WELCOME AND INTRODUCTORY REMARKS

Professor Malcom Grant My Lords, ladies and gentlemen, I am Malcolm Grant, the President and Provost of UCL. On behalf of the whole UCL community, it gives me great pleasure to welcome this hugely distinguished audience to our campus this evening. It gives me particular pleasure because of my own personal friendship with the late Sir Hugh Laddie and the circumstances under which we were so fortunate a few years ago to be able to attract Hugh, after his distinguished career at the Bar and equally distinguished career on the Bench, to come to what he regarded, I think, as his most formative and exciting career as a professor at UCL. I say that with some seriousness – although it is difficult always to be serious about Hugh – because he felt that at the Bar he had done so much to shape the character and development of intellectual property law, with the development of the Anton Piller order, for example, and on the Bench he had done a great deal, but was oft en frustrated by those in the higher courts who did not always see the truth of the right way ahead.

Judge Rader Was that Robin, just to be clear? (Laughter)

Professor Malcom Grant I will turn to Robin, if I may, in a moment. I have reserved the last part of my opening comments for exactly that purpose. The great tragedy that hit us all on 29 November 2008 was Hugh's premature death and it was an occasion that caused dismay right across the professional community but also among the new community, which is his students, those who had had the huge fortune to learn from him and find their own career in intellectual property or in other areas of legal endeavours.

I am delighted tonight to have the opportunity to welcome Hugh's family: Stecia, Joanna and James are with us. How delighted Hugh would have been to have learnt of James‘ appointment as Silk earlier this year, for which warmest congratulations, James. (Applause)

We resolved that we should never forget Hugh, we should have this annual lecture – this is the fourth in a series – and that we should also raise funds to create an endowed chair in intellectual property law in Hugh's name.