Call for evidence outcome

Consumer protection: copycat packaging - call for evidence

• From: Department for Business, Innovation & Skills and Intellectual Property Office
• Published: 11 April 2014
• Last updated: 13 October 2015 — See all updates

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

This call for evidence has closed

Read the full outcome

Consumer protection: review of the enforcement provisions of the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 in respect of copycat packaging - government response

PDF, 595 KB, 38 pages

Consumer protection: review of the enforcement provisions of the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 in respect of copycat packaging - feedback

16.3 MB

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Detail of outcome

The review looked into giving businesses the power to seek civil injunctions against ‘copycat packaging’. We have decided not to grant this enforcement power.

There would be unintended consequences on enforcement and an increase in litigation cases. More generally, it would be difficult to grant this power with the government’s deregulatory objectives.

View the written ministerial statement.

We received a total of 34 responses to the call for evidence from a wide variety of interested parties, including:

• brand owners
• brand representative
• public enforcers
• legal community
• retailers
• consumer bodies

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Original call for evidence

Summary

Review considering the case for allowing businesses to take civil action against copycat packaging.

This call for evidence ran from
9am on 11 April 2014 to 11:45pm on 19 May 2014

Call for evidence description

We are conducting a 6 month limited review of The Consumer Protection Regulations from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008.

The review considers the case for granting businesses the power of civil injunction in relation to ‘copycat packaging’. Copycat packaging is when packaging is designed to give a product the ‘look and feel’ of a competing well-known brand.

Documents

Consumer protection: review of the enforcement provisions of the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 in respect of copycat packaging - call for evidence

Ref: BIS/14/724

234 KB

Consumer protection: copycat packaging - response form

MS Word Document, 86.5 KB

Published 11 April 2014
Last updated 13 October 2015 + show all updates

1. 13 October 2015

   Added public feedback and the government's response.

2. 22 April 2014

   Minor corrections to question text.

3. 11 April 2014

   First published.