Happy New Year: here's some Kat News

New Year partying in Katland was always a sedate and somewhat genteel affair ...

The IPKat, Merpel and their friends hope that last year was a good one for you and wish you a happy new one too. They have some Kat news to report:

Regular team members

It is with great sadness and also a good deal of pride that we say farewell to Nicola Searle, she of Katonomics fame. As mentioned in a recent post, Nicola’s departure is the fruit of her own success: no doubt it was her excellent blog posts over the past year that caused the UK’s Intellectual Property Office to take her on as Economic Adviser. Good luck, Nicola, we shall miss you!

Another team member — Catherine Lee (alias Cat the Kat) — is stepping down, though this time it’s only to take a sabbatical from blogging while she transitions herself into a new career. We look forward to her return from what he hope will be a good and refreshing break.

Who will fill Nicola’s and Catherine’s places? The team is pleased to announce that it has at least one experienced IP blogger lined up. Current guest Kat Eleonora Rosati will be stepping up and assuming the mantle of regular team status. Eleonora’s appointment broadly coincides with her move to Cambridge University, where she will be pursuing her IP research interests with nothing worse to distract her than the constant quacking of ducks on the River Cam.

 The Kats hope to unveil the identity of a second full team member within a week.

Guest Kats for the period 1 January to 30 June 2013

First, we say a fond farewell to departing guest Kats Robert Cumming and Kate Manning, whose contributions over the past six months have been greatly appreciated.  Merpel agrees with the IPKat that the IP world will surely hear a good deal more from these talented souls -- and sooner, rather than later. Kate, incidentally, joins IPKat team blogger Jeremy in compiling the European Trade Mark Reports, of which she becomes Deputy Editor.

Two fresh faces are stepping up as guest Kats this time around. The first is Jeff John Roberts, who occupies a lawyer-journalist space somewhere in the vicinity of North America and has recently published an e-book, The Battle for the Books, about Google’s ambitious bid to create the world’s biggest library.

The second is Matthias Lamping, a Senior Research Fellow at the Max Planck Institute, Munich, and whose interests include property rights for technical innovation and antitrust law.

We wish both new guests the best of blogging luck for the coming six months.

2012 in facts and figures

Over the past twelve months the number of people following the IPKat on Twitter has risen from 3,410 to 5,250

The number of email subscribers to the IPKat has shot up from 6,280 to 8,074 -- though it did shoot down again to 8,072 shortly before midnight ...

Visits to the IPKat’s website rose from 822,862 in 2011 to a gratifying 1,206,626 in 2012.

Thank you again

No occupant of the blogosphere can take its readers for granted -- and the IPKat makes no apologies for saying "thanks" all over again to the wonderful encouragement he, Merpel and all the team have received from their readership. Your comments, suggestions, links and criticisms have all added to the rich tapestry of IP news and comment which gives this weblog its distinctive flavour.  Thanks!