I take the protection of IP seriously and I am pleased that a range of initiatives have been designed to reduce IP theft. 

Officials from the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) have been holding roundtable meetings with representatives from online platforms and rights holders to discuss the availability of counterfeits on their platforms and to help co-ordinate law enforcement action against sellers.

A Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU), run by the City of London Police, was launched in 2013. The PIPCU is dedicated to tackling serious and organised online piracy and counterfeiting, affecting digital and physical goods, and protecting legitimate UK businesses. 

In the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) between the UK and EU, it included commitments on IP that provide high standards of protection for, and enforcement of, IP rights. These include registered IP rights such as patents, trade marks and designs, and unregistered rights such as copyright, trade secrets and unregistered designs. These provisions refer to, and in many areas exceed, the standards set out in international agreements such as the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPS) and World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) treaties. The TCA includes mechanisms for cooperation and exchange of information on IP issues of mutual interest. Furthermore, the TCA retains regulatory flexibility for both sides, enabling the UK to develop an IP system in line with our domestic priorities.