ACID CEO recognised as UK IP ground-breaker

This year’s 2023 theme on World Intellectual Property Day was Women and IP: Accelerating innovation and creativity and ACID CEO Dids Macdonald OBE., was amongst five UK women selected for their “can do” attitude of women inventors, creators, and entrepreneurs worldwide and their ground-breaking work.

Other UK women included in this prestigious global line-up are Jewellery Designer Harriet Kelsall; Installation technique for offshore wind turbines inventor and entrepreneur Jacqueline Morrison; Esteemed departmental lecturer in intellectual property (IP) at the Oxford University in the United Kingdom, Le Vu Van Anh; Academic lawyer and professor Janice Denoncourt.

On her inclusion in the WIPO World Intellectual Property Day Gallery, Macdonald said: “When I entered the world of IP many years ago, it was a very different space where there were few female voices. Fortunately, the tide is turning but not quickly enough. For a truly innovative society to grow, we need complete diversity of perspectives and experiences to flourish.

“The number of women is rising in areas of the creative industries, largely as start-ups, lone, and micro business owners. Many of these creative businesses rely on Unregistered Design rights, which are notoriously more difficult to protect by law. So, it is imperative that women in these areas have the knowledge, tools, and support to strengthen and uphold their IP rights.”

In ACID’s continued efforts to draw attention to the disparity of IP rights and who can seek justice for infringements, World IP Day 2023 saw the re-launch of the ACID IP Charter as a free to sign declaration.

“We are calling on all designers, all businesses, and all people who believe in respect, ethics, and compliance in design. You will receive the ACID IP Charter logo upon signing, which enables you to state openly that you are ethically aligned with protecting original design and upholding the IP rights of designers. This charter enables us to have a wide-reaching arm of support for our campaigns and strengthens our advocacies towards equality in IP for all!” ACID said.

For more information or to sign the ACID IP Charter, click here.

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