Every year, on April 26^th, the world celebrates World Intellectual Property Day. Today, July 4^th, we celebrate British Intellectual Property Day… but what exactly are we celebrating?

Introduced by The Alliance for Intellectual Property in July 2016, British IP Day highlights the unbelievable role that IP rights (copyright, patents, trademarks) play in creating and encouraging innovation, and celebrates the immense contributions that intellectual property as a whole has made and continues to make to the UK’s cultural, economic and social wellbeing.

Director General of AIP, Eddy Leviten states, “Intellectual property is the lifeblood of modern economies.” It’s true, we are surrounded by Intellectual Property and therefore should be encouraged to promote it.

Why IP is important

Intellectual Property is central to many businesses and in order to get the best commercial results, it is extremely important to Protect, Manage and Enforce your IP rights. This means:

• Protecting your IP by registering your IP rights when possible;
• Managing a record of all the IP you possess or license;
• Enforcing your IP rights in order to avoid any IP infringements.

As part of the celebrations this year, creators, inventors and IP-rich business owners from across the country and the diverse industries represented by The Alliance for Intellectual Property will be descending on Parliament where they will have the opportunity to meet their local MP’s, ask them any questions and give their stories on how crucial Intellectual Property is to their daily lives, their businesses and their success.

As is tradition, the day will end with AIP’s Summer Reception which this year takes place in the Gardens of the House of Lords.

Resources

You can find out more about IP from the links below:

• For a refresher on World IP Day 2018: https://www.snapdragon-ip.com/world-intellectual-property-day-2018/
• IP for business: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ip-for-business-events-guidance-tools-and-case-studies
• Alliance for Intellectual Property website: https://www.allianceforip.co.uk/policy
• More news and updates on IP: http://www.ipprotheinternet.com/