So the blog lost a bit of it’s zing in the past year or so. But we’re all set to revamp and rejuvenate it with a fresh batch of bloggers. We put out a call for SpicyIP Fellows some months ago. While some of the entries were good, others were plain bad. And still others, ugly.
So we’re extending the timeline again to gather more talent into our midst. If you think you have it in you to put out some good quality stuff in language that is sharp, swell, and ahem..”spicy”, please send us your application at the earliest.
Remember that we want only the very best. Ones that will passionately pursue our mission to democratise the discussion around intellectual property rights and innovation policy. And wean it away from an exclusive IP priesthood. Sex no bar, age no bar, ideology no bar! We only ask that you put out posts that are well articulated and stand the test of “reason”. Remember that we don’t censor! We only edit for language, logical consistency and back up references etc, and do not interfere with your freedom to write what you wish. But we will certainly censure, if you fail to deliver on quality.
The deadline for applying is 15th of March (the ides of March so to speak, but minus the ominosity). You must send at least one blog entry (on any contemporary Indian IP topic of your choice; and not to exceed 1200 words) by then. And a covering note on why you think you are a good fit for SpicyIP (not to exceed 1000 words). And lastly, your CV as well (in under two pages please: no long winded ones that document each cough, sneeze and schmooze in your life). All your entries and queries with respect to the fellowship must be emailed out to [email protected], along with a copy to Shan Kohli [[email protected]].
Shan Kohli is a former blogger at SpicyIP and has graciously agreed to help us oversee this fellowship process. She has also agreed to act as mentor/guide to the latest recruits at SpicyIP. In fact, we’re reaching out to all our former SpicyIP bloggers and requesting them to serve as mentors to our fresh bunch of bloggers, so they get good guidance and can hone their skills and experiences to the hilt.
Fellowship Application Formalities: Please Read Carefully!
All details on the fellowship are in a previous post that Shruthi put out. So please read this carefully. The only change are as below:
i) The dates for submission: You have till 15th March now to send us your application along with one blog entry on any contemporary Indian IP topic. Please ensure you don’t exceed 1200 words.
ii) Your application will also state as to why you think you are a good fit for the blog (not to exceed 1000 words).
iii) Your CV (in under two pages)
iv) You will send your application along with your blog entry (or any queries etc) to [email protected], along with a copy to [email protected].
v) Your fellowship stipend has now increased to a princely sum of Rs 25,000 for the year (we had earlier promised Rs 15,000/- for the year). Depending on donor funding, this could also go up during the year. Which reminds me: for those of you that wish to support the work of the blog (since we do it for the love of spice, and not the love of money), please do open up your hearts and contribute!
Our Tenth Anniversary: Exciting Year Ahead for SpicyIP
Did you know that its been ten years since SpicyIP took birth? Actually a little more than ten years since we technically took birth towards the end of 2005 at the University of Illinois (amidst those vast (corn)fields of gold). To commemorate this long and boisterous journey, we have a number of exciting events lined up for the year, including:
- An Open Access musical (promises to be fun and if all goes well, we’ll try and feature some of our SpicyIP team in the video).
- An Open Access Conference in collaboration with the Law and Technology Society at the National Law School (NLS), Bangalore (they do a conference each year titled “Consilience”). This conference is scheduled for May 28th and 29th at the NLS campus in Bangalore and will focus on fresh perspectives on IP, open access and transparency. More details to come soon, but in the meantime we’re looking for funding. So if you can spare a buck to make this happen, please email me ([email protected]). Also if you would like to speak at this or participate or attend, let us know.
- An Open Access IP Dictionary: A joint initiative between the Institute of Law, Nirma University and SpicyIP, we’re hoping to unleash the first open access IP dictionary….drawing in large part from the crowd-sourced creation of the world’s most well known dictionary (the Oxford English Dictionary), a history captured so captivatingly in a suspense thriller tiled “The Professor and the Madman”.
- A SpicyIP Interview Series, where we feature interviews with leading figures from the IP world.
- A SpicyIP Personality Series, where we feature personalities that have made a significant impact on the IP/innovation/creativity ecosystem.
IP Clinic at Nirma
On a related note, as some of you know, I am now vested with a honorary position at the Institute of Law, Nirma University. Amongst other things, I am to help them with their IP programme, particularly the setting up of an IP clinic. If any of our IP practitioners or policy makers out there are interested in engaging with this IP clinic, please do email me, since we’re looking for dynamic dignitaries (or dudes as the case maybe) who can visit the University (it is less than an hour from the Ahmedabad airport), interact with their students (a wonderfully passionate bunch of IP enthusiasts, I can tell you) and take a couple of classes (or better still, a full fledged course). Of course, Nirma University will take care of your expenses and local hospitality and pay a honorarium as well. So, for all those closet academics out there or those looking for a good break away from your regular professional routine and a dip into a nice academic getaway (with lush green environs and all that), please do reach out to me ([email protected]).
Back to the Fellowship of the Ring. For those interested in the SpicyIP fellowship, please apply soon. You can be part of all this excitement and more!
ps: image from here and here.
POOLLA R.K. MURTI
Congratulations to SPICY IP for finishing 10 years of excellent Contributions to IP Academic Topics as also to crystallise IP Policy in India. It is a well deserved opportunity to acknowledge that a lot of my useful knowledge of IP is through reading the Blogs with a critical eye. I recall fondly the Contributions of Bloggers on the Topic of Data Exclusivity and the copious Comments that followed with replies to the Comments as well.
It is sadly noted that, of late, many Bloggers do not address the Comments. I would submit that it should be a credit to the Blogger that his Blog could elicit Comments and the Blogger could help with more clarifications on the issues raised by the Discusser. As an example, my Comment did not elicit a response on the Blog (8 March 2014) of Rajiv Kr. Chowdhry “Revisiting – patentability of computer programs and Section 3(k), a different perspective” Also, my Comment of the same Author’s Contribution of 20 August 2010 received no response either.
I would merely request the Contributors of the Blogs to be more considerate, compassionate and responsive to the Comments offered,
Thank you very much for your kind words, Mr Murti. Appreciate your constant engagement and insightful comments on the blog. If I have failed to respond to earlier comments of yours, my sincere apologies. I believe Rajiv has now responded to your comment. And we will certainly request all our bloggers to be mindful of comments and to respond appropriately when their time permits.
Thanks for your courteous and compassionate reply. I am, of course, acutely embarrassed at the word ‘apologies’ since all of us are friends in the world of IPR, motivated with a true spirit of inculcating IPR in our Country for the benefit of the Citizens. Professor Rajiv has so kindly responded which imbued a ‘new confidence’ in me with the example of ’embedded systems’; when the Master of the subject accepts the example, it is ‘stare decis’ for me.
I do not hesitate to say that we (while offering Comments) are also to blame with our attributes like incoherent and vague comments expressed in pompous and ambiguous English (the Leader of the flock, is indeed, myself !) so much so the Author of the Blog quite often loses interest in responding. We must also learn to offer inquisitive and quality Comments, written in crisp English, with due deference to the Author of the Blog.
Thank you Mr Murti. Greatly look forward to your continued engagement.