Balkan military officials and other experts said China may have gleaned knowledge from a US F-117 Nighthawk that was shot down over Serbia in 1999. Full story at The Guardian.

Final juries took place on Tuesday giving us plenty of food for thought as we prepare for the christmas break and China soon after. Many thanks to our guest critics: Shumi Bose, Kieran Long, Madelon Vriesendorp, Asif Kahn, David Knight, Beatrice Galilee & Brett Steele

Within 24 hours of the engagement of Prince William last month, Bruce Zhou was selling replicas of the famous Diana engagement ring on Alibaba.com for a few dollars each.

Full story at FT online.

Jonathan Glancey reports on the rise of copycat buildings in China

A new series on Channel 4 sees famous people reconstruct their childhood homes in order explain how they came to be the way they are. The Guardian newspaper has written a wish-list of celebrity homes they would prefer to see on the show.

full story here

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Adrian Johns, professor in the Department of History at the University of Chicago, expert on the history of science and the history of the book, and author of the new book, Piracy: The Intellectual Property Wars from Guttenberg to Gates, discusses the history of intellectual property and piracy. He discusses origins of copyright law in London, the first pirates, and today’s digital piracy. He also addresses the future of books and potential tipping points that could prompt changes in copyright law, citing the Google Books project and pharmaceuticals in the developing world.

More here

This ad, in the current issue of Frieze tells us something about the relationship of place, history and culture. It is an advert placed in a high culture magazine (Frieze) by a bank (Credit Swisse) that communicates not only the fact that they have sponsored the National Gallery (a high art institution) but also their connection to the staging of the Canaletto show. The illustration transports (through the technique of collage) the ‘arrival’ of Venice in London, replacing Trafalgar Square with a touristic photograph of Venice complete with gondoliers.

It reminds us of this set of collage images, but it also suggests that Venice is copyable. And that its copying is linked to culture, to finance and to entertainment.