MARQUES has an active and quite lively LinkedIn Group, which has been running for some years and now has over 3,200 participants.

This LinkedIn Group is moderated, which means two things:

* if someone who does not have an obvious interest in trade marks and brands applies to join it, we don't admit them to the group without first asking them why they want to join;

* postings to the group are allowed only for the purposes of either starting a discussion or participating in one. We do not allow the posting of advertising and recruitment material, or unqualified linkings to the websites of professional practitioners and other services.

Since some members of the group may have had difficulty in understanding this, let me explain: you can start a discussion by making a statement and inviting people to comment on it, or by asking a question and inviting answers.

Since this LinkedIn group is highly focused on trade marks and brands in Europe, and in the interests pursued by European trade mark and brand owners when seeking to protect and exploit their assets, there is no point in trying to start a discussion on any topic unrelated to this area.  For example, in recent weeks several people have sought to open discussions on topics such as US software and biotech patents.  These are important subjects, but this is not the forum for discussing them.

Please do make use of this LinkedIn group, which you can access from the MARQUES home page.  But do bear in mind what the group is used for!