In December last year the European Commission launched a consultation on the evaluation and modernisation of the legal framework for the enforcement of intellectual property rights. This aims to help assess the functioning of Directive 2004/48/EC (the ‘Enforcement Directive’) in the online environment, with a view to identifying any need for change, and proposals for corrective measures. It also addresses a number of issues, such as the role of intermediaries in IPR enforcement, and the specialisation of courts, which are currently not dealt with by the Directive, but which might be taken up in any future initiative in order to modernise the enforcement of IPR.

The Intellectual Property Office is holding an open roundtable meeting at its London office on Thursday 4 February, 5pm to 6:30pm, to gather stakeholder views on the consultation. If you would like to attend, please contact enforcement@ipo.gov.uk to register.

London office address