A UK government-commissioned but independently prepared Gowers Review of Intellectual Property (Review) was released on December 1 and has received a generally positive reception from interested parties.
As previously reported in E-TIPS® ("UK Announces Independent Review of its [IP] Regime", Vol 4, No 19, March 29, 2006) Andrew Gowers, a former editor of the Financial Times, headed the Review, and started from the position that "the ideal IP system creates incentives for innovation, without unduly limiting access for consumers and follow-on innovators."
The 142-page Review makes 54 recommendations, some of the key ones being to:
- retain the length of protection on sound recordings and performers rights at 50 years;
- in principle, prohibit retrospective changes to IP rights;
- allow private copying for the purpose of changing formats;
- allow private copying for research;
- create an exception to copyright for parody;
- encourage sharing between the EPO, the USPTO, and the JPO;
- encourage the development of a single EU patent;
- toughen penalties for online copyright infringement; and
- improve training of judges and magistrates on IP issues.