“From Paddington Bear to Wimbledon”
Minister Emphasizes Role of IP in Economic Growth
Member of Parliament Kanishka Narayan discussed how IP supports investment, innovation, and economic growth in yesterday’s Daily Keynote on the importance of IP to economic growth, which also featured contributions from the CEO of UK Intellectual Property Office. James Nurton reports.
Kanishka Narayan, the Member of Parliament for the Vale of Glamorgan, was appointed as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for AI and Online Safety) in September last year.
His responsibilities cover AI opportunities, the AI Security Institute, the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO), Semiconductors, tech for growth, and online safety.
“Economic growth is our highest priority, and IP is fundamental to driving that growth,” said Mr. Narayan, adding: “Certainty matters as investment follows that certainty.”
Noting that the UKIPO received over 200,000 trademark applications in 2025—a record number—and that 2026 marks the 150th anniversary of the establishment of the UK Registry, he said: “Trademarks have long played a central role in commerce, trust, and innovation.”
The Minister also stressed that organizations such as INTA carry out a vital task in promoting international collaboration, saying: “No country can sustain an effective IP system on its own.”
He welcomed INTA to London, saying: “From Paddington Bear to Wimbledon tennis, and from globally recognized brands to emerging innovators, the UK is home to names that people trust—names that carry reputation, assurance and value.”
IP As a Strategic Asset
Following his speech, the Minister answered some questions from Natasha Chick, Director of Enforcement, Business, and International UKIPO (UK).
Mr. Narayan described IP as “a key strategic asset” and said the UK Government is looking at what it can do throughout the entire life cycle of IP rights, from commercialization, financing, and spin-outs to making sure that filing and operations procedures are effective, efficient, and fit for the modern world.
“IP is front and center in our minds when we’re thinking about economic growth,” said Mr. Narayan, adding that this includes understanding where IP is generated and how it is financed, collecting data, and looking at the use of modern technology and AI.
“We want to make sure that IP is not an individual process but a strategic asset,” he added.
"From Paddington Bear to Wimbledon tennis, and from globally recognized brands to emerging innovators, the UK is home to names that people trust—names that carry reputation, assurance and value."
-Kanishka Narayan MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (UK)
UKIPO Priorities for the Coming Year
In his remarks, UKIPO Chief Executive Officer Adam Williams (UK) set out the Office’s priorities for the year ahead.
In April this year, the Office launched a suite of new digital services to apply for, manage, and renew UK patents, the latest step in its One IP digital transformation program. It is now working on new digital trademark services, which are expected to go live in about 18 months.
“We will provide a trademark service that is modern and digital,” said Mr. Williams. It will be focused on quality and customer service and will incorporate tools based on AI.
The UKIPO is looking at how it can embrace AI right across the office and encouraging all staff to become AI-skilled, he said.
Ultimately, the Office will also link up its different services and enable users to access them all with one customer account. “For IP offices, that is quite revolutionary,” said Mr. Williams.
In addition to its core functions of providing patent, trademark, and design services, the UKIPO plays a role in both IP policy and IP enforcement.
On the former, Mr. Williams said the UKIPO recently completed a consultation on designs and is preparing advice to ministers based on that. “Designs are hugely important for the UK,” he added.
It has also held a consultation on standard essential patents (SEPs) and, on March 18 this year, it published a report on AI and copyright. It considers the four policy options on copyright and the training of AI models set out in the consultation, as well as alternative approaches.
The report also considers the wider regulatory environment and issues such as computer-generated works and digital replicas.
The government has not stated a preference from the four policy options, but the report provides an illustration of the likely costs and benefits and identifies key areas for further evidence gathering.
Mr. Williams said the UKIPO is now taking that workstream forward and seeking to balance the interests of AI and creative industries. “We know that’s no easy task,” he added.
Another policy area the Office is focused on is IP-backed financing, and how to stimulate that market further. “Intangible assets have outpaced tangible assets, and we are working across government to make those messages understood,” he said.
In enforcement, the UKIPO has a team of about 50 staff who coordinate the work of other agencies. It funds the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU), which last year seized goods worth an estimated £6 million (US $8.13 million) and took down some 100,000 websites.
The UKIPO seeks to get a range of insights agencies, experts, and businesses, said Mr. Williams: “It’s hugely important to bring all those people together to get the most bang for your buck.”
The Office also runs significant publicity campaigns, notably on fake car parts and fake toys. Going forward, Mr. Williams said he would like to explore further how to reinvest the proceeds of crime in IP enforcement activity.
"Intangible assets have outpaced tangible assets, and we are working across government to make those messages understood."
- Adam Williams | UKIPO (UK)
Playing a Role Internationally
Asked by Ms. Chick to reflect on global trends, Mr. Narayan highlighted two themes.
The first was the need for international coordination, as businesses rely on IP being maintained across borders.
“There’s a huge role that the UK wants to play in core international coordination and innovation globally. In all of those contexts the UK wants to be at the forefront of the international coordination picture,” he said, adding that IP “is front and center for us.”
The second was the pace of technological development. Whereas software has cycles of two-to-three years, Mr. Narayan said the comparable speed for AI is typically three-to-six weeks.
That means that a central challenge is how to maintain legal stability and rigor: there are new public policy and legal questions around IP protections, in particular about AI and copyright as well as about personality rights and the identity of individuals in online spaces. "I feel very enthusiastic about the role the UK can play in both of those,” he concluded.
