The US PTO is consulting on design fee increases. 
"I was recently reading through some commentary you* wrote concerning the Design Regulation and Directive included in a book edited by Mario Franzosi. You and several of the authors cite an explanatory memorandum on the Directive and Regulation, and I can't seem to find it anywhere. By chance, do you have digital copies you could send me?"The book in question, European Design Protection: commentary to directive and regulation proposals, was published in 1996 and cannot be said to represent current thinking on the legislation in question; it does however have some historical interest. Back in the early 1990s, when the research and writing for this book were in full swing, the idea of electronic copies had scarcely permeated most areas of legal research and I was unaware that any such copy was available then. I certainly don't have one now and a gentle effort to locate an electronic copy of the explanatory memo with the aid of a well-known search engine proved fruitless.
"Valuable designs have underpinned much of the technological and industrial innovation that has taken place in recent years. Indeed, given the extent to which economic growth is driven by these advancements and the ever-increasing financial benefits of holding exclusive exploitation rights for the most significant designs, the importance of protecting such designs cannot be understated.From the list of contributors and their firms here, one can identify some well-known personalities and respected commentators. From the absence of certain countries which one might have expected in a 30-jurisdictional compendium (eg China, Korea, Spain, United Kingdom), plus the appearance of four separate contributions for the United States, this looks like one of those pay-to-write books which contributors use as impressive business cards -- but that need not detract from the quality of individual contributions or the utility of the book as a whole. That, however, is a matter for the post-publication review to decide.
International Design Protection is an international compendium of design law in over 30 major jurisdictions. It covers the applicability of registered and unregistered design rights and ancillary protection by copyright and trademarks. It also deals with the practicalities of design protections and the enforcement of design rights, including discussion of qualification for protection, infringement, design infringement litigation, licensing and exploitation.
Written by a team of leading specialists in design law, the book is a fully updated and straightforward guide to navigating the complex and fascinating field of international industrial design law".
In November 2011 Class 99 reported on the Opinion of the Advocate General in a case referred to the Court of Justice of the European Union from the Spanish Community Trade Mark Court in Alicante, Case C‑488/10 Celaya Emparanza y Galdos Internacional SA v Proyectos Integrales de Balizamientos SL.
"As of 10 January 2012, recordals concerning Registered Community Designs (entries made in the Register, renewals and information on expired registrations, Restitutio in Integrum) will be published on a daily basis in the RCD Bulletin as opposed to the once weekly Friday publication that has taken place up until now.More information can be found on the OHIM website here. Visit it and you will find that the truth is not quite as exciting: recordals are only published each working day, which means that you can forget about getting your favourite online publication on weekends and holidays. Sorry!
With this change, all items for publication relating to CTMs and RCDs are now published on a daily basis".
"Winners named in "HandsOffMyDesign" CompetitionThanks go to Sally Cooper for drawing our attention to this news.
The winning entries in the "HandsOffMyDesign" competition received awards in a special ceremony in the European Parliament today. Almost 60 student and professional designers took part in the contest, which was designed to generate high-impact “guerrilla or viral” marketing tools with the potential to capture the imagination of users of social networking tools on the Internet.
The event ... was organised by the European Observatory on Counterfeiting and Piracy and DG Internal Market and Services with the support of OHIM and endorsed by the Cumulus International Association of Universities and Colleges of Art, Design and Media. The winners were selected by an international panel including independent figures from the design industry and academia as well the stakeholders of the Observatory.
OHIM President António Campinos said that one of the major challenges ahead for the EU was to determine how to protect the rights of creative people while maintaining the free exchange of information on the Internet:
“In the digital era, we need to find a fair way to remunerate artists, musicians, authors and film-makers. This competition represents the personal perspectives from designers working in every part of Europe. Whether or not everyone agrees with the messages, I am confident they will play a valuable role in helping to stimulate the kind of constructive debate on this issue that we need in the EU".... The winning participants, divided into two categories – one for design students and one for professional designers, were awarded prizes of €8,000 (1st prize), €2,500 (2nd prize) and €1,500 (3rd prize).
Design students:
1st Prize: Julien Moreau, from the ECV Atlantique school in France.
2nd Prize: Nejc Levstik, from the Academy of theatre, radio, film and television in Slovenia.
3rd Prize: Lauri Särak, Daniel Levi Viinalass and Elmo Soomets, from the Tartu Art College in Estonia.
Professional designers:
1st Prize: Gergely Szőnyi and Tamás Helényi from Green Lake Pictures in Hungary.
2nd Prize: Christoph Brehme of German nationality from Piopictures in Italy.
3rd Prize: Dimitris Haidas from dhaidas in Greece.
For more information and to view the videos click here".
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| In the days before Beckham: Arsenal's legendary Alex James, wearing his own choice of famously long shorts ... |
"For a man so often seen modelling pants David Beckham was noticeably shy at the launch of his own range of underwear yesterday. Hundreds of fans hoping to catch a glimpse of "Goldenballs", as the footballer is known to his wife, had to make do with posters and nine-foot-tall silver statues. ... Putting his name to pants was perhaps a logical step for Beckham, the footballer, model and now hosier. His wife has put her name to an award-winning label and almost sold out of her second line when it launched earlier this week.According to the discussion on the Five Live Breakfast programme, Beckham is reputed to have designed the underwear himself. The Beckhams appear to be remarkably talented in this sphere of activity, since David's wife, one-time Spice Girl and model Victoria, is also described as a designer in her Wikipedia entry.
In a simple colour palette of grey, black and white, the nine no-frills cotton designs (which also include pyjama bottoms and vests) have a classic, sporty feel but there's none of the hi-tech fabric that Beckham will be more used to wearing in his day job. David has high ambitions for his brand. "I've been around for 36 years, I've seen my fair share of underwear," he said at a press conference. "I'd love to be as big as Calvin Klein."
The clamouring crowds that have become a familiar sight outside H&M on launch days were replaced by 300 people queuing patiently to get their hands on Beckham's underwear before today's global launch. ...
Matt Adams, 23, a graphic designer, and Leah Hummerston, 23, a fashion PR assistant, both professed their love for the star. "He's a massive celebrity and incredibly talented but seems humble with it", said Matt. "He's not just a successful businessman, he's a brand. I'd still buy H&M anyway because it's reasonably priced." Leah added: "It's more tongue-in-cheek than serious." ... ".
