Intellectual Property Institute - History

History

The first CLIP offices were in Hugh Brett’s offices at 25 Beaumont Street, Oxford. Shortly thereafter, it was decided that CLIP would be better placed if moved to London, and Michael Flint hosted meetings at Denton Hall’s offices in Gray's Inn. Through Michael Flint’s enthusiasm and contacts, CLIP began to secure funding from industry and the legal profession. The first meeting, when the idea of creating the Institute was exposed to a larger audience, was also held in Denton Hall’s offices in Gray’s Inn. Intellectual property specialists from the bench, notably Mr. Justice Whitford, barristers and solicitors attended.

On 15th March 1982 in the Rotunda Room of the UK Patent Office the first meeting of the Foundation Committee of CLIP was held. The Chairman for the meeting was Lord Scarman, the Institute’s first President. CLIP’s Council included: Edward Armitage, Jack Black, Hugh Brett, Bill Cornish, Gerald Dworkin, Michael Flint, Geoffrey Hobbs, James Lahore, Brian Norris and Stephen Stewart QC. These were the prime founders of the Institute. Michael Flint was initially the Chairman of the Foundation Committee but as he had to spend much of 1982 in Los Angeles, the chair was passed to Stephen Stewart who had recently retired from being the Director of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI).

Thanks to financial support from the American film industry, the Institute enjoyed premises at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, at Russell Square. Indeed, the establishment of CLIP owed much to Michael Flint’s enthusiasm and his determination to secure funding from industry and the legal profession.

The Institute’s first Director was Ivor Davies, formerly the Comptroller of Patents at the UK Patent Office. The first public event organised by the Institute was a conference at the Waldorf Hotel, London, on the subject of piracy. Thanks to Brian Norris, the conference was sponsored by the Motion Picture Association of America. Lord Scarman chaired it and gave the keynote speech. The national newspapers, as well as legal journals, covered the event. It was at this conference that the Institute could be said to have been launched. Prof. Beier, then Director of the Max Planck came and welcomed the arrival of their “Little Sister”.

In April 1991 John Adams, then Professor of Commercial Law at the University of Kent, but latterly Professor of Intellectual Property Law at Sheffield University, took over as Director of the Institute. In 1994 the Institute changed its name to the Intellectual Property Institute (IPI), under the chairmanship of Sir Geoffrey Pattie, formerly a minister at the DTI. During this time, Ron Coleman, formerly Chief Engineer and Scientist at the DTI, helped to manage the Institute, remaining in post until John Reid, previously head of Patents at Unilever, became General Secretary in early 1997. The Institute had by this time moved to Southampton Buildings and the two Johns managed the Institute jointly until 2000 (having moved again to Outer Temple, Strand in 1999). Sir Robin Jacob had become a High Court Judge and the Institute’s President, succeeding Lord Scarman.

From 1999 to 2011, Ian Harvey, the Chief Executive of BTG plc, took over as Chairman of the Board. In May 2000, Paul Leonard was appointed as the Institute’s first full time Director, combining roles of Director and Secretary General previously held by John Adams and John Reid. Between 2001 and 2010, the Institute was located at 36 Great Russell Street.