Hugh Laddie
Encyclopedia
Sir Hugh Ian Lang Laddie (15 April 1946 — 28 November 2008 ) was a British
High Court
judge
, lawyer, professor, and a specialist in intellectual property
law. He was considered one the leading English judges and academics in the field of intellectual property law. He was co-author of the Modern Law of Copyright (1980).
Laddie was educated at Aldenham School
and St Catharine's College, Cambridge
. He studied medicine but changed to law. He became a barrister
in 1969. He is credited with having invented the Anton Piller order while still a junior. After 25 years at the IP bar, he was appointed as a High Court judge in April 1995, and joined the Chancery Division, mainly hearing cases in the Patents Court.
He resigned from his post as a judge in 2005 "because he found it boring" and felt isolated on the bench. He became a consultant for Willoughby & Partners, an IP boutique and UK legal arm of Rouse & Co International, a move which was criticized by some. He is thought to be the first High Court judge to resign voluntarily in 35 years, and the first subsequently to join a firm of solicitors. No one since Sir Henry Fisher, in 1970, had resigned from the bench.
He was appointed to a Chair in Intellectual Property Law at University College London
, with effect from 1 September 2006. He founded there the Institute of Brand and Innovation Law. The Sir Hugh Laddie chair in Intellectual Property has subsequently been established at UCL.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
High Court
High Court of Justice
The High Court of Justice is, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, one of the Senior Courts of England and Wales...
judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
, lawyer, professor, and a specialist in intellectual property
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
law. He was considered one the leading English judges and academics in the field of intellectual property law. He was co-author of the Modern Law of Copyright (1980).
Laddie was educated at Aldenham School
Aldenham School
Aldenham School is a co-educational independent school for pupils aged thirteen to eighteen, located between Elstree and the village of Aldenham in Hertfordshire, England...
and St Catharine's College, Cambridge
St Catharine's College, Cambridge
St. Catharine’s College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1473, the college is often referred to informally by the nickname "Catz".-History:...
. He studied medicine but changed to law. He became a barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
in 1969. He is credited with having invented the Anton Piller order while still a junior. After 25 years at the IP bar, he was appointed as a High Court judge in April 1995, and joined the Chancery Division, mainly hearing cases in the Patents Court.
He resigned from his post as a judge in 2005 "because he found it boring" and felt isolated on the bench. He became a consultant for Willoughby & Partners, an IP boutique and UK legal arm of Rouse & Co International, a move which was criticized by some. He is thought to be the first High Court judge to resign voluntarily in 35 years, and the first subsequently to join a firm of solicitors. No one since Sir Henry Fisher, in 1970, had resigned from the bench.
He was appointed to a Chair in Intellectual Property Law at University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
, with effect from 1 September 2006. He founded there the Institute of Brand and Innovation Law. The Sir Hugh Laddie chair in Intellectual Property has subsequently been established at UCL.
Personal life
Hugh Laddie married Stecia Zamet in 1970. He died of cancer on 28 November 2008, aged 62.External links
- Sir Hugh Laddie bio at University College London website
- IPKatIPKatIPKat is a law blog founded in June 2003, and dedicated to intellectual property law . In 2008, it was reported as being "one of the best-known and most successful of all law blogs"....
, Obituary of Sir Hugh Laddie, 30 November 2008 - William Patry, In Memoriam Sir Hugh Laddie, The Patry Copyright Blog, 30 November 2008.
- Obituary in The Guardian, 2 December 2008
- Obituary in The Daily Telegraph, 3 December 2008
- Obituary in The Times, 5 December 2008