Poetic rebranding issues
The proposed rebranding of LES was discussed at the International Delegates Meeting in Manila on Sunday 7th June. Views were expressed for and against. Those against were of the view that LES is an established brand which should not be changed, but many agreed that 'Licensing Executives Society' does not well identify the range of the society's present day activities.

In particular, 'Executive' was thought by some to be an old fashioned term. It is redolent of the gently mocking 1974 poem of that name by the British Poet Laureate, Sir John Betjeman:

"I am a young executive. No cuffs than mine are cleaner;
I have a Slimline brief-case and I drive the firm's Cortina.
In every roadside hostelry from here to Burgess Hill
The maitres d'hotel all know me well, and let me sign the bill.

You ask me what it is I do. Well, actually, you know,
I'm partly a liaison man, and partly P.R.O.
Essentially, I integrate the current export drive
And basically I'm viable from ten o'clock till five.

......."

The rebranding issue will be considered again, and a motion may be put to the delegates for a vote, at the next meeting in San Francisco in October.

Rebranding LES
Here's your chance to make your views known. The proposal to rebrand the Licensing Executives Society International as the Business and Intellectual Property Society International will be debated in Manila next week. The aim of rebranding is to make clearer the purpose and interests of the society. Post your comments here now.

We will soon be meeting in Manila. One of the items on the agenda for discussion is communications. Those of you regularly checking on www.lesi.org will have noticed the many improvements. You can also track web site changes through twitter.com/les_comms. For the present, here is another video link to keep you amused and informed. Promotion of inventive activity is on everyone's agenda.

We are moving on with adoption of new forms of communication. I hope that we will soon regularly feature video clips on the LESI web site. They might look like the following clip of the Inventor of the Year Award Ceremony 2008 organised by the European Patent Office. LES members are interested in business activities, such as licensing and technology transfer, which involve intellectual property rights. We shouldn't forget therefore that we depend on the activities of inventors and other creative people who generate the intellectual property, as well as on effective and fair legal systems which provide the rights.

I am pleased to see that the LESI web site is keeping up to date with society news. You will see a link on the home page to the Pan European meeting in Copenhagen in May. The Pan European meeting has become a regular event on the LES calendar. It takes place every year - except when the International meeting is in Europe. The meeting this year is organized by LES Scandinavia, with the cooperation of the other European societies, but members elsewhere in the world are welcomed. The Pan European meetings are always good value, great sources of information and networking opportunities, and good fun.

I have sent a letter to all National Presidents referring to the following points:
LES International Membership Directory
We now have a great searchable directory on the LES International Website. I would ask all National Presidents to please ensure that Society information is kept up to date using the processes established by Stephanie Silverstein, our Administrative Manager.
Possible inclusion of Les Nouvelles on a major legal database
This is a great opportunity for LESI, but we need to ensure that we don't unduly dilute the benefits of membership. We need to have conditions - such as a delay between distribution to members and appearance on the database. I would like to have members views on this. Pharmaceutical Sector Enquiry and Horizontal Cooporation Agreements (European Commission)
The European Committee has submitted a response to the Commission. Difficult and contoversial issues are involved, and LESI cannot adopt a one-sided approach. I think the Committee has provided well-balanced comments which focus on the integrity of the intellectual property system.
Enlarged Board of Appeal, European Patent Office: Patentability of Computer Programs
The LESI IT& eCommerce Committee, together with the European Committee, is working on an amicus brief.

Welcome to the new LESI blog. My first task is to draw attention to the annual International Meeting which this year will be in Manila, Philippines. Click on the picture for full information. I hope to see many of you there. It is an exciting venue and we have an interesting conference.