CIPA works on two important initiatives which provide free intellectual property advice to the public: IP Clinics and IP Pro Bono.
IP Clinics provide free basic advice to unrepresented innovators who are at the early stages of developing an idea. The clinics are held at several sites around the UK, with CIPA organising the clinics for innovators based in and around London. The CIPA team continued to organise and hold virtual meetings throughout 2021 due to the pandemic. The virtual meetings proved very successful with all involved and is something we continued to offer even after people started returning to the office. The statistics above are for the meetings organised by CIPA only, members around the UK will have provided many more.
IP Pro Bono provides advice and legal support for those in intellectual property disputes who cannot afford to pay. The scheme is managed by CIPA but is a collaboration of a number of leading IP organisations including the Chartered Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys (CITMA), the Intellectual Property Lawyers’ Association (IPLA), the IP Bar Association and the Law Society.