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Written question asked by Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat) on Thursday, 16 April 2026, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 30 April 2026. It was answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra (Labour) on Tuesday, 28 April 2026 on behalf of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

Intellectual Property: Prosecutions

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government how many prosecutions have been brought under section 35ZA of the Registered Designs Act 1949 for the intentional copying of a registered design since the offence was introduced; and what assessment they have made of the practicality of extending similar criminal sanctions to the intentional infringement of unregistered design rights.

Answer

Since the criminal offence for unauthorised copying of a registered design was introduced by the Intellectual Property Act 2014, there is one reported case on record which included a conviction for an offence under section 35ZA of the Registered Designs Act 1949.

The government included a call for evidence on extending criminal sanctions to the unauthorised copying of unregistered designs in the consultation on changes to the UK designs framework which closed on 27 November 2025. At this stage, no decisions have been made and the evidence received is still being analysed. A government response to the consultation will be published later this year.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL16447
Session
2024-26
Subjects
Arts Copyright Intellectual property Prosecutions Registration
Legislation
Registered Designs Act 1949
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk