The IPKat's December 2005/January 2006 Managing Intellectual Property arrived somewhat battered this morning, the envelope being held together with quantities of transparent adhesive tape. Was this, perchance, the postmen's revenge for his comments on yesterday's blog? Or was it a vindication of his position on the competence of the postal service?
Editor James Nurton (right) has put together a most enjoyable Christmas/New Year issue. Features which the IPKat particularly enjoyed were
* House journalist Sam Mamoudi's "Research to Riches", the second eulogy on the Bayh-Dole Act to be published in the past month, the other appearing in IAM;Merpel adds, only a pedant or a trade mark freak would write "transparent adhesive tape" when we all know that the proper English word is sellotape ... (scotch tape in American).
* the article by Adelaide Yu (Rouse & Co, Hong Kong, left) on the use of confusing 'shadow names' incorporating famous trade marks, coupled with a piece by Hitachi's Yukie Endo on how her company deals with this practice;
* the description by Lara Haidar (right) of The Rights Lawyers of the Middle East being in the midst of a franchising frenzy, as investment in the licensing of business formats gathers pace;
* (how embarrassing to mention...) the revised version of co-blogmeister Jeremy's ECTA paper last summer on the strange trade mark laws and practices of the mythical inhabitants of Atlantis. The only reason why he laughs at his own jokes is that he forgets them so soon after he writes them.
More on Sellotape here
Why is Scotch Tape called Scotch Tape? Click here to find out.
The real legend of Atlantis here
European Community swallows the World Treaties
The IPKat's well-informed and scholarly friend Phillip Johnson tells him:
"In case you are not aware, the World Performances and Phonograms Treaty and the World Copyright Treaty have been specified as Community treaties by The [UK] European Communities (Definition of Treaties) (WIPO Copyright Treaty and WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty) Order 2005 (SI 2005/3431).Many thanks, Phill, for keeping the Kat on his toes. But it does seem strange that a world treaty is specified as Community legislation ...
This means that those Treaties can be implemented [in the UK] under section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972. In particular, it means that provisions can be made to give effect to performers' moral rights. The Regulations making that provision are available in draft online. The final Regulations will have to be made soon to avoid breaching the 21 day rule (as the Regulations are due to come into force on 1 February 2006)".
