Businesses 'not protecting intellectual property'
Dec 17 2008
Businesses are not sufficiently protecting their intellectual property (IP), with many taking no action to, according to new research.
The Intellectual Property Office's Crime Group (IPOCG) found a majority of companies understand why they need to protect their IP but do not action it.
Research discovered 40 per cent of firms have not registered for a trademark or conducted employee training in the area.
In addition, a third said they had not checked whether goods sold on their premises by other traders were legitimate, with a quarter not having advised staff against downloading illegal material at work.
Deputy chief constable Giles York, chair of the IPOCG, says many managers or company owners are not aware of the damage IP theft can have on them.
'Companies are aware of their duty to abide by other laws while at work, for example health and safety. We need to raise concern to approach IP law with the same stringency,' he adds.
The Intellectual Property Office also revealed today it has opened up debate on creating a framework for copyright policy in the future which aids businesses and users.
There are currently no comments on this article
Comments