Insider: July 2022
We hope to see you at our Summer Reception
President’s welcome
Although you will be reading this in late June, I am writing this welcome not long after my return from the 2022 INTA Annual Meeting in Washington, DC.
It was great to see the UK trade mark profession so well represented at the event. In particular, it was a pleasure to spend time with some of our international members and the rest of the global IP community.
We also had the opportunity to meet with the UK IPO, reaffirming our close working relationship and discussing the key issues facing our industry.
I am looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible at our upcoming Summer Reception, taking place in the Inner Temple Gardens on 5th July.
This event has not been able to take place in person for a couple of years, and it will be a great chance to relax and enjoy the summer weather with your colleagues.
The event incorporates the inaugural Sheila Lesley Lecture, which is named for our first female President, who passed away in 2019 and who generously remembered CITMA in her will. The reception will also offer me the opportunity to address you for the first time in my role as President, and to set out my aspirations for my term in this position.
We hope that this invitation to gather as a profession and to embrace the learning and networking available to us will be one you don’t want to miss.
Rachel Wilkinson-Duffy, CITMA President
Gowling pulls off quiz ambush
The return of the CITMA quiz following a two-year hiatus saw our members flex their general knowledge to the limit, with 144 quizzers taking part in the event, making up 26 teams.
In total, the event raised nearly £2,700. The winning team, Ambushed By Cake from Gowling WLG, scored a total of 109 points. The team’s chosen cause, The Brain Tumour Charity, will receive half of the money raised. The other half will go to the CITMA Benevolent Fund.
CITMA quiz top scorers:
1. Ambushed By Cake (Gowling IP) – 109
2. Bulgaria (Beck Greener) – 105.5
3. This Isn’t a Pub Quiz – It’s a Business Meeting with Wine and Cheese (Fieldfisher) – 100.5
4. Fellowship of the Quiz (Fieldfisher) – 100
=5. It’s IP to be 5 New Square (5 New Square) – 96; Troyd & Tested (Murgitroyd) – 96
Test your own wits
How well would you have done on these quiz questions our teams tackled on the night?
1. In April the Electoral Commission began an investigation into the refurbishment of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s flat. How much per roll was paid for the new wallpaper in the flat (to the nearest £200)?
2. Which form of gymnastics, involving a ball and hoop and a ribbon, became an Olympic sport in 1984?
3. In which fictional US town is the film It’s a Wonderful Life set?
4. Which Prime Minister was born in 1916 and died in 2005? His “longest sulk in history” came after he won the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race in 1969.
5. In which decade was the British monarch’s Christmas address first broadcast on television?
For further news about the event, visit citma.org.uk/citmaquiz
Answers: 1. £840; 2. Rhythmic gymnastics; 3. Bedford Falls; 4. Edward Heath; 5. 1950s (1957).
Survey earns charity support
As a result of our policy of donating a pound for every person who completes our membership survey, our members have raised £438 for mental health charity Jonathan’s Voice. This represents more than a quarter of our members supporting the cause. Visit citma.org.uk/surveyfunds
LawCare extends chat service
LawCare has expanded its online chat service, so that help is available from Monday to Thursday, 9am–5pm. The increase in service (from one day a week) will make it more accessible to legal professionals. The new service will be staffed in part by 10 trained volunteers. Visit citma.org.uk/lawcarechat
Chile joins Madrid Protocol
The Madrid Protocol will enter into force for the Republic of Chile on 4th July 2022, with the country having deposited its instruments of accession on 4th April 2022. The announcement follows a process of modernising IP law in Chile to create a more efficient and effective system. Find out more at citma.org.uk/chilemadrid
