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It's the third and final session of the Pubcast! We're chatting to the folks at the top of the patent profession and those just entering it, in the final episode from our epic five-hour recording session in The Old Mitre, Hatton Garden, Holborn. Lee and Gwilym are joined by CIPA President Alasdair Poore, Vice-President Daniel Chew, Immediate Past President Alicia Instone and Lindsay Pike, Elliot Krishek and Ellie Lee Chiarella from the CIPA Informals - our student body.  CIPA members interested in joining a committee should contact Deputy Chief Executive Neil Lampert at neil@cipa.org.uk.

It's session two of the Two IPs in a Pod Pubcast! Coming to you from Ye Old Mitre in London, Lee and Gwilym are joined by patent attorney Iain Russell and music copyright specialist Nick Kounoupias. Together they discuss musical inventions, high-profile music copyright claims and how IP has changed the music industry. For more information on Iain and Nick, take a look at their websites linked.

Its session one of the Two IPs in a Pod Pubcast! Coming to you from Ye Old Mitre in London, Lee and Gwilym are joined by Queen Mary lecturers, Duncan Matthews and Noam Shemtov. In a jam packed episode, Noam and Duncan talk about AI and IP, how the academic side of IP effects policy, the TRIPPS waiver and more!For more information on Noam and Duncan, take a look at their QMUL profiles.

LawCare exists to support and promote mental wellbeing across the legal community in the UK. Chief Executive Elizabeth Rimmer joins Lee and Gwilym to talk all about the support LawCare offers, the mental challenges in the legal profession, why looking after mental health is better for business and plans for their 25th anniversary.For more information on LawCare and to access their services you can visit their website here.

What are the biggest challenges facing British brands? John Noble from the British Brands Group joins Lee and Gwilym to talk all about the work of British Brands Group, how he came to work there (after spending a year riding a Harley Davidson around the USA), the issues of parasitic packaging and why IP is so important to brands. To find out more about British Brands Group take a look at their website.

The COVID-19 pandemic presented the world with a unique set of challenges. Lee and Gwilym are joined by co-authors of  Unprecedented The Rapid Innovation Response to COVID-19 and the Role of Intellectual Property Jennifer Brant and Mark Schultz to discuss their report. They talk about how the IP sector responded to the pandemic, the proposed patent waiver for COVID-19 vaccines and the fundamental role IP played in the rapid  development and distribution of vaccines.

How does IP Litigation work? This week Lee and Gwilym are joined by barrister and partner at Gunner Cooke Akash Sachdeva. Akash talks to Lee and Gwilym about the ins and outs of IP Litigation, his early career, diversity in the law profession and the stand out cases he has worked on. 

The world of interactive entertainment has changed drastically over the years, from table top Pacman and arcade games to online and interactive games with bigger budgets than a Hollywood blockbuster! With these developments and innovations the industry is not immune to Intellectual Property challenges. Dr Gaetano Dimita, senior lecturer in International Intellectual Property Law at Queen Mary University, joins Lee and Gwilym to talk all about IP in the gaming industry, the metaverse and new gaming innovations.   

What are the exciting and pressing issues in the world of Life Sciences and IP? Dev Crease and chair of CIPA's Life Sciences Committee Simon Wright  join this weeks episode to talk all about the latest Life Sciences updates including CIPA's lobbying work, the vaccine patent waiver and the Nagoya protocol. 

The start of the UPC is almost upon us... or is it? CIPA's Unitary Patent and Unified Patent Court experts Caelia Bryn-Jacobsen and Leythem Wall join Lee and Gwilym to talk all about the upcoming changes, what it means for UK attorneys and how they can continue to be involved with filing in Europe. Click here to read CIPA's latest article on UPC representation for UK qualified attorneys. 

Who are Patent Seekers? Co-founder Tim Parry joins Two IPs in a Pod to talk about the services the company can provide to IP firms and inventors, the benefits of performing a patent search  and how the business has grown. You can find more information about Patent Seekers here. 

CIPA strives to continuously improve diversity and inclusion within the IP professions.  The institute published it's commitment here, however, this is only the beginning and there is always more work to be done. This week Lee and Gwilym are joined by chair of the council D&I committee Greg Iceton and chair of the staff D&I committee Kereiss Isles to talk about the work of their committees, why they were established and their plans for 2022. For more information on CIPA and D&I please take a look at the CIPA website here, or you can email the staff D&I committee: Diversity@cipa.org.uk

Two IPs is back! We're kicking off Season 5 with Sean Bicknell and David Gillies from Friend Partnership talking about the Government's Patent Box tax relief scheme. How does the Patent Box work and how can it benefit innovative businesses? Sean and David talk to Lee and Gwilym all about the scheme, how businesses can apply and the benefits they can gain from it. More information on the Patent Box here.

It's our 50th episode and to mark this milestone Lee and Gwilym speak with Rachel Moriarty, Head of Prize Design at the Earthshot Prize. Run by Prince William's Royal Foundation, this new global initiative awards £1million to five winners each year for their contributions to environmentalism. Joining them is patent attorney Jerry Bridge-Butler who organised a team from CIPA to provide the finalists with intellectual property advice.

The Mercer Review has been published! The Mercer Review is a report on a consultation undertaken by the CIPA on the education, training and assessment arrangements for entry into the UK patent profession. This week Lee and Gwilym sit down with key contributors to the review, Chris Mercer, Vicki Salmon and Lindsay Pike to discuss why the review was launched, the main findings and recommendations and the impact the review will have for all stakeholders involved in patent attorney education, training and assessment. 

Its the 85th anniversary of The Benevolent Association! To celebrate current secretary Samantha Funnell and Dr Duncan Needham the director of the Centre for Financial History at the University of Cambridge sit down with Lee and Gwilym to talk about the history of the benevolent fund, why it was created and the work it has done over the decades. 

How can IP help encourage and incentivise sustainable innovation? Elisabeth Eppinger from HTW Berlin and Frank Tietze from University of Cambridge join Lee and Gwilym to talk about their project IPACST (part of Programme Transformation to Stability) which examines the role of IP in sustainable innovations. They explain why IP is important in bringing climate change solutions to market and how different IP models can accelerate sustainable transitions.  

Covid-19 has had a huge impact on mental health. June Dent from mental health charity Jonathan's Voice tells Lee and Gwilym how co-workers and leaders alike can help those who may be struggling.

You don't need to like cats for this blog, but it does help. This week Lee and Gwilym are joined by guests über-blog IPKat! Annsley Ward and Rose Hughes talk about how to write engaging content, why its important to keep up to date with the biggest stories in IP and future plans for the blog.If you haven't read the blog yet you can take a look here: https://ipkitten.blogspot.com/

It's Associations Week! Lee and Gwilym sit down with CIPA staff members Frances Bleach, Dwaine Hamilton, Amy Williams and Iain Ross to talk about how CIPA has grown as a Membership Association, the changes they've seen throughout their time here and what drew them to work within a membership organisation.