Ip Shorties - Vi Of The Best!

Today the IPKat has brought some selection snippets for your delectation. Here they are, inwards no item order:

1. here and here). Gowers has forthwith formally issued its call for evidence, which must move received past times Friday 21 Apr 2006.

Merpel notes that the Gowers review logo (right) is suggestive of the iii balls symbol of the pawnbroker. Is this a clue to the review's mental attitude towards IP securitisation?

Gowers review website here.


2. Social Science Research Network (SSRN)

It is alone rattling late that the IPKat has discovered the Social Science Research Network (SSRN) which, its website states,

"is devoted to the rapid worldwide dissemination of social scientific discipline query as well as is composed of a number of specialized query networks inwards each of the social sciences.

Each of SSRN's networks encourages the early on distribution of query results past times publishing Submitted abstracts as well as past times soliciting abstracts of superlative character query papers or as well as then the world. We forthwith convey hundreds of journals, publishers, as well as institutions inwards Partners inwards Publishing that furnish working papers for distribution through SSRN's eLibrary as well as abstracts for publication inwards SSRN's electronic journals".

The Kat wonders how many of his readers occupation the SSRN as well as how useful they discovery it from an IP perspective. Comments are welcome - you lot tin post them below.


3. The CAFC as well as product-by-process claims

's friend Duncan Bucknell has drawn his attending to SmithKline v Apotex, a recent conclusion of the U.S.A. of America Court of Appeal for the Federal Circuit which appears to move at odds amongst conventional U.S.A. of America thinking on the application of patent police clit novelty principles to product-by-process claims.

Duncan's comments tin move read here.


4. Forthcoming attraction

The European Court of Justice is shut this week, to enable the overworked judges to choose grip of upward on their sleep. Next week, fresh from their slumbers, they give their ruling inwards Case C-421/04 Matratzen Concord v Hukla Germany, which considers the registrability inwards Kingdom of Spain of the give-and-take MATRATZEN. This word, which inwards Castilian has no pregnant at all, is the German linguistic communication give-and-take for "mattress".


5. Chinese whispers

One of the IPKat's stealthier pals has sent him this link to a slice from Managing Intellectual Property on the novel Chinese domain lift dispute resolution policy. The novel rules, which come upward into strength on 17 March, brand iii primary changes to the existing one:

* a novel fourth dimension bar volition foreclose people filing complaints nigh .cn domain names that were registered to a greater extent than than 2 years earlier. After that period, merchandise score owners volition convey to file a civil trial inwards the Chinese courts.

* "bad faith" volition move narrowly defined every bit "registering for the role of selling, hiring or assigning to the civil correct possessor or to their competitors to obtain unjustified benefits". Complainants volition take away to present evidence that the .cn holder tried to sell, hire or assign the rights inwards the website lift to the correct possessor or a competitor. Evidence obtained past times agency of anonymous approaches volition no longer move plenty to testify bad faith.

* registrants alone take away to present that they convey used the domain lift inwards practiced organized religious belief to furnish goods or services, that they convey non obtained merchandise marks but convey acquired a sure enough reputation through use, or that they convey legitimately used the domain lift for commercial or non-commercial purposes without intending to mislead the public.

can't assistance feeling that the policing as well as protection of all available domain names is a time-wasting as well as costly exercise for most legitimate traders as well as it doesn't seem to produce goodness consumers or contest policy.


6. Badscience

The Badscience website comes recommended past times the IPKat's friend Michael Harman. It is piloted past times Dr Ben Goldacre, whose mission is to part his deep suspicion of the agency the media describe science. He also articulates concern at the agency scientific discipline is subjected to dumbing down.

Given that patentability of an project design may move barred on morality or populace policy grounds past times media-influenced (mis)impressions, this site is non without its relevance to the IP community. Ironically, it is through the media that Dr Goldacre disseminates much of his precipitous wit, every bit a columnist amongst The Guardian newspaper.