Editorial
M. Névant (FR), Editorial Committee
Wir schaffen das!
4 years ago, at this time of the year, I was writing my first editorial in which I paid tribute to Terry Johnson, the former Chair of the Editorial Committee. With great sadness I learnt that Terry passed away three months ago in New Zealand, his country of adoption. Terry’s good spirits, immense knowledge and incomparable sense of humour will be greatly missed.
5860. Angela Merkel was in office as Chancellor (“Kanzlerin”) for so many days. Although Ms Merkel missed the record (held by Chancellor Helmut Kohl) by just 10 days, she nonetheless held the reins of the German government for 16 years (by far, more than the average life of a European patent), which is an incredible feat. Ms. Merkel had to deal (inter alia) with 4 US presidents, 4 French presidents, and 9 Italian Prime Ministers!
The ability to govern over the long term is a luxury that politicians can rarely afford. Ms Merkel had to handle a number of crises during her tenure, including a financial crisis, a migrant crisis, and most recently a sanitary crisis. Yet she stayed the course with her ideas and views of what was good for her country. I can only wish that the heads of the IP5 Offices could also have the luxury to serve and defend the interests of IP stakeholders over the long term.
As 2022 nears by, we are about to enter year 2 of the Covid-19 pandemic. Our Institute has managed to carry out its usual activities, through the work of the Presidium, Board and Committees, thanks to the (again) tremendous support of the Secretariat. Congratulations and warm thanks to all those who made this possible.
On behalf of the Editorial Committee, I sincerely wish all our readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
