Intellectual property (IP) protection could help your business copyright printed or digital content, secure visual designs, patent technical aspects of your product or service, and protect trade marks. Even beyond these key areas IP protection exists to protect and nurture innovation and creativity.
Protecting IP can be critical to ensuring success. It’s therefore essential for any business to review what IP assets they own, decide how valuable IP is to their business, and what they need to do to protect it.
Government action
A recent independent review of intellectual property reported to the Government in December 2006, suggesting a number of reforms to ensure the UK’s Intellectual Property system is compatible with the digital age.
The review highlighted the need to tackle IP crime in the creative industries. From April 07, Trading Standards Officers will have the authority to enforce copyright offences. In addition, IP crime has been recognised as an area for Police action in the updated National Community Safety Plan.
The government also wants to help businesses “recognise, protect and maximise the value of their intellectual property”. As part of the Patent Office’s Innovation Support Strategy, a pilot scheme offering IP health checks to small businesses began last month and will report on its progress in 2008.
Further consultations are taking place reviewing areas including:
- options for implementation of the recommendations on UK copyright exceptions,
- Patent Office fees,
- fast-track services for the grant of patents and registration of trade marks,
- civil damages and fast track litigation,
- accelerated examination of a patent application where examination has already taken place in another country.
Source - Budget 2007 - Economic and Fiscal Strategy Report, Chapter 3
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