Friday Fantasies

International Chamber of Commerce report on Specialised IP Jurisdictions

IPKat keeping up with all things international

The report, published last week, compares the experiences of IP litigators and businesses in 24 countries, 19 of which have Specialised IP Jurisdictions ("SIPJs"). SIPJs refers to specialised tribunals, courts and permanent divisions with exclusive jurisdiction over IP disputes.

Daphne Yong-d'Hervé, Chief Intellectual Property Officer at ICC said: 

"The increasing use of the IP system means that the number of disputes related to intellectual property is set to grow. Both users and holders of IP rights need well-functioning and efficient mechanisms to resolve these disputes. The establishment of SIPJs by many countries is a positive trend which can help improve the efficiency and quality of the adjudication of IP cases." 

Download the full report here.


New Zealand Commerce Commission intervenes to recoup Trade Mark owners' payments for unsolicited services. 'TM Publisher' invoiced New Zealand businesses for over $200,000 for an unsolicited overseas trade mark publishing service, but now those affected will be able to seek a refund from ANZ bank. More details can be found in the press release.

Mozart and more... 

"Mozart 4.0 - Why a Global IP and Innovation Culture Matters" is the next webinar from Oxfirst Ltd, presented by Dr Ludo Garzik. The webinar will offer a global IP perspective from the Austrian Council for Research and Technology Development. 
11 May 2016, at 15.00 BST: registration link here.


The proportion of patent applications involving a female inventor has more than tripled in the last 30 years, according to a report by the UK Intellectual Property Office. Diversity in STEM clearly still has a way to go, with women representing 13% of the workforce and just over 8% of inventors, but a recent report investigating gender profiles in patenting points to increasing recognition of women's contributions to invention. See the full report here. 

Collyer Bristow Debate. This year's motion was "This House believes that Online Courts are the Future for Intellectual Property Disputes", inspired by Lord Justice Briggs' recent Civil Courts Structure Review. The proponents insisted that the times, they are a-changin' (and, besides, online courts wouldn't preclude face to face trials), but the opponents responded from access to justice, court structure and IP law development angles to resist the "siren call" of racing ahead with technology - and the audience [admittedly perhaps with one eye on the future of their jobs] agreed.

Thanks to Katfriend Karen Fong for sharing the story with IPKat, as well as sharing the presentations made for the motion by Tim Bamford and Tom Alkin, and against by Karen Fong and Ashton Chantrielle - and congratulations Karen and Ashton for winning the debate!