The Government has been urged to do everything it can to uphold Intellectual Property (IP) rights during Brexit negotiations with the European Union (EU).
The calls, which come from the British Fashion Council amongst other trade bodies, follow a study carried out by the Creative Industries Federation (CFI), which suggested that the loss or hindrance of current IP laws was one of the industry’s biggest concerns surrounding Britain’s eventual departure from the EU.
More than 500 individuals and industry groups contributed to a 73-page report on the matter, which was presented to Culture Secretary Karen Bradley last week.
The comprehensive study found that designers could potentially be vulnerable to overseas competitors copying their brands, if adequate safeguards were not enforced and maintained post-Brexit.
A CFI spokesperson has since suggested that the Government must “uphold intellectual property rights including copyright in trade deals, especially in new markets with bad infringement records.”
CFI chief executive, John Kampfner, stressed that it was important for ministers to do all they could to secure “jobs, the revenues and the prestige” associated with the creative industries.
He added that the UK creative sector was currently the fastest growing part of Britain’s economy.