The IP Inclusive Charter for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion now has 63 signatories from across the UK and from a wide-range of IP organisations. Â We are pleased that so many IP firms have signed the Charter. Â We also have one signatory from industry: the BOC Group‘s IP department has also recently signed the Charter. Â We hope more in-house IP departments will follow suit soon:Â the Best Practice work stream has been working with the IP Federation to determine how we can get members of that group on board.
We have received requests from organisations based in Europe, Canada and India to join IP Inclusive and to sign our Charter.  While it’s heartening to know that awareness of IP Inclusive has spread across the globe, at this point we are concentrating on improving equality, diversity and inclusion in the UK’s IP law sector.  At IP Inclusive’s next plenary meeting, we will be discussing how to encourage and facilitate the sharing of ideas and best practices between the Charter signatories and, in the spirit of inclusivity, we hope to be able to share our thoughts with our supporters abroad too.  So, watch this space!
For now, take a look at the list of signatories and check if your firm has signed the Charter. Â If not, why not?
Of course, if you think your firm is diverse, now is the time to shift your focus to ensuring your firm is also inclusive, as discussed here.