6 December 2006
Pre-Budget Report 2006
Investing in Britain's potential: Building our long-term future
CHAPTER 3 MEETING THE PRODUCTIVITY CHALLENGE
[Page 59]
Gowers Review
3.79 In 2005, the Government asked Andrew Gowers to conduct a wide-
ranging
independent review into the UK’s intellectual property regime to
ensure that it is supporting
UK innovation and the creative industries in a time of rapid global
economic change and
increased global competition. The Gowers Review of Intellectual
Property (IP) reports its
recommendations to the Government alongside this Pre-Budget
Report,setting out a vision
of an IP system that is fit for the 21st century.The Review has
considered the challenges of
globalisation and technological change, and sets out a strategic
vision of a system that is
balanced, coherent and flexible, ensuring that the operations of the
system work for
businesses and consumers.
3.80 The Gowers Review argues that, faced with the twin challenges of
profound global
and technological change, innovation has never been more important to
economic
competitiveness in the UK, and that an effective IP regime is
essential to support that
innovation and investment. This requires that IP rights must be
effectively enforced to protect
and promote innovation and ensure that businesses benefit from their
own creativity. It also
requires that businesses and innovators be appropriately supported in
their use of the IP
system. IP rights must also be balanced, so that, while ideas are
protected, future innovation
is not stifled. The Review’s recommendations are set out in more
detail in Box 3.10. Gowers Review
Government response to Gowers
3.81 The Government welcomes the Gowers Review and will take forward
those
recommendations for which it is responsible. The Government firmly
believes in the need
for strong enforcement of IP rights to support the UK’s creative
industries. The Government
is therefore today endorsing the full Gowers enforcement package to
tackle piracy and other
IP infringement and is providing Trading Standards with an additional
£5 million in
2007-08 in order to support the implementation of their new powers to
tackle copyright
infringement. To ensure that IP policy is strategically formulated in
the future, the
Government also supports the creation of an independent Strategic
Advisory Board for IP
policy. This Board will receive £500,000 from the Patent Office to
commission research on
emerging IP trends. The Government notes the recommendation to the
European
Commission on copyright term.
Full report
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/pre_budget_report/prebud_pbr06/report/
prebud_pbr06_repindex.cfm
Gowers Review
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/pre_budget_report/prebud_pbr06/
other_docs/prebud_pbr06_odgowers.cfm_______________________________________________
fc-uk-discuss mailing list
fc-uk-discuss@lists.okfn.org
http://lists.okfn.org/mailman/listinfo/fc-uk-discuss
