Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/2010/08/24/ipo_future_policy/
Government calls for intellectual property evidence
'We need a competitive, innovative IP system'
Posted in Legal, 24th August 2010 11:08 GMT
The Intellectual Property Office is asking for evidence which might influence future policy.
The IPO said it wanted to answer some basic questions like how much British businesses spend on protecting their intellectual property, how much patents help push research spending, which firms make money out of intellectual property without using patents and whether trade marks help innovation and growth.
The bureaucrats are also working with German researchers to compare different international approaches to intellectual property protection.
Baroness Wilcox, intellectual property minister said: "Britain must have an intellectual property system that encourages innovation and is internationally competitive. The research programme will improve our understanding of intellectual property and its economic value."
The IPO, which recently swallowed the responsibilities of the Strategic Advisory Board for Intellectual Property Policy, will also consider the role of European Union copyright levies and look at firms using alternatives to patents to protect their property.
The IPO release is here. ®