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Intellectual property rights boosted by new law

Following the new UK Intellectual Property Act’s receipt of Royal Assent earlier this year, the impact that intellectual property crime can have on legitimate UK businesses has been highlighted.

 

The Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) announced the launch of a pioneering partnership with experts from across the creative and advertising sectors, which aims to crack down on copyright infringing sites.

 

The PIPCU has also been focusing on online retailers selling counterfeit goods – it has suspended over 2,500 such websites since September of last year.

 

Adrian Leppard, City of London Police Commissioner, told Advanced Television that UK industries and businesses “relied on the protection of their IP to ensure their ideas and products are not stolen”.

 

Meanwhile, Lord Younger, Minister for the Intellectual Property Office, confirmed that intellectual property crime was continually evolving at a rapid pace. He said that crimes ranging from counterfeit goods to digital piracy served to “channel money away from legitimate businesses and harms consumers”.

 

“PIPCU plays a key role in cracking down on this crime through innovative operations such as Operation Creative, making sure that IP delivers for industry, business and the wider economy,” Lord Younger added.

 

The measures contained in the new IP Act are expected to come into force from October of this year.

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