Intellectual Property Bill

This is a Bill announced in the Queen’s Speech this May which makes some valuable changes to the law applicable to designs both registered and unregistered and introduces a new Unified Patent Court to enforce the EU Unitary patent.

The Intellectual Property bill had its Second Reading on 22nd May. Whilst most of it’s provisions are welcome there are a number of omissions that we argued should be corrected during the passage of the Bill through the House of Lords, in particular to align criminal offences for registered designs with those of unregistered design, to provide a remedy for lookalike products which mislead the consumer and to align criminal penalties for digital and physical copyright infringement.

See the 2nd Reading Debate here:

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201314/ldhansrd/text/130522-0001.htm#13052251000684

See my speech on Second Reading on the 22nd May advocating the addition of criminal sanctions for infringement of unregistered design as well as registered design rights:

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201314/ldhansrd/text/130522-0001.htm#13052251000635

and, my contributions at Committee Stage:

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201314/ldhansrd/text/130611-gc0001.htm#13061188000297

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201314/ldhansrd/text/130613-gc0001.htm#13061344000233

and, again at Report Stage:

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201314/ldhansrd/text/130723-0001.htm#13072350000686