Managing IP is part of the Delinian Group, Delinian Limited, 8 Bouverie Street, London, EC4Y 8AX, Registered in England & Wales, Company number 00954730
Copyright © Delinian Limited and its affiliated companies 2023

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

UK IPO floats ideas to promote innovation

Could embedding experienced IP owners into British companies help boost levels of IP awareness and exploitation in the country’s businesses?

That’s an option that may be proposed by the UK Intellectual Property Office’s director of innovation, Rosa Wilkinson.

In an interview with Managing IP, she explained how during her time as a civil servant with the government body UK Trade and Investment, she had rolled out a manufacturing advisory service that sent experienced manufacturers to work with companies that had asked for support for their businesses to help them analyse their situation and develop an action plan for growth.

“I can imagine this working in the IP world: looking at how IP features in a company''s strategy,” said Wilkinson. “That’s one proposal. Will businesses welcome it? I want to know what level of demand there will be. It''s rather a finger in the air at the moment.”

She added that it was wrong to assume that levels of entrepreneurialism in the UK lagged behind those in some of its closest economic rivals, saying that lost of business activity goes unrecognised.

“We have lots of third-bedroom businesses, although their tax arrangements may not show it! Levels of enterprise are pretty good. What worries me is that the people starting businesses don’t always know the threats and opportunities and how to prepare for them,” she said.

Wilkinson added that when the IPO published a report on the ways in which SMEs can be helped to protect their IP, the USPTO called soon after to talk about their findings.

One way to improve levels of understanding of IP is to ensure that the people giving new businesses advice are able to talk to them about the risks and opportunities of IP, she said.

“There''s a big gulf between no advice and expert advice. There’s not enough in the middle.”

“I want us to make better use of other people’s channels – helping other business advisory panels to up their IP offer. It''s about infecting other people’s channels ... Ultimately we want businesses to understand IP''s opportunities and potential challenges. Then they can bring applications to us that are better formed. It is better for them they don''t spend their legal budget getting basic advice about IP.”

The innovation director’s role includes overseeing the IPO’s outreach function and how it responds to requests for help from business as well as managing the Office’s research function: the Economics, Research and Evidence (ERE) team.

“Our ERE team helps us understand the value that IP adds and where things go wrong for companies,” she said. “On the policy side, having a good understanding of what works really matters.”

You can read the full interview with Rosa Wilkinsonon www.Managingip.com

more from across site and ros bottom lb

More from across our site

Counsel are eying domestic industry, concurrent PTAB proceedings and heightened scrutiny of cases before institution
Jack Daniel’s has a good chance of winning its dispute over dog toys, but SCOTUS will still want to protect free speech, predict sources
AI users and lawyers discuss why the rulebook for registering AI-generated content may create problems and needs further work
We provide a rundown of Managing IP’s news and analysis coverage from the week, and review what’s been happening elsewhere in IP
A technical effect must still be evident in the original patent filing, the EBoA said in its G2/21 decision today, March 23
Brands should not be deterred from pursuing lookalike producers, and an unfair advantage claim could be the key, say Emma Teichmann and Geoff Steward at Stobbs
Justice Mellor’s highly anticipated ruling surprised SEP owners and reassured implementers that the UK may not be so hostile after all
The England and Wales High Court's judgment comes ahead of a separate hearing concerning one of the patents-in-suit at the EPO
While the rules allow foreign firms to open local offices and offer IP services, a ban on litigation and practising Indian law could mean little will change
A New York federal court heard oral arguments this week in a copyright case pitting publishing giants against a digital library