Farewell

This is my last day as a member of the IPKat team, ending a 15-year journey. During that time, I have been grateful for the opportunity to share with the IPKat community my thoughts on IP within its broader cultural, social, philosophical, commercial, and historical contexts.

No other platform could have allowed me to engage in my passion for IP, sometimes in the form of (hopefully) hard-nosed analysis, other times as flights of intellectual fancy, with whispers of "quirky" in the background.

When founder Jeremy Phillips asked me to join IPKat, Gordon Brown was Prime Minister, Alex Ferguson was manager of Manchester United, and WhatsApp wasn't. It took time to find my authorial voice in the blog format, during which Jeremy was both helpful and supportive.

Until my last day on IPKat, I continue to ask: am I up to the task? You put yourself out for all to see, and you are only as good (or bad) as your last blog post. And there is also your day job to think about; not once would Mrs. Kat ask: what really was my day job?

My most difficult moment: trying to explain to one of my children why we spell the name of the blog with a "K" rather than a "C".

The IPKat team has been a source of pride and satisfaction. I have watched it expand in number and embrace members from around the world. I have relished the opportunity to work with its talented members, past and present, both to nurture and support as well as to learn. It is because of you that the IPKat has become a unique resource for the IP world.

Thanks also to IPKat readers. It is your engagement with our contents that has enabled us to create a unique IP community, making our efforts worthwhile. I was delighted to be able to help in this endeavor.

All that is left is to mount my pony and ride off into the IP sunset.