Wednesday whimsies

"ICANN Names Technology Public Policy Expert as its First Vice President of Europe" is the headline that excitedly proclaims the appointment of Thomas Spiller to run the Brussels office of ICANN (the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers). Spiller, a French national, will be responsible for "driving ICANN’s strategic objectives in Europe". His previous convictions include time spent advising the French Prime Minister’s Office and later heading up global policy strategy at SAS, one of the world’s largest independent software vendors.

A lawyer by training, Thomas Spiller takes up his new role on 29 August -- a slightly odd date for those of us who remember a time when no professional Frenchman could ever be caught working during the month of August. This Kat suspects that we may hear a great deal of this gentleman over the next year or two, and hopes that he is as good at listening as he is at advising -- otherwise dialogue between brand owners and ICANN is going to be pretty painful [Merpel wonders all the cybersquatters, typosquatters, nuisances and parasites who do so well out of domain name registration: they must have a highly efficient trade organisation, since they so often seem to get what they want ...].

Unrestricted choice -- but
will it lead to meltdown?

Lingering for a moment on the subject of ICANN and the new regime ahead of us for the explosive expansion of top-level domains, the IPKat's poll closed earlier this week and here are the final figures:

• At last, we have real choice and emancipation of domain names: 7 (4%)
• It's no big deal. In 10 years time we'll wonder what the fuss was: 97 (57%)
• It's a recipe for disaster for businesses and consumers alike: 66 (38%)

Please don't write to tell the Kats that 4 + 57 + 38 only add up to 99 -- this is merely the consequence of the polling software rounding figures up or down, as the case may be.

IPSoc never neglects the social side of its programming

IPSoc, the society for junior IP practitioners, is a worthy organisation which anyone who aspires to the enjoyment of good company, the exchange of bright ideas and a taste of things to come in terms of taking responsibility for the IP community in the future should jolly well join.  Be that as it may, IPSoc's next educational event is a talk by Professor Lionel Bently, "Leading UK and ECJ Judgments: Key Developments in Trade Mark Law (including Interflora v M&S)". The date: 25 July 2011; 6pm for 6.30pm, with drinks following promptly at 7.30pm. Venue: the London office of Pinsent Masons LLP.  Sign up here.

"Do we come to bury copyright, or to praise it?"  Last night the number of registrants for the 1709 Blog's Copyright Debate on 12 July, supported by this Kat, reached the amazing total of 200.  There's still room for more. Full details of the programme and registration can be found here.