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| Jane Lambert |
On 14 May 2014 the Intellectual Property Bill received royal assent and became an Act. It implements several of Prof Hargreaves's recommendations including implementation of the Council Agreement on the Unified Patent Court, accession to the Hague Agreement and enhancement of the examiner's opinion service for patents and its extension to designs. More controversially it creates for the first time an offence of intentionally copying a registered or registered Community design. My colleague Alex Rozycki and I gave a presentation on the new Act on the 19 May 2014. I also write my Reflections on the Intellectual Property Act 2014 in our IP and Tech law blog as well as detailed analyses on the effect of the Act on patent, registered designs and unregistered design right law.
There have been two important developments since them. The first is that Lady Neville-Rolfe, the Minister for Intellectual Property, has signed The Intellectual Property Act 2014 (Commencement No. 3 and Transitional Provisions) Order 2014 which brings many of the key provisions of the Act into force on 1 Oct 2014. The second (and potentially the more important) is the consultation on the Unified Patent Court which has just closed.
I shall be discussing those developments and much more besides in a talk that I am giving at the Leeds Business and IP Centre on the 15 Oct 2014 at 18:00 as part of Leeds Business Week. This is an in-depth seminar which should be of interest to specialist IP lawyers and patent and trade mark attorneys for which we plan to give SRA, BSB and, if it can be arranged in time, IPReg points. However, it will also be useful for business owners and managers of all descriptions in all industries as well as artists, designers, inventors and investors in start-ups and other high tech businesses.
Space is limited but you can reserve your place now by calling my clerk, George, on 01484 599090 or 020 7404 5252 or sending him a message through his contact form. I look forward to seeing you there.
