The inquiry is due to report by the end of May. It will cover topics including the goals of IP policy, how it is developed in government, coordination between departments and interaction at an international level.
The group has identified six questions and is inviting submissions by March 30. The questions are:
1) What should the objective of IP policy be?
2) How well co-ordinated is the development of IP policy across government? Is IP policy functioning effectively on a cross-departmental basis? What changes to the machinery of government do you believe would deliver better IP policy outcomes?
3) There have been numerous attempts to update the IP framework in the light of changes brought about by the digital environment. How successful have these been and what lessons can be learnt from these for policy developments?
4) How effective is the Intellectual Property Office and what should its priorities be?
5) UK IP policy sits within European and supranational agreements. How should the UK government co-ordinate its policy at an international level and what should it do to promote IP abroad to encourage economic growth? Do you have examples of good and poor practice in this area?
6) Protecting, and enforcement of, the IP framework often sits in very different departments to those that develop IP policy and those that have responsibility for the industries most affected. What impact does this have and how can it be improved?
Anyone wishing to submit evidence can do so by email. Responses should be no longer than four pages.
Evidence sessions will be listed on the group’s website once confirmed, and will be open to the public.
The UK has seen various IP-related reviews in the past decade, including the Gowers and Hargreaves reviews. The deadline for comments on the government’s proposals in response to the Hargreaves review (which mainly covered copyright) is March 21.