The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has published its new intellectual property counter-infringement and enforcement strategy.
By setting a new “global gold standard”, the five-year plan aims to make UK intellectual property rights the “best protected in the world”.
Under the new plans, the regulator will seek to establish how national enforcement agencies, Government and industry can work together to “build upon and improve current structures”.
The recommendations include:
- Creating a new national centre of excellence for the development and analysis of intelligence relating to intellectual property infringement
- To coordinate enforcement campaigns with Trading Standards, Border Force and the police to develop intelligence and fight against IP crime and infringement in local regions
- To work collaboratively with enforcement agencies to review how IP crime is recorded
- To develop the structures and membership of the IP Crime Group; and
- To develop impactful campaigns to reduce IP crime and infringement.
Commenting on the plans, IPO Chief Executive Tim Moss said: “IP drives innovation and investment, and is at the heart of the government’s Innovation Strategy. The infringement of IP rights poses a significant threat to this. It undermines the confidence IP rights give to businesses and investors, damages the economy, and has grave consequences for consumer safety and communities.
“Our new strategy lays the groundwork for us to tackle IP crime and infringement in all areas, now and in the future. Our commitments within the new strategy are exciting and ambitious, and we believe they will have a real impact in the fight against IP crime at regional, national and international levels.”
According to the OECD, IP crime and infringement cost UK rights holders some £8.6 billion, or around 1.95 per cent of total sales, in 2013 (the latest data available).
The organisation also found that at least 86,300 jobs were lost due to counterfeiting and piracy in 2016, compared to 60,000 jobs lost in 2013.
The total worldwide cost of intellectual property crime, meanwhile, reached an estimated $461 billion (£340.5 billion) in 2019 – around 2.5 per cent of global trade.
Click here to learn more about the Intellectual Property Counter-Infringement Strategy.
For help and advice with related matters, please get in touch with our intellectual property team today.