§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on his plans for new legislation on industrial design.
§ Mr. LeighNew legislation on the protection of industrial design came into force on 1 August 1989 as part of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, when the Government introduced a wholly new kind of protection in the form of an unregistered design right. Some changes were also made to the existing registered design system. The European Commission is currently examining the question of design protection with a view to issuing a consultative document.