UK Implementation of the Directive on Enforcement of IP Rights

The UK Patent Office has released its response to the consultation process on UK implementation of the Directive - we participated in this, see http://www.law.ed.ac.uk/ahrb/research/publications.asp?ref=3 .

Revised regulations are to be implemented by 29 April 2006. Generally, these strike an appropriate balance between rights of IP owners and and possible infringers. Perhaps more interesting are the ongoing questions of criminal enforcement of IP - which has, at least in the trade mark context, long been a problem in the UK jurisdictions.