Chris McDonald Confirmed as Minister for Intellectual Property

ACT welcomes an MP with extensive IP experience and a commitment to supporting SME innovation

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – Comment from Stephen Tulip, UK Country Manager for the Association for Competitive Technology (ACT):

‘We welcome Chris McDonald’s appointment as Minister for Science, Innovation and Investment with responsibility for intellectual property (IP). His background in engineering, research, and innovation gives him firsthand knowledge of the importance of IP protection, especially for Britain’s small and medium-sized tech enterprises (SMEs).

‘As the former CEO of the Materials Processing Institute, as well as his many years as a policy champion for innovation and infrastructure at the Federation of Small Businesses, McDonald understands more than most members of the Government the significance of IP and standard essential patents (SEPs) to the UKs tech future.

‘As the new dedicated IP minister he must ensure rapid progress on the UK Intellectual Property Office’s (IPO) much-anticipated reforms of standard-essential patent (SEPs) licensing to ensure that British SMEs can compete and innovate on top of technical standards.

‘We wish him the best in his new role and look forward to engaging with McDonald as he adjusts to his new brief.’

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About the Association for Competitive Technology (ACT)

ACT is a global technology trade association representing startups, scaleups, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). We work directly with our members worldwide to advocate for a policy environment that takes into account their real-world challenges and supports innovation, access to capital, job creation, and the ability of small technology companies to grow and compete globally.