Who can join?

Corporate membership is open to companies with an annual turnover in excess of £500,000 and offers an opportunity as advocates for original design to influence our lobbying activities and to articulate this message through declared corporate social responsibility ensuring that IP ethics, respect and compliance are tangible and communicated.

Corporate Members have access to a unique range of ACID benefits including an IP strategy review, initial, free specialist IP legal advice, mediation, networking and all the latest news on IP and campaigns. To retain the integrity of our membership, all members must be designers or have a design capability and the majority of their products must be designed either in-house or by commissioned designers and sign up to the ACID Code of Conduct. We also welcome manufacturers to join ACID who have entered into licence agreements with freelance designers in which the intellectual property rights are assigned to the manufacturer. As a key influencer and IP advocate this is an opportunity to join a community with a proven track record in raising the importance of the protection of intellectual property to achieve growth. Our ACID corporate members add a united and significant voice to our arguments to Government and policy makers about the importance of IP protection and enforcement to achieve growth and preserve jobs to ensure job security. Corporate members represent the most significant sector leaders within our 20+ industry sector demographic.

Why Join?

Because we believe the UK’s designers, deserve better; to maximise growth and minimise IP infringement. ACID is committed to raising awareness and encouraging respect for IP within individual and corporate responsibility and creating a safer trading environment for its members. Our current campaign is to ensure UK designers are not disadvantaged post Brexit when they may lose protection for unregistered EU rights in 27 other member states. ACID Corporate Members play a key role in supporting the design sector. We engage positively with the UK Intellectual Property Office, speak to Government, key influencers and policy makers to ensure that the best possible IP enforcement framework is in place to allow IP creators’ ideas to be monetised to achieve growth. Most notable amongst our many design law reform achievements is the
IP Act of 2014 which now makes the intentional infringement of a registered design a crime. ACID continues to campaign for the
intentional infringement of an unregistered design to be made a crime. The UK design sector punches well above its weight and
is worth over £85.2bn and with a formidable track record of thousands of ACID Member settlements and over 4000 mediations, ACID plays a leading role in supporting designers, design agencies and manufacturers.

To discuss your company joining ACID as a corporate member please contact Jane Banyai, ACID’s Operations Director on 0845 6443617 or join online in a few simple steps.

The UK’s design industry generates billions of pounds to the UK economy each year. However IP can seem complex and some businesses can find it difficult to navigate the IP system, recognise the value of their IP and enforce their rights. ACID plays a vital role in supporting and advising the design community and business in maximising the value of their IP in an increasingly global market.

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Design and intellectual property are inextricably linked, with the success of one dependent on the other. Together we can always achieve more than separately. We are delighted therefore to have an active relationship of mutual reciprocity and support with ACID. Not only does this benefit both of us but, most importantly, it benefits the design economy and those working within it.

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