Safeguarding Design Assets: A UK Perspective

• Author: Dids McDonald
• Position: CEO of ACID (Anti Copying in Design)
• Pages: 14-17

2012 / 1p–14 / Design

Design, whether iconic or “everyday”, is everywhere. In the United Kingdom alone,

there are an estimated 232,000 designers wor king in some 55 differe nt design

disciplines. Design is a major contributor to the UK economy. The many micro and

small businesses that make up this highly productive sector generate some £33

billion a year, adding around 2.4 percent to the UK’s economy.

These businesse s form an important pa rt of the buoyant creative industr ies sector

which itself makes up 8.2 perc ent of the UK’s gross domestic product (GDP) and

is expanding by around 4 percent p er year. Professional designers provid e the

unifying thread in a ll creative industry sec tors. From advertising to computer and

video games, from craf ts and fashion to music and the performing ar ts as well as in

software and engin eering, design is a key elem ent. The country increa singly earns

more from designing successful products than from manufacturing them. Given

their vital contributio n to the UK economy, it is very important th at designers have

the means to easily protect their cre ative work, particularl y in light of the damage

caused by unauthorized copying of their designs.

MAINTAINING INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIVENESS

The UK enjoys worldwide ac claim for its design and innovation excellence, and Brit-

ish designers lead in providing socially responsible and environmentally sustainable

innovation. Communications design remains the dominant discipline in the country,

followed by digital and multime dia design. Design is a cat alyst for innovation and a

key ingredient in gaining and m aintaining a competitive ed ge. Design excellence is

a hallmark of “Brand UK”. Improving awareness of intel lectual propert y (IP) within

the two million organizatio ns that make up the UK’s creative industries sector is a

must if the country’s designers are to remain competitive.

Improving awareness and und erstanding of the econom ic potential of design and

creativity among po licymakers and desig n customers, both private and public or-

ganizations, is also a prior ity. There is currently a disturbing tendency to under value

professional designe rs, as demonstrated by the practice of “ free pitching” – the

supply of design ser vices without payment – in public and corporate procure ment.

IP infringement is on the in crease, but for micro or small an d medium-sized enter-

prises (SMEs) there is little ch ance of effective enforce ment.

SA FEGUAR DING

DESIGN ASSETS

A UK Perspective by Dids McDona ld,

CEO of ACID (Anti Copy ing in Design)

Dids Macdona ld, CEO, ACID beli eves

“it is very i mportant that de signers have the

means to easi ly protect their cr eative work,

particu larly in lig ht of the damage cau sed

by unauthori zed copying of t heir designs.”

Photo: ACID