Sunday Surprises

The IPKat tops the list of the most popular copyright law blogs of all time, according to Justia Blawgsearch. Congratulations to our copyright Kats! Purring Merpel is so proud.

On 24 November 2016, The Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys became the Chartered Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys (CITMA). This honour was awarded by The Queen at a meeting of The Privy Council. The Charter recognises the distinctive and pre-eminent expertise of its members in the trade mark and design fields. The new status provides the title of Chartered Trade Mark Attorney to all fully qualified CITMA members. More information, here.

On 1 December 2016, Dr. César J Ramírez-Montes will present on “The Future of the European Concept of Trade Mark Functionality”, as part of the Global Intellectual Property Lecture Series 2016/2017, organised by the Centre for Commercial Law Studies, Queen Mary University of London. Dr. César will discuss the issues arising from the registrability exclusions namely the shapes resulting from the nature of the goods, necessary to obtain a technical result and value-adding to the product. The venue is the Lecture Theatre in 67-69 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London. Attendance is free, but registration is required. More details, here.

The fourth annual IPBC Asia will take place from 4 to 6 December 2016 at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Shanghai, China. The two-day conference will include such sessions as Asia’s leading companies revealing their IP nightmares, SEPs and FRAND term negotiations, the emerging patent battleground in China, the new US patent litigation reality, and risks and opportunities in the new European patent market. Speakers are business leaders and experts in the IP field. Simultaneous Chinese-English translation will be provided. Register now! More details, here.

LLM, Postgraduate Diploma or Postgraduate Certificate in Computer and Communications Law. The Queen Mary University London is offering this online distance course, starting on 9 January 2017. The programme is for both lawyers and non-lawyers working in the areas of Data Protection, Telecommunications, IP Law, Cybercrime, Computer Forensics, Online Gambling, Media Law, Cloud Computing, and Information Law. Application deadline is 5 December 2016. More details, here.

Free webinar on “The Economic Contribution of IP Rights” with Dr. Nathan Wajsman, Chief Economist of EUIPO. Dr. Wajsman will discuss the results of two studies conducted by EUIPO published on 2013 and 2015, as well as possible future research on the relationship between IP and economic performance. The webinar is hosted by OxFirst and will take place on 8 December 2016 at 15.00 (CET). More information and registration here.

Sprout, IP Xmas charity gigs. This event is dedicated to supporting the charity "Together for short lives" and features The Black IPs, ChIP Shop Boys, Florida Tomato Exchange, The Numbhead Folk Circle and IP Freely and the Incontinents. When and where? On 13th December 2016 at The Old Nick Pub on 20-22 Sandland Street, London. Entrance is free. More information, here.