Welcome to IP Connect

Welcome to IP Connect - the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) official stakeholder newsletter. Each month we will share updates on our policies and priorities. Subscribe now to get the latest IP news direct to your LinkedIn dashboard.

G7 Heads of IP Office Conversation

IPO CEO, Adam Williams , met with his G7 counterparts at the third annual G7 Heads of IP Conversation, hosted by Commissioner Hamano of the Japan Patent Office , where he highlighted the importance of international collaboration in addressing intellectual property (IP) challenges in the digital era. The meeting was held in the metaverse - a fitting setting for deliberations in this evolving area.

Read the article and joint statement here.

Ground-breaking UK Code of Practice on Transparency

The IPO has published the UK Code of Practice on Transparency in Music Streaming. The Code is a significant point in the commitment by the UK music industry to improve transparency around licensing and royalties related to music streaming. The voluntary Code has been developed and agreed by 12 music industry bodies representing music creators, record labels, publishers, digital service providers, distributors and collecting societies.?

Minister for AI and IP, Viscount Camrose, said:

"From The Beatles and The Rolling Stones to Dua Lipa and Little Mix,?the UK music scene is the envy of the world. In the last decade, the way that we consume our music has changed markedly, and that’s why we’re taking steps to help ensure artists get the royalties and protections they deserve when their music is played on streaming platforms.

Find out more here

Extension of public performance rights to foreign nationals consultation

The IPO has launched a government consultation on potential changes to how foreign record labels and recording artists quality for their rights to be paid when their music is broadcast or played in public.

We are seeking views to ensure UK copyright law works for both creators and users whilst upholding the UK’s international commitments.

Respond to the consultation here

IP Crime Group Annual Conference 2024

In January, we welcomed the IP Crime Group to our annual conference in London. This brought together leaders from law enforcement, government, brand protection and industry to progress our approach to tackling IP crime.

The IPO's Head of Intelligence Analysis, Eve Alexander, presented the Group’s Strategic Plan for the months ahead, including taking advantage of technological advances to disrupt criminal activity online.

Read more about the IP Crime Group

• Also in Enforcement: Pilot scheme caps costs in patent cases

The IPO has published a progress update on our digital transformation programme - the biggest change to services in the IPO’s 170-year history.

Last year, we made significant progress on a number of fronts including completing the initial development of the new online patents search and consolidating all of our patent data onto our new systems.

However, the scale and complexity of the work means that some elements have taken us longer than we hoped. As a result, we now expect the new patents service to launch no sooner than late 2024 – a bit later than we’d planned.

Next steps for Transformation

1. Finish development of the new patents service and continue rolling it out to customers on our pilot over the coming months.?
2. Prepare a programme of engagement to ensure customers are happy with the new service ahead of its launch
3. Launch the online patents search in mid 2024 - a key part of our Transformation programme

Find out more

IPO Tracker

This tracker presents the latest statistics on application and registration counts for patents, trade marks, and designs.

Read the IPO's monthly statistics

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