It appears they've registered "Christmas Lectures" as a trademark. See:
http://www.ipo.gov.uk/tmcase/Results/1/UK00002586145
They are therefore perfectly entitled to use the 'R' symbol, and it's up to them to choose when to enforce it.
C
-----Original Message-----
From: psci-com: on public engagement with science [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Michael Kenward
Sent: 27 July 2013 14:52
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [PSCI-COM] Job Opportunity: CHRISTMAS LECTURES® Assistant, Royal Institution of Great Britain
What are we to make of the "CHRISTMAS LECTURES®" in this message?
Has the RI registered Christmas as a tradename? Or is it lectures?
Maybe the person who sent this message hasn't caught up with the report in THE:
http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/royal-institution-backs-down-on-christmas-lectures/2005849.article
To quote the THE:
"The Royal Institution has scrapped efforts to ask academics to sign an agreement if they want to use its trademarked term “Christmas Lectures”."
"The RI said it would not consider the use of the words “Christmas Lectures” by academic establishments, or those working in or for academic establishments, to infringe the RI’s rights to its trademark."
I would love to seem them pursuing that trademark through the courts. They may see it as a way of bailing themselves out of the financial mire. It is more likely to dig them even deeper into it.
Even if they have some tenuous hold on the title, the RI looks like a "bunch of plonkers"© by inserting silly symbols in email messages.
Next thing you know they will insist that it has to be all in capital letters.
MK
**********************************************************************
Commands - send an email (any subject) to [log in to unmask] with one of the following messages (ignoring text in brackets)
• set psci-com nomail (to stop receiving messages while on holiday) • set psci-com mail (to resume getting messages) • signoff psci-com (to leave the list) • Subscribe here https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?A0=psci-com
Contact list owner at [log in to unmask] Small print and JISCMail acceptable use policy https://sites.google.com/site/pscicomjiscmail/the-small-print
**********************************************************************
**********************************************************************
Commands - send an email (any subject) to [log in to unmask] with one of the following messages (ignoring text in brackets)
• set psci-com nomail (to stop receiving messages while on holiday)
• set psci-com mail (to resume getting messages)
• signoff psci-com (to leave the list)
• Subscribe here https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?A0=psci-com
Contact list owner at [log in to unmask]
Small print and JISCMail acceptable use policy https://sites.google.com/site/pscicomjiscmail/the-small-print
**********************************************************************
|