Noble Lords will be relieved to know that this will be a much briefer contribution.
In their consultation, the Government stated that they would introduce safeguards and transitional provisions for third parties which had commissioned designs, but they failed to do so. This amendment would require the Secretary of State to introduce transitional provisions for commissioned designs for a period of six months after the Act comes into force. Clause 22 allows transitional provisions to be brought forward, but this is an issue of considerable concern in the design community and it seems right for this provision to be in the Bill.
In the consultation document, the Government raised the question of whether there should be “statutory” safeguards for commissioners for a transition period. Why the change? Why not have this on the face of the Bill? The consultation document also acknowledges the concerns about changing the status quo and says that,
“the IPO will work with bodies representing and promoting designers, as well as IP legal advisers to publicise these and other changes to the law, and their potential impact”.
It expresses the view:
“This should help alleviate some of the concerns about this change in particular”.
Can the Minister say what progress has been made with this laudable initiative and with whom the IPO has been working, and can he give us an assessment of the IPO’s success in alleviating the concerns that it recognises exist in this area? If this work has not yet started, can he outline the proposed programme and the time it will be likely to take? I beg to move.