Brexit: IP Contingency Plans For A Hard Exit

On Tuesday, January 15, 2019, the UK House of Commons soundly rejected the "soft" Brexit deal negotiated with the EU over the past two years, and with just 10 weeks remaining until the March 29, 2019 Brexit deadline, it appears that a "hard" exit has become more likely, although still not inevitable.

While the rejected Brexit deal had proposed that any European Union Trademark registrations and European Community Design registrations would be replicated on the UK Register, the prospect of a hard exit leaves the status of EU IP registrations in the UK uncertain, although the UK Government has apparently stated its intention to replicate EU IP registrations in the UK even in the event of a hard exit.