The edited collection Research Handbook on the History of Trademark Law edited by Lionel Bently and Robert G. Bone (G. Rollie White Chair Emeritus in Law, The University of Texas School of Law) and published in October has been named 'Best book on Trade Mark Law' by popular IP blog IPKat.
IPKat awards their Book of the Year Awards annually, based on a vote by their readership.
Presenting a variety of historiographical approaches, the Research Handbook explores the historical development of trademarks and the associated commercial practices of branding. It has an international scope, covering trademark history in Australia, Israel, pre-modern Europe, Sweden, the UK, and the US.
Launched in 2003 as a teaching aid for Intellectual Property Law students in London, the IPKat's blog has become a popular source of material, comment, and amusement for IP owners, practitioners, judges, students, and administrators.
In their review of the Handbook, IPKat said:
"This edited collection also makes an important call-to-action for more scholarly engagement with trade mark history. The chapters show that stories with ongoing relevance to present-day debates might remain hidden in archives, or in case law that has since been forgotten, and sometimes in places that we might not expect. The volume prompts us to consider that looking back might help trade mark law to move forward."