The Government has announced Amanda Solloway MP as the new Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Minister for Science Research and Innovation).
The Minister’s responsibilities include;
The Minister has experience in the retail and charitable sectors and regained her seat in Parliament in 2019 after losing it in the 2017 election, having served from 2015. She also served on the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee between October 2016 and May 2017.
Nick Kounoupias, ACID Chief Counsel had previously underlined the importance of a dedicated Intellectual Property Minister, prior to the appointment of Jo Johnson, who went on to stand down a short time later. He commented, “Whereas other departments have their own dedicated minister sitting round the Cabinet table and able to fight their corner, Intellectual Property has had to cope with a junior minister at the Department of Business Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) without a dedicated intellectual property portfolio but shared with a demanding portfolio such as Education. As a result the Minister, whomever is chosen, will have little time for IP.”
If the UK’s future prosperity is to be secured post Brexit, ACID believes that IP rights have to be treated more seriously and that a dedicated Minister for Intellectual Property would bring together and co-ordinate IP across a number of government departments. It would surely send the signal that the UK is standing behind its promises to support innovation and creativity.
Unfortunately the recent announcement would indicate that IP will just be one of Amanda Solloway’s responsibilities as part of a wide portfolio. ACID has seen a rapid turnover of IP Ministers over the years and hopes that the new Minister will be able to become established and forge close ties with the Creative Industries to understand the singular issues that arise within this sector during her tenure.
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