Insider: November 2021
Marking our move from ITMA to CITMA
President's welcome
As this issue arrives with readers, we will be marking five years since we became a Chartered profession.
Even so many years down the line, our Royal Charter is a source of great pride, and I was delighted to read what being part of a Chartered profession means to you on page 14 of this issue.
We’re particularly proud of the work we’ve done over the past five years, in some difficult circumstances. For example, Brexit was a major challenge.
Our members have proved their resilience and resourcefulness, not least in helping us to make the case for changing the rules on UK address for service.
This was a major achievement for the profession and lays the foundations for future work in this area.
During the pandemic, the IP industry has not only survived but thrived. At CITMA, we have also seen continued growth.
Our Paralegal Course, for example, had more participants in 2020/21 than ever before, with 110 candidates passing the exam – congratulations to all.
I’m delighted that many of these candidates have already become CITMA members, and I’m sure we will continue to welcome more.
The past five years have been an opportunity for us to demonstrate our collective expertise and to build a community that’s adaptable and supportive.
The next five, I hope, will allow us to reap the fruits of these adversities under less challenging circumstances.
Strengthened by the challenges of recent times, we will continue to offer an environment for sharing knowledge and building relationships.
And as the benchmark for trade mark and design professional quality in the UK, we look forward to maintaining and developing that reputation.
Richard Goddard, CITMA President
Our Paralegal Course continues to soar
The 2020/2021 CITMA Paralegal Course, the official qualification for the trade mark paralegal profession, has seen its highest ever number of successful participants.
The top marks were achieved by Szu-Yu Tao and Gyongyver Filser, who both scored 94 out of 100.
The course covers renewals and maintenance, changes of ownership, oppositions and cancellations, trade mark registrations and searches, offering both breadth and depth.
It is the benchmark standard for success in our industry, with the aim of ensuring that quality remains high across the board.
The course unlocks the door to our CPD scheme, allowing practitioners to continue learning and developing throughout their careers.
The 2021/22 course is now under way.
Our CITMA Paralegal Hub is a great resource, full of features, guides, job listings and event information. Head to citma.org.uk/news-policy/citma-paralegal.html to find out more
In memoriam: Terry Johnson
We were saddened to hear of the death of Terry Johnson in September. Terry was an active member of CITMA, a member of CIPA’s trade mark committee, and had contributed to the editing of the Trade Mark Handbook since 2010. Learn more about his work here.
Paralegal awards
Congratulations to Gail Nicol (Cameron Intellectual Property), who has been crowned Best Trade Mark Paralegal at the 2021 National Paralegal Awards. Two other CITMA Paralegals, JoAnna Emery (Cambridge Mechatronics Ltd) and Kate Houten (HGF Ltd), were also shortlisted. Click here to learn more.
New IP minister
George Freeman MP has been appointed as the Minister for Science, Research and Innovation. This role includes responsibility for all matters relating to IP. We wish him well in his new role and look forward to a fruitful relationship. Read more here.
Your advice could be invaluable
We’re always looking for new volunteers to help staff our free online advice clinics. If you’re a Chartered Trade Mark Attorney and interested in getting involved, email [email protected] to learn more.
Read the full issue
