CIPA Congress 2015: UKIPO director criticises ‘weak’ IP strategies
A director at the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has said that some businesses have “incredibly weak” approaches to protecting their intellectual property.
Speaking at the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA) Congress 2015, taking place in London, Rosa Wilkinson, the IPO’s innovation director, said there have been many such examples at the office.
“Big businesses like GSK have well developed strategies but that is not typical of business as a whole. Too many businesses we see have incredibly weak approaches to managing their IP.
“They often don’t think beyond simply registering their rights and don’t think about the wider steps and how to make the most of what is available,” she said today, October 1.
Wilkinson said the IPO was trying to help businesses by engaging with them face-to-face and also hosting events to help raise awareness of IP.
She added that change would start “with a conversation”.
CIPA’s theme for the next two days is called “the global IP system: is it fit for purpose?”
To address the question, Wilkinson showed delegates a video of UK innovators explaining their concerns with the country’s current IP system.
Concerns raised included the need for IP to be explained in “plain English” in both legislation and in conversation so that innovators know the best options available to them.
Wilkinson spoke after CIPA’s president for 2015, Angela Brewster.
Introducing the theme of this year’s congress, Brewster said it was time for patent attorneys and IP professionals to have “a new kind of dialogue” with their clients.
“Part of CIPA’s job is to promote public confidence in IP, but we can only do that if the system remains functional, credible and fair.
“We need to move on from a dialogue of talking, listening and talking, to one of talking, listening and then moving forward,” she said.
“If a business tells us that the costs and complexities of the IP system are making it unusable, we have to take feedback and make it better.”
The CIPA Congress 2015 runs from October 1 to 2.
