Acid Lobby will protect IP rights

Anti copying in Design launches a lobby group this week, Acid Lobby, tasked with targeting Government and industry about the issues around designers’ intellectual property rights.

Its focus will be to push for the creation of a law of Unlawful Imitation, to help protect designers. Acid Lobby also plans to introduce a mediation scheme as an alternative to litigation and it will run education and awareness campaigns.

According to Acid chief executive Dids Macdonald, the group has received recognition from The Patent Office that its proposals for a new law have merit; a meeting is scheduled for later this month to discuss next steps.

Acid Lobby will work with existing lobby groups, such as the Design Council and the Federation Against Copyright Theft, but it will focus exclusively on IP rights, says Macdonald.

‘Design needs its own voice that focuses on key issues [of IP], rather than simply being part of a larger group,’ she maintains.

Acid Lobby, which will meet four times a year, will be chaired by MacDonald, who is planning to invite up to five other ‘key players’ from within the design industry to participate.