Government committed to tackling IP crime

11 Jun 2014 04:18 PM

Clothing, tobacco and alcohol, are the most common counterfeited items in the UK according to a new report. 

Clothing, followed by tobacco and alcohol, are the most common counterfeited items in the UK according to a new report published yesterday (11 June 2014), detailing the extent of intellectual property (IP) crime, and the UK’s response. The report was launched on the first day of the InternationalIP Enforcement Summit as the government underlined its commitment to tackling IP crime.

Opening the summit, Business Secretary Vince Cable outlined the importance of IP rich industries to the UK economy and society. Better collaboration, with industry and across borders, is a key theme of the summit on how to strengthen the fight against IP crime, estimated to account for 10% of global trade.

IP Minister Lord Younger said:

The value of IP to the economy is unquestionable. The UK invests much more in knowledge and ideas than it does in assets such as buildings and machinery, and IP intensive industries account for a third of all jobs in the EU.

The government is committed to supporting these industries and making sure that intellectual property rights are understood and respected. Working together is the best way to tackle this issue.

New figures published yesterday reveal the extent of intellectual property crime activity and the UK response. A special report, published for the InternationalIP Enforcement Summit, taking place in London over 11 and 12 June 2014, showed:

The Business Secretary also announced the strengthening of the enforcement relationship with China. Following his recent visit to Qingdao, where Dr Cable launched the Global Digital Media and Entertainment Alliance, he set out how the UK and China are working more closely to tackle intellectual property crime.

Lord Younger added:

The UK is a centre of excellence for intellectual property-rich companies and it is vital that we create the confidence for UK firms to grow overseas. Collaboration and partnership are key to that. The UK and China are working ever more closely to reduce the impact of IP crime.

Recent initiatives have built on UK agencies’ ability to work together with counterparts in China. The Intellectual Property Office (IPO), National Crime Agency (NCA) and HMRC representatives in Beijing have helped with the training of Chinese IP enforcement officers, shared technical understanding of our respective intellectual property systems and are now exchanging intelligence. This has enabled the UK and China to work together to identify and arrest criminals operating between the 2 countries and to share the evidence gathered.

The summit, hosted jointly by the IPO and the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (OHIM), provided a chance for more than 300 delegates from across the world to discuss best practice and collaboration to strengthen the way this global issue is addressed. Summit delegates considered how to tackle trade in counterfeit goods as well as the challenges posed by the digital world, both through illegal downloading and streaming but also from new and emerging technologies such as 3D printing.

Notes to editors

  1. The new highlight report on IP crime, from the UK’s IP Crime Group is published yesterday (11 June 2014).
  2. The independent Taylor Wessing Global IP Index 2013 ranked the UK as the best IP regime in the world, and the US Chamber of Commerce ranked the UK’s enforcement framework as the global leader. The UK is at the forefront of tackling IP crime, and this week’s summit has provided an opportunity to share best practice and build on existing and develop new collaborations to strengthen the international approach to counterfeit goods and online piracy.