The European Commission is seeking views and contribution from stakeholders on its Intellectual Property Action Plan, through a roadmap open for feedback until 14 August 2020.

The objective of the IP Action Plan will be to set out the European Commission vision on the current role of IP, in order to promote a coherent EU approach to IP policies. The document will be the basis for further legislative and non-legislative initiatives to be taken at EU level. Modern and well-calibrated IP policies will indeed support the competitiveness of the EU economy and facilitate the digital and green transition.

The European Commission intends to identify current shortcomings and propose measures to enhance the IP framework, in particular by exploring ways to:

- upgrade the system for IP protection
(e.g. assess ways to modernize the EU legislation on industrial designs, establish an EU approach to AI and IP protection, ensure the Copyright Directive is implemented promptly, etc.);

- promote better uptake and deployment of IP
(e.g. mitigate the impact of Covid-19 crisis by setting up financial support systems, enable IP to be used as a lever to get access to finance, etc.);

- promote better licensing and sharing of IP-protected assets
(e.g. promote efficient use of high-quality rights-management metadata in the copyright market, develop a wider toolbox to ensure the availability of critical IP in times of crisis, etc.);

- fight IP theft
(e.g. continue to monitor the application of the IPR Enforcement Directive to ensure it is effective and balanced, particularly on injunctions, etc.);

- promote a global fair play
(e.g. take further steps to ensure that our businesses can effectively use their IP when operating world-wide, step up technical co-operation and engage in dialogues with the developing world, etc.)

The input received will be considered for further development of the initiative and summarized in a synopsis, explaining which feedback will be taken on board and, if applicable, why certain suggestions can't be taken up.