Intellectual property theft is going unpunished because small businesses can't afford to sue the culprits, the Forum of Private Business has said.
In a submission to the Hargreaves Review on intellectual property and growth, the FPB said the government must give stronger protection to intellectual property rights.
In addition to steep litigation costs, the FPB believes the high cost of employment and manufacturing in the UK leads to new innovations being manufactured outside the EU, transferring knowledge abroad and making it harder to control patents.
FPB senior policy adviser Alex Jackman said the process of protecting intellectual property needs to be simplified. "We want small business owners to be able to secure their intellectual property more efficiently and cost-effectively, including through greater overseas protection of UK patents and IP."

(Source: www.ekbbusiness.co.uk)