The most read IAM blog stories of 2017 revealed as we take a break. See you at the start of 2018!

We are taking a short break on the IAM blog to celebrate the Christmas and New Year, and to recharge our batteries after what has been an extremely busy 2017. Since the start of January, Google Analytics tells me, we have had just over 154,000 unique users – a huge jump on the 2016 total – who, between them, have visited us 286,000 times.

The top 10 countries from which our visitors hail are, in order: 1. the US; 2. the UK; 3. China; 4. Japan; 5. India; 6. Germany; 7. Canada; 8. South Korea; 9. Taiwan; and 10. France. In terms of cities, the list goes like this: 1. New York; 2. San Francisco; 3. London; 4. Washington DC; 5. Beijing; 6. Alexandria; 7. Chicago; 8. Munich; 9. Seoul; and 10. Dallas.  Overall, the US accounts for just under 50% of our readership, but echoing developments in the IP market generally, we have seen a significant rise in the number of readers we have from China and elsewhere in Asia. That is very gratifying.

In 2017, IAM has expanded its editorial coverage and the size of its team. Two journalists who had done great things for us over the years – Jack Ellis and Sara Jayne Clover – left for pastures new with our gratitude and best wishes; but we brought in three excellent replacements – Bing Zhao, Tim Au and Adam Houldsworth – who have ensured the ongoing quality of our output, while allowing us to increase its frequency. To them and to the other members of the team – North America editor Richard Lloyd, Asia-Pacific editor Jacob Schindler and senior staff writer Tim Lince – I’d like to say a very big thank-you.

Of course, I would also like to extend a heartfelt thanks to each and every one of our readers. Without you, none of us would be here. Your support, advice, criticisms and tip-offs are absolutely essential and are always very gratefully received. Here’s wishing all of you who celebrate it a very Merry Christmas and everyone the happiest of New Years.

Unless anything extraordinary happens we’ll be back on 2^nd January with Part One of our Personalities of 2017 listing. In the meantime, here are the IAM blog’s most read stories of 2017. 

1. Apple and Iwncomm's China SEP dispute spills over into bitter shouting match at Beijing IP conference – 5^th September
2. Alice blow means Asian university’s pioneering US patent enforcement drive may be over just months after it began - 9th May
3. Damages fall in 2016 despite biggest ever US payout – 11^th May
4. I possess the energy, experience and ability to make patents great again, says Rader in pitch for USPTO top job – 2^nd February
5. The Battistelli era will soon be over at the EPO; perhaps the current EUIPO boss is being lined up to succeed him – 4^th July
6. Apple's deal with a Korean NPE indicates the patents involved were of very high quality – 16^th July
7. IV pulls back from patent acquisition market to focus on monetising existing portfolio through sale and licence – 4^th April
8. IAM exclusive: Google IP head Lo jumps to Facebook – 14^th August
9. Patent litigation falls dramatically in 2016 as NPEs shift their focus away from the richest companies – 4^th January
10. IAM Exclusive: John Amster leaves RPX – 3^rd February
11. The Oil States case could be one of those rare instances where SCOTUS sides with the CAFC – 13^th June
12. Avanci and PanOptis come under auspices of single holding group; new platforms planned
13. The man who brought patent monetisation to BlackBerry becomes latest big name corporate IP departure – 17^th September
14. New $50 million patent fund underlines latest era in IP investment – 3^rd August
15. The $2 billion Apple licensing deal validates Nokia's portfolio and its strategy; expect more to follow – 31^st July
16. AT&T, Lenovo and Rambus back new platform to invest patents in start-ups – 2^nd August
17. Sharp asks California court to terminate licence with Hisense, saying Chinese partner is damaging its brand – 12^th June
18. New licensing vehicle will be offering a slice of 12,000 former Nokia patents for just $100,000 – 30^th October
19. The UK's first-ever court decision on FRAND/SEP licensing could be a global game-changer – 7^th April
20. White & Case and Fitch Even revealed as the top law firms at the PTAB, according to new research – 9^th May