Anti Copying in Design (ACID) is delighted to welcome Feryal Clark MP as the new Under Secretary of State in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology with responsibility for Intellectual Property (IP). Ms Clark has served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for AI and Digital Government since July 2024 and as Member of Parliament for Enfield North since 2019.
Dids Macdonald, ACID’s Chairman and Co-Founder said, “Ms Clark’s experience as Shadow Minister for Crime Reduction will be welcome in tackling the growing and insidious rise of IP crime within the design sector. We look forward to meeting with her at the earliest opportunity to discuss the current copycat culture which is an increasing crisis for UK designers who bring so much to our design economy. As Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for AI and Digital Government, her responsibilities will include AI transparency, ethics, regulation and opportunities. Whilst recognising the boundless opportunities enabling innovation through AI, there are global concerns about regulation, and it will be interesting to see her response to this growing national and international unease”.
ACID’s Chief Executive, Laura Newbold Breen said, “Very pleased to hear the announcement of Feryal Clark’s appointment and look forward to connecting with her and working together to ensure IP and AI remain top of the agenda”.
Nick Kounoupias, ACID’s Chief Counsel said, “The Labour Party was keen to express its support for creators in its manifesto so I am surprised to see that the new Minister for IP continues to sit within a department that’s promoting use of IP and clearly skewed towards users rather than rights owners. However we wish the new minister every success and will work with her to help her understand why it’s vital to support IP in the UK if we are to recover from economic malaise and rebuild UK PLC”.
Adam Williams, Chief Executive and Comptroller-General of the Intellectual Property Office said, “I am delighted to welcome Feryal Clark as the new minister responsible for IP. The new government has a clear mission – economic growth. Innovation and creativity are crucial to achieving this goal, and intellectual property is a powerful enabler across many sectors of the UK economy. Our parent department, the newly enhanced Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), is focused on transforming services and delivering economic growth through science and technology”.
