Anti Copying in Design is delighted to share with you that Viscount Camrose (Jonathan Berry) has been confirmed as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 7 March 2023 with responsibility for Intellectual Property. We wish him a warm welcome and all good wishes in his new role. At a crucial time for designers with an imminent designs and IP consultation due to be initiated, we look forward to meeting with him soon to highlight some of the many areas where we feel design reform is overdue.

Dids Macdonald, CEO of Anti Copying in Design, said, “Intellectual property is a positive force for growth and especially within the design sector which has demonstrated exponential growth and employs nearly two million in design and design skills. We welcome Viscount Camrose’s appointment and wish him luck in navigating his way around the IP landscape and hope we can engage with him as soon as possible, especially in light of the forthcoming Designs Consultation which we hope will happen sooner rather than later.”

Nick Kounoupias, ACID’s Chief Counsel, said, “I am delighted to learn that Viscount Camrose has been appointed as the new Minister for IP. We look forward to working with him to ensure that designers are afforded the same legal protection in the UK as other creators, which is not the case currently.”

Adam Williams, Interim CEO of the Intellectual Property Office said, Adam Williams, Chief Executive and Comptroller-General of the Intellectual Property Office, said, “I am delighted to welcome Viscount Camrose as the new Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the newly-formed Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, with responsibility for intellectual property. The UK is consistently regarded as having one of the very best IP systems in the world, and IP has an integral role to play in unleashing our economy’s creative and innovative potential. I look forward to working with Viscount Camrose to champion the role of IP in making the UK one of the best places in the world for new ideas and discoveries to thrive, helping cement the UK as a Science and Technology Superpower.”