts with SMEs innovation and business strategies, the different factors that influence their approaches to intellectual property management, and the main types of IP strategies they adopt. It also makes recommendations on how SMEs can improve the management of their intellectual assets to enhance their businesses, and how policy-makers can support them. More information on the paper is available here.