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Law changes on the way to make settlement of IP disputes easier

Disputes over intellectual property such as patents and trade marks should become easier to resolve following the reform of laws governing threats of legal action.  The changes will help businesses to negotiate fairly over patent, trade mark and design disputes, whilst protecting entities which can be harmed by unjustified threats of IP infringement.

The Intellectual Property (Unjustified Threats) Bill has received Royal Assent and is expected to be brought into effect later this year.

This new legislation harmonises existing laws and clarifies what can and cannot be said in discussions before legal proceedings are started.