First, a confession. This particular bugbear is linked to an earlier one: direct-to-consumer sales of gene testing for health purposes. I posted about that here. To add fuel to my already well-stoked fire of indignation, the presenter who tried to sell me gene testing and analysis services styled herself as “Dr L_____”. Dr L’s business card gave her qualifications as “DDS, BS, Genetic...
Earlier this year I went to a workshop on the GI aspects of the EU – New Zealand Free Trade Agreement negotiations. New Zealand’s lead negotiator, Martin Harvey, gave an update on the status of those negotiations. As is widely-known, the EU wants New Zealand to recognise GIs that are protected in the EU, and it would reciprocate in kind. Of course, the number of European GIs far...
Maybe I’m naïve, but last year I went to a talk our local library, which was billed as “a free educational evening on epigenetics, nutrigenetics, nutrigenomics, inflammation, methylation, vitamin D & more”, thinking that it was going to be a general academic talk on those subjects. Perhaps I was lulled into a false sense of security by the venue, or the fact that I was invited by...
I promise that I am not just being obsequious when I say that I was extremely impressed by the Court of Appeal decision in International Consolidated Business Pty Ltd v S C Johnson & Son Inc [2019] NZCA 61, which was issued in March this year. It is great to see a tricky and important area of trade mark law heading in a sensible direction. The decision of the Court was delivered by Brown J...
One of my favourite times of the year is the Auckland Writers Festival, which sadly has just finished. I always fizz for weeks afterwards, neurons bathed in new and invigorating ideas. I’m always encouraged, too, by the number of lawyers and judges who can be seen in the audience there. Surely it is a good sign that our profession is filled with people who actively seek out new ideas and...
Welcome! One of the things I love about law, and about IP law in particular, is the chance to rub shoulders with some really smart people, who know about loads of interesting things. I love original thinkers, fresh ideas, and people who aren’t afraid to question the status quo – to ask why something should continue to be done a certain way, to admit they don’t understand...