CIPA: Dealing with the shock waves of Brexit
The shock waves of the decision to leave the EU and the need to mitigate the real and potential confusion overseas about the effects of Brexit have continued to be a focal point of the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys’ (CIPA) external work.
We have reassured colleagues and stakeholders in key markets across the world that the status of the UK’s chartered patent attorneys will be largely unaffected by Brexit and that businesses around the world should continue to engage with UK firms with confidence.
More specifically, the European work of UK-based European patent attorneys will be unaffected by Brexit because the European Patent Office (EPO) is not an EU institution. This “business as usual” message has been reinforced by media statements from the EPO itself and through the launch of a CIPA animated video.
We have been fully focused on working towards ratification of the Unified Patent Court (UPC) Agreement and the UK’s continuing participation in the UPC post-Brexit; and working with the government, the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) and other stakeholders. Along with the Chartered Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys, we have lobbied for continued rights of representation before the European Union Intellectual Property Office and for trademark and design rights to be protected after Brexit.
CIPA’s International Liaison Committee continued to build on its strong relationships with intellectual property organisations and government bodies around the world. The Committee hosted visits from the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada, the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA), the Korea Patent Attorneys Association, the Japan Patent Attorneys Association and the China-Britain Business Council.
