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Trade Associations

Volume 479: debated on Monday 21 July 2008

To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills when his Department plans to publish the results of the consultation on the introduction of representative actions for trade associations which began in 2006. (211744)

The Patent Office (now the UK Intellectual Property Office) consulted on Representative Actions for the Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights in 2006, and this consultation closed in December 2006. A variety of views were expressed in response. However further work on this area needs to take account of the outcome of an inter-departmental consultation planned by he Ministry of Justice on the subject of representative actions. Decisions on the way forward following the IPO's consultation will need to await the outcome of the work to be carried by MOJ.