Nicholas Pumfrey facts for kids

Sir Nicholas Richard Pumfrey (born 22 May 1951 – died 24 December 2007) was an important British judge. He worked as a High Court judge for 10 years. Just before he passed away, he was promoted to an even higher court, the Court of Appeal.

Early Life and Learning

Nicholas Pumfrey grew up in Bristol, England. His father was a solicitor, which is a type of lawyer. Nicholas went to St Edward's School, Oxford for his education.

Later, in 1969, he went to St Edmund Hall, Oxford university. He first studied Physics and earned a degree in 1972. After that, he studied Law and got another degree in 1974.

His Career as a Judge

Nicholas Pumfrey became a barrister in 1975. A barrister is a lawyer who speaks in court. He became very good at a special type of law called intellectual property law. This area of law deals with new ideas, inventions, and creative works, like songs or books.

From 1987 to 1990, he worked for the government on patent cases. Patents protect new inventions. In 1990, he became a QC, which is a special title for experienced barristers.

In 1997, he became a High Court judge in the Chancery Division. This part of the court handles complex business and property cases. When he became a judge, he was also given the title of Knight, so he was called Sir Nicholas.

One famous case he handled involved Prince Jefri of Brunei and his accountants. Judge Pumfrey's decision in this case was later supported by the highest court in the UK.

He often spoke at a big meeting about intellectual property law in New York City. He also taught at an institute in Munich, Germany. He was the first British judge to join a special board at the European Patent Office in Munich. This board helps decide important patent cases for Europe.

In November 2007, he was promoted to the Court of Appeal. This is one of the highest courts in the UK. He became a Lord Justice of Appeal.

Personal Life

Nicholas Pumfrey owned a house in Provence, France. There, he enjoyed keeping bees and looking for truffles, which are special types of mushrooms.

When he was younger, he liked cycling. Later, he enjoyed riding BMW motorcycles. He was a member of the Garrick Club, a famous club in London. He never married.

In 2007, he was diagnosed with a heart condition and high blood pressure. He sadly passed away on 24 December 2007, at the age of 56, after having a stroke. His funeral was held in London in January 2008.

Important Decisions as a Judge

Justice Pumfrey made several important decisions during his time as a judge:

• Navitaire v Easyjet (2004): In this case, he decided that the way a computer program looks and feels cannot be protected by copyright law unless you can see the program's actual code. This decision helped clarify how copyright works for computer programs.

• Cantor Fitzgerald v Tradition UK (2001): He ruled that copying even a small part of a computer program's code could be a serious copyright problem if that copied part was original and important. It didn't matter if the program could still work without the copied code.

• Sandman v Panasonic: He decided that one creative effort could lead to both a literary copyright (like for writing) and an artistic copyright (like for a drawing). He gave the example of a poem written in a beautiful, artistic way, like a calligraphic poem shaped like a cat.