Congratulations, Sir Nicholas Forwood!

Congratulations to Sir Nicholas 
Forwood

The AmeriKat is delighted to offer her and the entire IPKat team's congratulations to one of the recipients of this year's New Years Honours.  The list has revealed the name of at least one character in the field of IP law - that of The Hon Judge Nicholas Forwood QC  - who has been honored with a Knight Bachelor  in the Diplomatic Service and Overseas List for services to European justice.

For over 16 years until this October, Sir Nicholas has acted as the UK judge at General Court dealing with over 1500 cases, of which he acted as juge rapporteur in almost 500.  His path to Luxembourg saw him educated at Cambridge University with a degree in Mechanical Sciences and Law and called to the English Bar in 1970.  He took silk in 1987.

The official entry states:

"As the UK judge of the EU General Court and the Chair of a chamber for six years, Judge Forwood has made a significant contribution to the development of EU law and took part in many of the Court’s leading judgements. He played a leading role in the development of procedural reforms which substantially improved the functioning of the General Court. He was a founding trustee of European Children in Crisis (ECiC), a charity to aid children and their families facing personal crises associated with moving between countries and cultures; and a governor of St George’s International School in Luxembourg where he took the lead in the transformation of the school from a small private school into a non-profit organisation with over 600 students." 

In IP, Sir Nicholas is known primarily for his involvement in trade mark questions.  This past October he appeared as one of the panelists at UCL IBIL/Marques' Question the Trade Mark Judges event. In Spring 2014, Sir Nicholas also got involved in the UPC debate when he wrote to then Chairman of the UPC Preparatory Committee, Paul van Beukering, about the controversial interpretation of Article 83 Unified Patent Court Agreement which governs the transitional provisions of the UPC "opt out" regime.

The AmeriKat also notes that Sir James Dyson, often a critic of IP law (see posts here), has also been given the Order of Merit for his contributions to industrial design (although his and his legal team could have been honored for their significant contribution to the field of IP law - see posts here).

If the AmeriKat has missed any other IP law worthy candidates on the list, please let her know at theipkat@gmail.com.  In the meantime, on behalf of the entire IPKat Team we wish our readers a joyous and safe New Years' Eve celebration.  We will be back tomorrow with a round-up of this year's top IPKat stories.