The IPKat and his blogging family: a round-up

As is traditional at this time of year, the IPKat reminds readers of some of the intellectual property-flavoured blogs with which he and his authors are involved. Blogs listed below may be "IPKat-approved", which does not mean that the IPKat approves of them but that (i) this Kat provides some technical and logistical assistance as well as content and that (ii) the blogs do not carry paid-for advertising, pop-ups, banners, small ads via Adsense and so on.

In particular there's ...

The 1709 Blog, which caters for the copyright enthusiast and seeks to cover all aspects of copyright law and practice in all its rich and varied glory (http://the1709blog.blogspot.com/). As of today, this blog has 1,054 email subscribers and a searchable database of 816 items. It has a large and international team of contributors who are always pleased to learn and report on interesting and copyright developments from around the world.

The SPC Blog is a handy information source for anyone who is involved in the tiny world of supplementary protection certificates (SPCs) for pharmaceutical and plant protection patents, as well as other forms of patent term extension (http://thespcblog.blogspot.com/). As of today, this blog has 1,311 email subscribers, many of whom have enriched the content of this weblog with their comments and through the provision of information concerning SPCs.

PatLit tackles patent dispute resolution topics -- principally litigation -- not just from the UK but from wherever interesting news and comments emerge. This blog also closely monitors the developing role of the Patents County Court (PCC) in England and Wales (http://patlit.blogspot.com/) and hosts, in its 'PCC Page' series, the continuing saga of Cautious v IPOff -- a fictional action brought in respect of the infringement of rights in a robotic octpous, which highlights practical and legal issues which a litigant might expect to face in the PCC. As of today, this blog has 960 email subscribers and a searchable database of 504 items.

IP Finance, which was launched in January 2008 response to the UNCITRAL initiative on security interests in intangibles, touches that delicate interface between intellectual property and the world of finance, addressing securitisation, valuation, royalty rates, assessment of damages and the evolution of new business plans (http://ipfinance.blogspot.com/). As of today, this blog has 1,043 email subscribers and a searchable database of 842 items. Kats Neil and Jeremy write for this blog.

Class 46, founded by friends of European trade mark organisation MARQUES and driven by a 13-strong team of international contributors, this blog delivers trade mark and brand-related news and developments from across Europe (http://www.marques.org/class46/). As of today, this blog has 2,650 email subscribers and a searchable database of over 2,000 items -- mainly relating to European case law and office practice but with coverage of plenty of other themes too. Jeremy and Birgit both contribute to this blog.

Class 99, founded by patent and trade mark attorney and blogmeister David Musker, is dedicated to design law and practice in the UK, in Europe and beyond (http://class-99.blogspot.com/). As of today, this blog has 508 email subscribers and a searchable database of 317 items.

jiplp is the blog of the leading Oxford University Press monthly publication, The Journal of Intellectual Property Law and Practice (JIPLP), which IPKat team member Jeremy (http://jiplp.blogspot.com/) edits, with fellow Kat Birgit on the editorial board. As of today, this blog has 585 email subscribers and a searchable database of 231 items. This blog's content includes Current Intelligence notes, book reviews, requests for articles on specific topics and guidance as to how to write (or not to write) good IP articles.

Afro-IP (http://afro-ip.blogspot.com/), for which the blogmeister is Darren Olivier, deals with the IP scene in Africa. As of today, this blog has 585 email subscribers and a searchable database of 1,083 items. This blog offers the largest single searchable online source of recent African IP news and hosts a weekly A to Z guide to official IP websites provided by each African nation in turn.

IP Tango (http://iptango.blogspot.com/), which is a bilingual blog with contributions both in Spanish and English, covers the increasingly important developments for IP in Latin America. As of today, this blog has 361 email subscribers and a searchable database of 937 items.

Art & Artifice (http://aandalawblog.blogspot.com/). As of today, this blog, led by Simone Blakeney (Clifford Chance LLP) and Rosie Burbidge (Rouse Legal), has 266 email subscribers and a searchable database of 170 items. Its scope is broad enough to cover not merely intellectual property law but other areas of legal concern for artists and the art-driven industries.

Bringing up the tail is SOLO IP, which reflects some of the interests, and the anguish, of those who practise IP by themselves or in small groups, or who work in environments in which they are the only IP people (http://soloip.blogspot.com/). As of today, this blog -- which is driven by blogmeister Barbara Cookson (Filemot Technology Law Ltd), has 159 email subscribers and a searchable database of 228 items.

... and let's not forget Sufficient Description,  the Canadian patent law blog manned by the first of this year's guest Kats, Norman Siebrasse.

Would you like to be an IP blogger? Most of the weblogs listed above are still hoping to recruit some fresh talent into their blogging teams, as well as to host more good guest items from occasional writers. If you (i) have something valuable to say about IP, (ii) have some experience of IP in one form or another and (iii) think that you may be able to turn your hand at blogging (or already have some experience), do email Jeremy here, attaching or linking to your CV, and explain why you think you might be a good blogger or contributor. It may be a few days before you get a response, so do be patient!