The Know Daily - Thursday 20 April 2023

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The European Parliament has backed the world’s first carbon import tax following nearly two years of negotiations. The pioneering reforms will make EU climate change policies “more ambitious”, said Reuters, and will “hike the cost of polluting in Europe”. The tax needs final approval from EU countries before it officially comes into effect in October, but that is usually just a formality.

👩‍🎓 Student satisfaction in the spotlight

University students made a record number of complaints last year to the higher education watchdog in England and Wales, which has now expressed concerns over “increasing levels of distress” among students.

How many complaints were made?
The Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) received 2,850 complaints in 2022, a 3% increase on the year before. This resulted in financial compensation of more than £1 million in total, with the watchdog reporting that 25% of complaints were justified, partly justified or settled in the student’s favour.

What were the majority about?
There was a rise in complaints relating to academic appeals, which the OIA said likely reflected the end of “no detriment” or safety net policies which had protected students’ grades from disruption during the pandemic. Just under a quarter of the 2022 complaints related to Covid, compared to more than a third of the complaints received in 2021.

Felicity Mitchell, the independent adjudicator, said it had been another difficult year for students and universities, with the cost-of-living crisis and strikes being major factors behind this. “We are seeing increasing levels of distress among students who are struggling to cope, and this is a major concern,” she said.

Is there anything else I should know?
The jump in complaints comes amid a soaring demand for university places in the UK. According to the admissions service UCAS, there could be a million applicants for higher education by 2030 - around 250,000 more than last year.

When launching a new report later today, Cambridge University’s head of admissions will say that school-leavers must include a safety net choice amid this intense competition for places, The Times has reported.

💅 Rebekah Vardy’s revenge

Rebekah Vardy made headlines yesterday for successfully trademarking the phrase “Wagatha Christie” - despite not coming up with the pun herself. But how is that possible?

Tell me more.
The trademark, which was registered in August, means that anyone wishing to use “Wagatha Christie” commercially will need to get Vardy’s permission to do so - and pay her for the privilege. Documents obtained by The Mirror show that it covers everything from clothing and non-alcoholic beverages to broadcasting, education and beauty.

Reports suggest that the wife of Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy could use the costs to pay Coleen Rooney’s legal fees - estimated to be around £1.5m - after losing the libel case she brought against Rooney last summer.

So can anyone trademark anything?
Speaking to the BBC, intellectual property lawyer Elizabeth Ward explained that Vardy “did not have to have originated the phrase in order to trademark it”.

This isn’t the first time that someone has sought to protect the usage of a term they didn’t specifically come up with. Last year, NPR reported that the phrase “White Lives Matter” had been trademarked by two black radio DJs in the US. “You can prevent bad things from happening by owning it. You can shape the outcomes,” one explained.

How easy is it to register a trademark?
When someone registers for a trademark, the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) will initially check whether it is the same as (or similar to) any existing trademarks.

The IPO will also investigate whether the proposed trademark keeps within the rules, for example by not containing swear words, pornographic images or official emblems. Registering a trade mark starts from £170, depending on how many different forms you want to protect your brand in.

Although Vardy managed to successfully claim ownership of “Wagatha Christie”, celebrities trying to trademark their catchphrases, children’s names and even their prayer posture have been met with mixed results over the years. In 2019, the Vardys failed in a bit to trademark Jamie Vardy’s catchphrase “chat s***, get banged”, with the IPO ruling it too rude.

What next?
Vardy’s trademark is “already creating headaches” for the team behind Vardy V Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial, reported Sky News. In a statement, a producer of the hit West End show said the story “continues to have more twists and turns than an Agatha Christie thriller”.

🤳 Selfie tax: Tourists in the Italian town of Portofino could be fined for posing for selfies. No-waiting zones have been introduced in popular beauty spots to stop visitors from “lingering”.

👩‍🌾 Rewards for green gardeners: New research from the University of Sheffield has suggested that eco-friendly gardeners - for example, ones who use environmentally sensitive techniques - should be given a cut in their council tax or pay reduced water bills.

📈 Population take-over: India will soon surpass China as the world’s most populous nation and will have almost three million more people by mid-2023, data released by the UN on Wednesday showed.

🐽 Endangered pigs: The Rare Breeds Survival Trust has warned that UK native pig breeds are at risk of dying out, with the nation’s pig population falling from about eight million in the 1990s to just over five million today.

🎶 Cassette come-back: According to new analysis, cassette tape sales in 2022 hit their highest level since 2003, driven by recent releases from artists including Arctic Monkeys, Harry Styles and Florence + the Machine.

Trivia answer: B) The 47-year-old runner is thought to have travelled by car for 2.5 miles of the 50 mile race. Alarm bells were raised after GPX mapping data suggested that she covered an entire mile in just one minute 40 seconds.

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