Implications of the Intellectual Property Act 2014 for businesses - guidance published

Following the passing of the Intellectual Property Act 2014 on 14 May, the Intellectual Property Office has issued some useful guidance this morning on its implications for businesses.

The most notable changes that all businesses need to be aware of are the introduction of a criminal offence for deliberate copying of a registered design, and the change in the default ownership position in unregistered designs - the commissioner is no longer the owner of a design in the absence of a contract - the designer is.

Most of the changes are coming into force in October, but some will be implemented later.

The guidance can be found here.