ARTICLE · 14 DECEMBER 2006

Representative Actions

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On 26 September, the Patent Office launched a consultation on the introduction of representative actions for the enforcement of intellectual property rights.

United KingdomIntellectual Property

On 26 September, the Patent Office launched a consultation on the introduction of representative actions for the enforcement of intellectual property rights. This has been prompted by Article 4 of the Intellectual Property Enforcement Directive (2004/48/EC) which sets out that persons entitled to apply for the remedies set out in the Directive must include, as well as right-holders and licensees, collective rights management bodies and professional defence bodies. When the directive was implemented in the UK, through the Intellectual Property (Enforcement etc) Regulations, Article 4 was not included and the Patent Office announced that it would be conducting a public consultation on the issue. It has now done so.

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