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8 June 2017Copyright

UK general election: what the political parties say about IP

As Britain goes to the polls today to elect its new Prime Minister, WIPR looks at each party's manifesto to see what they have to say on IP and innovation.

Conservatives

The Conservative Party, led by incumbent Prime Minister Theresa May, is one of only two major parties to specifically mention IP in its official manifesto.

In a pledge to make Britain the “best place for digital business”, the manifesto states that the party will “ensure there is a robust system for protection of IP when the UK has left the EU, with strong protections against infringement”.

There was no mention of specific policies in order to deliver this promise, but the government has previously pledged to  ratify the Unified Patent Court Agreement.

Labour

There was no specific mention of IP in the Labour Party manifesto, but the party has pledged to meet the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s target of spending 3% of the UK’s gross domestic product on research and innovation by 2030.

Labour set out six key industries to target growth in, including research and development and skills.

It added: “While our industrial strategy is one for growth across all sectors, Labour recognises that certain sectors are of strategic significanceto the economy.

“For each strategic industry, the next Labour government will establish a council to oversee its future security and growth.”

Liberal Democrats

The Liberal Democrats mentioned IP twice in its official manifesto.

The party has pledged to support “modern and flexible patent, copyright and licensing rules, and addressing the barriers to finance faced by small creative businesses”.

It also aims to “maintain current standards of IP protection with continuing co-operation on enforcement of IP generated in the UK”.

As part of its manifesto, the party has also pledged to work with the EU to “ensure the continuation of territorial licensing of rights”.

Scottish National Party

Although it did not specifically mention IP, the Scottish National Party has said it will call for a Scottish representative to be a member of the UK research and innovation board, which has the responsibility for allocating research funding to UK universities.

UK Independence Party

The UK Independence Party has claimed that current Prime Minister May has already showed signs of “capitulating” during the UK’s exit process from the EU, and wants Britain to push on with “freeing the UK from the jurisdiction of the European courts”.

It added that increased competition that will stem from the UK not being so reliant on “monopoly suppliers post-Brexit, is likely to fuel innovation and offer opportunities for the transfer of expertise and technology”.

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