Following up on my recent meeting with the Dept for Trade intellectual property trade advisory group, and discussing Intellectual Property as part of Free Trade Agreements at the AIPPI conference; tonight I had the chance to discuss the issues and opportunities with our Secretary of State for Trade Dr. Liam Fox.  Not only is he highly positive about the prospects of the UK trading relationships post Brexit, but he also is a proponent of technology and investment as drivers for the future economy.

He pointed out that many countries look forward to direct trade discussions with the UK as one of the world’s largest and most successful economies.  He believes our future success will be underpinned by a legal system whose reputation is second to none (to which I modestly agreed with him), but most importantly the UK is home to some of the world’s finest universities, our research and development capabilities are cutting-edge and our financial institutions world-leading.  He is convinced this is a winning combination to support trade and investment for tech based businesses and many others, and hearing his enthusiasm convinces me intellectual property will be key to our trading future.