Stéphane
@5teph4mbr0.bsky.social
European, living in 🇱🇺 after 20+ yrs in 🇬🇧 & 🇮🇪. Senior IP professional, running a global firm. Likes tech, IP, politics. Pragmatic centrist, with a functioning memory. Ni bon, ni mauvais, bien au contraire.
Preferably in your customary informed manner, eschewing the quasi ranting at “the IP system“ observable in many comments.
The merits of the ‘case’ (and outright revocability of the TM if it came to it) notwithstanding, basic due diligence could have saved Ms Khan all that stress.
The merits of the ‘case’ (and outright revocability of the TM if it came to it) notwithstanding, basic due diligence could have saved Ms Khan all that stress.
December 4, 2025 at 1:46 PM
Preferably in your customary informed manner, eschewing the quasi ranting at “the IP system“ observable in many comments.
The merits of the ‘case’ (and outright revocability of the TM if it came to it) notwithstanding, basic due diligence could have saved Ms Khan all that stress.
The merits of the ‘case’ (and outright revocability of the TM if it came to it) notwithstanding, basic due diligence could have saved Ms Khan all that stress.
It’s functional if you can mount it in a lathe head-first 😉
November 11, 2025 at 3:20 PM
It’s functional if you can mount it in a lathe head-first 😉
’too many black people in ads’ -believing MIL and her neighbours. All well educated, well off, 50s-80s age rang.
Zero shame platforming that opinion in society, to the point we chucked a neighbour of hers out over exactly this 2 weekends ago, when I was there.
You’re not ready as a country. Sorry.
Zero shame platforming that opinion in society, to the point we chucked a neighbour of hers out over exactly this 2 weekends ago, when I was there.
You’re not ready as a country. Sorry.
October 29, 2025 at 9:19 PM
’too many black people in ads’ -believing MIL and her neighbours. All well educated, well off, 50s-80s age rang.
Zero shame platforming that opinion in society, to the point we chucked a neighbour of hers out over exactly this 2 weekends ago, when I was there.
You’re not ready as a country. Sorry.
Zero shame platforming that opinion in society, to the point we chucked a neighbour of hers out over exactly this 2 weekends ago, when I was there.
You’re not ready as a country. Sorry.
…and that’s why any opinion about validity and infringement of a UI design is caveated to within a 0.0001” of its real world usefulness 😅
October 28, 2025 at 3:50 PM
…and that’s why any opinion about validity and infringement of a UI design is caveated to within a 0.0001” of its real world usefulness 😅
Shank-type milling cutter. Gawd, that’s just took me back some decades! 😱😅
October 28, 2025 at 2:43 PM
Shank-type milling cutter. Gawd, that’s just took me back some decades! 😱😅
*may have lost all sense of accuracy since 2008 😅
October 17, 2025 at 11:52 AM
*may have lost all sense of accuracy since 2008 😅
Old profession joke, topical: engineers think we’re solicitors, solicitors think we’re engineers, and us…we don’t care, and laugh all the way to the bank*! 😁
October 17, 2025 at 11:51 AM
Old profession joke, topical: engineers think we’re solicitors, solicitors think we’re engineers, and us…we don’t care, and laugh all the way to the bank*! 😁
Your comment prompts me to ask: have you met a patent attorney, the professional meeting point between both? 😉😁
October 17, 2025 at 6:39 AM
Your comment prompts me to ask: have you met a patent attorney, the professional meeting point between both? 😉😁
Genuinely LOL’d (and *no* sarc).
BlueSky really needs something ‘more than’ likes to convey sentiment.
BlueSky really needs something ‘more than’ likes to convey sentiment.
October 14, 2025 at 7:20 PM
Genuinely LOL’d (and *no* sarc).
BlueSky really needs something ‘more than’ likes to convey sentiment.
BlueSky really needs something ‘more than’ likes to convey sentiment.
"oh but we don't mean you": if I had a £ every time I heard that 1 before & after the 2016 Ref 🙄😉
After 20 years in the U.K., marrying a Brit, kid, professional paying top tax, etc.
Can fully relate to that letter. But descended from eco-migrant stock & history-attentive, so left UK 7 years ago.
After 20 years in the U.K., marrying a Brit, kid, professional paying top tax, etc.
Can fully relate to that letter. But descended from eco-migrant stock & history-attentive, so left UK 7 years ago.
October 3, 2025 at 9:16 PM
"oh but we don't mean you": if I had a £ every time I heard that 1 before & after the 2016 Ref 🙄😉
After 20 years in the U.K., marrying a Brit, kid, professional paying top tax, etc.
Can fully relate to that letter. But descended from eco-migrant stock & history-attentive, so left UK 7 years ago.
After 20 years in the U.K., marrying a Brit, kid, professional paying top tax, etc.
Can fully relate to that letter. But descended from eco-migrant stock & history-attentive, so left UK 7 years ago.
Doubling the hugs. My Co-MD is Romanian, I’m in Brasov several times a year, I work with Romanian colleagues every day of the week: *massive* professional respect and esteem for them all, they are the smartest, humblest, nicest, most driven people I have ever had the pleasure of getting to know.
September 30, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Doubling the hugs. My Co-MD is Romanian, I’m in Brasov several times a year, I work with Romanian colleagues every day of the week: *massive* professional respect and esteem for them all, they are the smartest, humblest, nicest, most driven people I have ever had the pleasure of getting to know.
Yup, was in Yokohama for AIPPI World Congress mid Sept, then swung by our Tokyo office to say hello, and it was rather hot, 35C+ with 75+% humidity. Rome this week felt positively autumnal at 22C. All suits to the dry cleaner 😅
September 27, 2025 at 1:50 PM
Yup, was in Yokohama for AIPPI World Congress mid Sept, then swung by our Tokyo office to say hello, and it was rather hot, 35C+ with 75+% humidity. Rome this week felt positively autumnal at 22C. All suits to the dry cleaner 😅
“A Star Wars walker design in this time period is a little unnerving”
I give you:
I give you:
a robot is standing in front of a door
ALT: a robot is standing in front of a door
media.tenor.com
September 23, 2025 at 5:16 PM
“A Star Wars walker design in this time period is a little unnerving”
I give you:
I give you:
I dare say most people in UK know couples with 1 or both immigrants for years or decades. And a common sentence of Brexit/Reform/etc voters in that corpus was, and still would be, “oh but we don’t mean you”.
It’s been 9 years, and political discourse and action has only gone one way.
It’s been 9 years, and political discourse and action has only gone one way.
September 22, 2025 at 11:35 AM
I dare say most people in UK know couples with 1 or both immigrants for years or decades. And a common sentence of Brexit/Reform/etc voters in that corpus was, and still would be, “oh but we don’t mean you”.
It’s been 9 years, and political discourse and action has only gone one way.
It’s been 9 years, and political discourse and action has only gone one way.
That claim of loss of entitlement to domestic fees is completely bogus. I say this as parent to a dual national (incl.UK) student, who moved from UK to EU in 2018 and moved back to study at UK uni in Sept 2024. I pay the uni fees, so best placed to know, considering the value differential.
August 19, 2025 at 9:30 AM
That claim of loss of entitlement to domestic fees is completely bogus. I say this as parent to a dual national (incl.UK) student, who moved from UK to EU in 2018 and moved back to study at UK uni in Sept 2024. I pay the uni fees, so best placed to know, considering the value differential.
Does Mr Lutnick understand what effort and investment have to happen *before* applying for patent rights?
Patents are a small part of the innovation process. And I say this as a pat att in charge of patent atts in private practice.
“Economically-illiterate” does not begin to cover this nonsense.
Patents are a small part of the innovation process. And I say this as a pat att in charge of patent atts in private practice.
“Economically-illiterate” does not begin to cover this nonsense.
August 11, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Does Mr Lutnick understand what effort and investment have to happen *before* applying for patent rights?
Patents are a small part of the innovation process. And I say this as a pat att in charge of patent atts in private practice.
“Economically-illiterate” does not begin to cover this nonsense.
Patents are a small part of the innovation process. And I say this as a pat att in charge of patent atts in private practice.
“Economically-illiterate” does not begin to cover this nonsense.
It took COVID for the EPO to finally mainstream e-hearings (they were poss.before, but exceptionally and only thru high-end $$$ digital suites).
Seems quite the backward step for a highly-digitalised economy, so is this political, or remedying a resources challenge or procedural abuses?
Seems quite the backward step for a highly-digitalised economy, so is this political, or remedying a resources challenge or procedural abuses?
July 23, 2025 at 4:51 PM
It took COVID for the EPO to finally mainstream e-hearings (they were poss.before, but exceptionally and only thru high-end $$$ digital suites).
Seems quite the backward step for a highly-digitalised economy, so is this political, or remedying a resources challenge or procedural abuses?
Seems quite the backward step for a highly-digitalised economy, so is this political, or remedying a resources challenge or procedural abuses?
Already introduced by Home Office, with its own app. £16 fee.
July 19, 2025 at 5:07 AM
Already introduced by Home Office, with its own app. £16 fee.
Sting (GB) last week in Luxembourg, touring with Dominic Miller (GB) and Chris Maas (LU). Unsure about techies and equipment, but at least no visa would have been required for drummer supremo Maas, born and bred here in Luxembourg 😉😁
July 7, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Sting (GB) last week in Luxembourg, touring with Dominic Miller (GB) and Chris Maas (LU). Unsure about techies and equipment, but at least no visa would have been required for drummer supremo Maas, born and bred here in Luxembourg 😉😁
This French national and British spouse couple did not get any child benefit. Earning too much, you see. With the income tax bill to go with it. No sour grapes then, not now…but that rethoric is exactly why we brexoded 7 years ago, and No.11 has done without that tax take ever since. FAFO, etc.
July 7, 2025 at 11:25 AM
This French national and British spouse couple did not get any child benefit. Earning too much, you see. With the income tax bill to go with it. No sour grapes then, not now…but that rethoric is exactly why we brexoded 7 years ago, and No.11 has done without that tax take ever since. FAFO, etc.
IIRC, these guys also sell pagers, right?
June 17, 2025 at 2:07 PM
IIRC, these guys also sell pagers, right?
Just been through it, nowt much to write home about. Some strong gusts, a bit gritty. The EBS warble with mobile phone alerts (kudos for those) was much more unsettling!
May 17, 2025 at 2:48 AM
Just been through it, nowt much to write home about. Some strong gusts, a bit gritty. The EBS warble with mobile phone alerts (kudos for those) was much more unsettling!
Seconded and tripled, obligatory place on the drinks trolley in this household for the last 14 years at least, plus the obligatory hidden spare 😆
May 5, 2025 at 10:24 PM
Seconded and tripled, obligatory place on the drinks trolley in this household for the last 14 years at least, plus the obligatory hidden spare 😆