Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the cost to UK businesses of resolving future cross-border trademark and patent disputes through court action after the UK leaves the EU.

The UK Intellectual Property Office is currently working closely with stakeholders and other government departments to assess the impact that leaving the EU will have on IP rights and their enforcement. The mechanisms for cross border enforcement, access to courts in other jurisdictions and the cost of those disputes in the future will depend to a large degree on what agreements are put in place for broader civil and criminal justice cooperation at the time of exit. It is not possible to make an accurate estimate of those costs at this time.