IPLA > Objectives

The Intellectual Property Lawyers Association (previously known as the Patent Solicitors Association) was formed in November 1982 to act as a centralised voice for those law firms in England and Wales with significant IP practices who wished to lobby for improvements to the law and practice of intellectual property law in the UK. Some fifty firms are members of IPLA and their practices extend throughout England and Wales. The Constitution for IPLA was modified in 1995.

Full meetings of IPLA are held at least quarterly although there are often additional ad hoc meetings arranged to debate matters of immediate importance and interest. The committee of IPLA (presently comprising Chairman, Secretary and three other members) meet more often than this. Representatives of IPLA also sit on other committees including the IP Court Users Committee and the Patents County Court Users Committee.

Over the years IPLA has been centrally engaged in many of the advances made to the practice of IP law in the UK. To give two examples - IPLA was instrumental in the simplification of the discovery procedure in IP litigation and then played a key part in the re-writing of the civil procedure rules in England and Wales as they pertain to IP matters (the so-called Woolf Reforms of 1999). IPLA is currently engaged in the modernization of the UK Patents Act as well as taking an active part in discussions concerning, for example, the proposed reform of the European Technology Transfer 'Block Exemption'; the introduction into European patent law of a grace period and the proposals put forward by the European Commission and by national European governments for harmonizing the system for determining patent disputes in Europe.

Another important interest of IPLA is improvements in the training of IP solicitors and to that end IPLA arranged, in conjunction with Bristol University, the creation of a specific IP diploma course. The course is held annually and attracts of the order of 50-70 lawyers, generally newly-qualified lawyers, from law firms throughout England and Wales.