Fast IiS welcomes intellectual property theft report

Industry body Fast IiS has welcomed a new report into intellectual property (IP) infringement in the workplace, and is urging the government to act in light of the results.

Commissioned by the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) and conducted by research firm ICM, The Hidden Marketplace project interviewed more than 1,000 adults in work over the last few months.

The report revealed that less than half (45 per cent) of those questioned had formal policies in place to protect against illegal activity and 28 per cent admitted that they do not have a formal policy in place to advise staff about downloading digital content from the internet without the copyright owner's permission or paying for it.

John Lovelock, chief executive of Fast IiS, said: “This research was essential to demonstrate to government the attitude and ignorance to IP theft in the workplace as they have disputed the reported losses to UK industry for years.

“It is a very real and present threat, one that is endemic and one that appears to be consistently swept under the carpet by organisations large and small alike.”

The survey also found that only 24 per cent of directors said their organisation carried out checks less than once a year, with 18 per cent claiming they did not know how often licences were checked.

“Government now has to sit up and listen and respond accordingly,” Lovelock concluded.