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Alliance seeks industry IP input

October 18, 2013

By Colin Mann

The Alliance for Intellectual Property – a UK-based coalition of 24 trade associations concerned with ensuring that intellectual property rights are valued in the UK and that a legislative regime exists which enables the value and contribution of these rights to be fully realised – has launched an exercise to hear from creators and businesses, on how IP can be better promoted and protected to make the UK the best place to invest in an IP-rich company by 2020.

With European elections in 2014 and a General Election in 2015, the Alliance believes now is the time for IP businesses to make their voice heard and will be taking its findings to all the major parties in the run-up to these elections.

The survey was launched at the Alliance’s third annual conference, which heard from Rt Hon Vince Cable MP, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, Michel Barnier, the European Commissioner responsible for the Internal Market and Services. Other contributors at the event included Mike Weatherley MP, the Prime Minister’s IP adviser, Lord Clement-Jones and Arlene McCarthy MEP.

Both Cable and Barnier said they understood how vital IP was to the economies of the UK and Europe. Cable said it was the bedrock of the economy whilst Barnier highlighted a recent report that had found that 40 per cent of Europe’s GDP was reliant on IP.

Susie Winter, Director General of the Alliance for Intellectual Property, noting that the UK produces world-beating content, is home to sought-after global brands and some of the world’s best designers, said the conference was a great opportunity to hear the views of a group of politicians whose decisions have a significant impact on our businesses. “We all now need to think to the future about what it is that we need from them over the next few years so that, by 2020, the UK is the best place to start, build and base an IP-rich business. This is not intended to be a re-run of past reviews into the intellectual property framework. Rather it is designed to look at what the next Government should, or indeed should not, do to ensure the UK’s IP-rich businesses flourish,” she stated.

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