Scheme offering free IP advice launches in UK
The UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has launched a scheme offering free legal advice and support to intellectual property owners locked in legal disputes.
Revealed yesterday, October 17, the pro bono scheme is designed to help small businesses and individuals.
The IP Pro Bono scheme was launched by Sean Dennehey, acting chief executive of the IPO, and offers advice on patent, trademark, design and copyright disputes.
Dennehey said: “I am delighted to mark the launch of this new service. I am sure that the service will prove invaluable to those businesses struggling to afford the costs of professional representation.”
Managed by the professional body for patent attorneys in the UK, the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys, the scheme is a collaboration between IP organisations including the Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys and the Law Society.
The scheme was set up in response to a challenge set by Richard Hacon, presiding judge of the UK Intellectual Property Enterprise Court, for IP legal services providers to offer advice and support to unrepresented claimants and defendants in IP disputes.
WIPR has also reported that the World Intellectual Property Organization has launched a global programme aimed at helping inventors in developing countries to file patents for their inventions.
