Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to discourage British businesses from undertaking commercial partnerships with companies known to infringe on intellectual property deliberately.

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) works to ensure British businesses understand the impact of intellectual property infringement and can make informed decisions when entering into partnerships and collaborations, both domestically and internationally.

The IPO has developed free digital resources to educate businesses about intellectual property and provides a programme of webinars and events.

The IPO also works with business support providers across the UK to ensure IP guidance and support is integrated into their services, including through the IPO’s regional advisors.