[cc-community] UK Government Response to Gowers Review of Intellectual Property

David Berry d.berry at sussex.ac.uk
Wed Dec 6 08:57:12 EST 2006


6 December 2006

Pre-Budget Report 2006

Investing in Britain's potential: Building our long-term future


CHAPTER 3 MEETING THE PRODUCTIVITY CHALLENGE

  [Page 59; emphasis added]

Gowers Review

3.79 In 2005, the Government asked Andrew Gowers to conduct a wide- 
ranging
independent review into the UK’s intellectual property regime to  
ensure that it is supporting
UK innovation and the creative industries in a time of rapid global  
economic change and
increased global competition. The Gowers Review of Intellectual  
Property (IP) reports its
recommendations to the Government alongside this Pre-Budget  
Report,setting out a vision
of an IP system that is fit for the 21st century.The Review has  
considered the challenges of
globalisation and technological change, and sets out a strategic  
vision of a system that is
balanced, coherent and flexible, ensuring that the operations of the  
system work for
businesses and consumers.

3.80 The Gowers Review argues that, faced with the twin challenges of  
profound global
and technological change, innovation has never been more important to  
economic
competitiveness in the UK, and that an effective IP regime is  
essential to support that
innovation and investment. This requires that IP rights must be  
effectively enforced to protect
and promote innovation and ensure that businesses benefit from their  
own creativity. It also
requires that businesses and innovators be appropriately supported in  
their use of the IP
system. IP rights must also be balanced, so that, while ideas are  
protected, future innovation
is not stifled. The Review’s recommendations are set out in more  
detail in Box 3.10. Gowers Review

Government response to Gowers

3.81 The Government welcomes the Gowers Review and will take forward  
those
recommendations for which it is responsible. The Government firmly  
believes in the need
for strong enforcement of IP rights to support the UK’s creative  
industries. The Government
is therefore today endorsing the full Gowers enforcement package to  
tackle piracy and other
IP infringement and is providing Trading Standards with an additional  
£5 million in
2007-08 in order to support the implementation of their new powers to  
tackle copyright
infringement. To ensure that IP policy is strategically formulated in  
the future, the
Government also supports the creation of an independent Strategic  
Advisory Board for IP
policy. This Board will receive £500,000 from the Patent Office to  
commission research on
emerging IP trends. The Government notes the recommendation to the  
European
Commission on copyright term.


Full report

http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/pre_budget_report/prebud_pbr06/report/ 
prebud_pbr06_repindex.cfm

Gowers Review

http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/pre_budget_report/prebud_pbr06/ 
other_docs/prebud_pbr06_odgowers.cfm


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