New UK Intellectual Property Act 2014: Better By Design?

On 14 May 2014, the UK Government introduced a new Intellectual Property Act 2014 (the "Act"). The Act, which focuses on patents and design rights, is intended to modernise intellectual property law to help UK businesses better protect their IP rights in the UK and abroad. This Alert summarises the key elements of the new Act.

IS THIS LEGISLATION DERIVED FROM A EUROPEAN DIRECTIVE?

No, not this time. The Act is actually UK-specific. It stems from the Hargreaves Review of Intellectual Property and Growth ("Hargreaves Review"), which was an independent review carried out at the request of UK Prime Minister David Cameron back in 2011, amid concerns that current legislation was outdated in this current digital age. Prior to the Act, the UK legislation governing patents and design rights dated from the mid to late 20th century (e.g., the Patents Act 1977 and the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988) – hardly current given the significant technology developments that