Patent and trade mark attorneys welcome announcement of preferred candidate for legal complaints chair

Mrs France, whose selection has also been approved by the Lord Chancellor, will appear before the Justice Select Committee on 21 October as the preferred candidate for the position.

Dave Bradley, President of the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA), said, “We welcome the proposed appointment of Mrs France whose experience will contribute greatly to the establishment of the regulatory function for the legal profession. We do not expect our members to provide her with too much work and hope that the front line regulatory board which we are establishing jointly with the Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys will work closely with her to ensure a fair and cost-effective operation of this consumer protection body”

Gillian Deas, President of the Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys, added “Elizabeth France has an outstanding record of achievement in consumer protection. ITMA members look forward to working with her to maintain standards of fair dealing and transparency.”

Under the Legal Services Act, which led to the creation of the Legal Services Board and the Office for Legal Complaints, Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys have also set up their own joint regulatory body, the Intellectual Property Regulation Board (IPREG), chaired by Michael Heap. 

Notes for editors

Elizabeth France has been the Chief Ombudsman and Chief Executive of the Ombudsman Services LTD (TOSL) since October 2002. She worked from the inception of TOSL bring to its current position providing Ombudsman services for telecoms, energy, chartered surveying and estate agency. She was previously the Information Commissioner for eight years, before which her career had been as a civil servant in the Home Office.

The Office for Legal Complaints will administer an ombudsman scheme that will deal with all consumer complaints about legal services. The current timetable will see the OLC implemented by the end of 2010.

As set out in the "Governance of Britain" Green Paper, in order to increase the Parliamentary scrutiny for certain positions that play a significant role in protecting the public's rights the appointment of the Chair will be subject to a pre-appointment hearing before the Justice Select Committee.

CIPA

A patent attorney (formerly known as a patent agent) has qualified by experience and examination for entry of his or her name on the Register of Patent Attorneys. The Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA) is the professional body representing Patent Attorneys in the UK. CIPA was founded in 1882 and incorporated by Royal Charter in 1891. The majority of patent applications in the UK and Europe are submitted by Patent Attorneys on behalf of clients. Entry on the Register of Patent Attorneys provides patent attorneys with the right to conduct litigation and to act as advocates in the Patents County Court. Fellows of CIPA can also acquire an additional qualification (Litigator’s Certificate) entitling them also to conduct litigation in the Chancery Division of the High Court (including the Patents Court) and to conduct appeals from the Patents County Court, the County Court and the Chancery Division of the High Court in respect of Intellectual Property litigation.

ITMA

The Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys (ITMA) was established in 1934 as the professional body representing those persons qualified to act for the owners of trade mark and allied intellectual property rights (in particular, registered designs) both nationally and internationally. It now represents the vast majority of UK registered trade mark agents and all UK Trade Mark & Design Litigators. Currently ITMA has approximately 500 practising members and a total membership of about 1600 members, primarily located in the United Kingdom and Europe, but also in more than 50 other countries. ITMA is regularly consulted by UK government and by international bodies when questions affecting trade mark and allied intellectual property rights arise. It has regular meetings with the UK Intellectual Property Office (UK-IPO), the Community Trade Marks Office (OHIM), the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) and other sister organisations in Europe and beyond. 

For further information, contact:

Nicholas Pope Tel: 020 7405 9450
Peter Prowse Tel: 01372 271234, mobile: 07973 213039, or
Ken Storey, ITMA Tel: 020 8941 6079