The Leeds City Region has the greatest concentration of professional and financial expertise in the UK outside London.
Great international law firms such as Addleshaw Goddard, DLA Piper, Hammonds and Pinsent Curtis have their roots in the region. So, too, do great patent agencies like Appleyard Lees and Harrison Goddard Foote. Having a population of nearly 3 million and 100,000 businesses the region needs an accessible and cost-effective local forum for the resolution of intellectual property disputes.
S.287 (1) of the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 enables the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice any county court as a patents county court and confer on it special jurisdiction to hear and determine patents and designs cases and ancillary matters. Yesterday, our sister blog IP North West carried an article "A Patents County Court for the North". We support that call. Ideally, we should like the Leeds County Court to be designated as a Patents County Court but a designation of any county court anywhere within the M62 corridor would be welcomed by businesses and intellectual property professionals throughout Yorkshire and the Humber.
As IP North West said, this is the best time to campaign for a Patents County Court for the North with the introduction of the new Patents County Rules, the publication of "The Blueprint for Technology" and the Hargreaves review into intellectual property. It also fits in well with another Coalition policy of kick starting local growth by providing the best possible conditions for business (see "Local Growth: realising every place's potential").
If you want to discuss this article or this campaign for a Patents County Court for the North, give us a ring on 0113 320 3232 or contact us through this form.
