Friday fantasies

Forthcoming events.  This Kat has recently added several new events to this blog's Forthcoming Events List, which you can check out for yourself. Some are completely free; others are free for some categories of registrant. Others offer reduced-rate registration to IPKat weblog readers.  Some even have members of the IPKat team participating as speakers, panellists or in other sundry capacities. See you there?

Around the weblogs.  The Journal of Intellectual Property Law & Practice's jiplp weblog has been busy of late.  First, it has posted Alexander Borthwick's current intelligence note on a trade mark spat between Thomas Pink and Victoria's Secret over the right to use the word "pink" which left the latter a bit red-faced.  Then it announced the dates of this year's JIPLP-GRUR seminars in London and Munich which, now in their third year, are expected to be every bit as enjoyable (and free) as their predecessors.  On the IP Finance blog, fellow Kat Neil mewses on when is a troll not a troll -- and when is a victory not a victory -- in the context of Intellectual Ventures' skirmish with Symantec.

"How now, red cow?" "Bovine Blowup: Red Bull in Trademark Dispute With Beer Startup Old Ox Brewery", reported in Entrepreneur, here, is another of those disputes that inspires fine rhetoric -- and there is no better inspiration for fine thetoric than righteous indignation. Never mind the law, and never mind the policy: this Kat would have loved to write, as Old Ox's CEO Graham Burns did:

“Do you claim exclusive rights to all things bovine? Do you plan to herd all heifers, cows, yaks, buffalo, bison, and steer into your intellectual property corral, too?” 

Merpel wonders what the Laughing Cow is laughing about: when the Red Bull is rampant, is anyone safe? (Cowpat Katpat to Chris Torrero ...)

Shades of Grey?
No, it's the logo

New blog on the block. Formally launched last month, The Injunctions Blog is not limited to intellectual property law but, given the nature of IP, it is hardly surprising that IP is already featuring prominently in its content and in its back catalogue. Almost all England and Wales injunction cases for 2014 can be found on it: there are 10 intellectual property entries and seven media law posts.  This blog, which allows for readers to post comments, is a project of this Kat's IP and litigation colleagues at Olswang LLP, where he is an Intellectual Property Consultant, and he wishes them well.  Merpel hopes that these good folk can be persuaded to bring out a sequel and call it The Damages Blog.

We know ...

Katpats all round for a purr-fect piece of news.  Not only the eminently Katpatted Chris Torrero and Michael Factor but a host of other readers have spotted the worrying news (here and here) that a looped 12-second clip of a cat purring has been flagged by YouTube for online piracy. The clip, "Cat Purr 1 hour - Phantom - Calm and relaxing for study, sleep or meditation", on the basis that there is an alleged infringement of copyright.  This Kat is not in a position to comment, though the voice in question does sound familiar ...