Born London, April 15, 1946. Died London, November 29, 2008, aged 62.
January 22, 2009 11:07Intellectual property expert Professor Sir Hugh Laddie became the leading authority and author on patents, trademarks and copyright protection.
Born into a legal family, he studied medicine at Cambridge but switched to the family profession. His father, brother and sister were all solicitors.
Choosing to go into advocacy, he was called to the Bar in 1969, specialising in the proliferating world of copyright. He took silk in 1986 and was knighted and made a high court judge in 1995.
He astounded the legal world when he resigned 10 years later to concentrate on his first love, lecturing to fellow-professionals. Appointed professor of intellectual property at University College London, he created the Institute of Brand and Innovation Law.
He continued his love of teaching through lecturing and writing until cancer intervened, and stressed the need to keep legally abreast of burgeoning developments in medical biotechnology.
A member of New London Synagogue, he came from an Orthodox background and loved Jewish tradition.
He is survived by his mother, his wife, Stecia née Zamet, whom he married in 1970, two sons, a daughter and six grandchildren.