Guidance

The UK IP Crime Group

Updated 13 March 2024

The UK IP Crime Group (IPCG) founded in 2004 is a membership of representatives from the private sector, enforcement agencies and government departments who have a role in tackling IP crime and infringement in the UK.

The group’s structure was refreshed in 2022 following a review of the group’s purpose and operating methods. The reformed IPCG has been structured to enable the group to become a more active forum focusing on shared threats and enabling collaboration between stakeholders across the sector to identify solutions.

The group is led by an executive board made up of senior decision makers across industry and law enforcement.

The IPCG meets regularly to discuss current IP crime and infringement issues, trends, potential ways to work collaboratively and to share best practice.

To learn more about the group please contact: ipcrimegroup@ipo.gov.uk.

Current members of the group include:

  • Alliance for Intellectual Property
  • Anti Copying in Design (ACID)
  • Anti-Counterfeiting Forum (ACF)
  • Anti-Counterfeiting Group (ACG)
  • Association of Chief Trading Standards Officers (ACTSO)
  • Association of Photographers (AoP)
  • Border Force
  • British Association of Picture Libraries and Agencies (BAPLA)
  • British Copyright Council (BCC)
  • British Recorded Music Industry (BPI)
  • Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI)
  • City of London Police (CoLP)
  • Crown Prosecution Service (CPS)
  • Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA)
  • Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT)
  • Federation Against Software Theft (FAST)
  • Firmenich
  • Film Distributors’ Association (FDA)
  • Food Standards Agency (FSA)
  • Food Standards Scotland (FSS)
  • Government Agency Intelligence Network (GAIN)
  • Greater Manchester Police (GMP)
  • HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC)
  • Imaging Consumables Coalition of Europe, Middle East and Africa (ICCE)
  • Independent Garage Association (IGA)
  • International Federation of Spirits Producers (IFSP)
  • Intellectual Property Office (IPO)
  • Ministry of Defence (MoD)
  • Motion Picture Association (MPA)
  • National Crime Agency (NCA)
  • National Markets Group (NMG)
  • National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC)
  • National Trading Standards (NTS)
  • NLA Media Access
  • Nominet
  • Open Plan Law
  • Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS)
  • Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU)
  • Police Scotland
  • Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI)
  • Premier League
  • PRS for Music
  • Professional Publishers Association (PPA)
  • Publishers Association (PA)
  • React
  • Royal Mail
  • Scottish Anti-illicit Trade Group (SATG)
  • Scotch Whisky Association (SWA)
  • Snapdragon
  • Sky UK
  • Trading Standards services
  • Trading Standards Northern Ireland (TS NI)
  • Trading Standards Scotland (TSS)
  • UK Interactive Entertainment (UKIE)
  • WRi Group

Please note that the group does not provide IP advice. If you need IP advice, please contact the IPO Information Centre: information@ipo.gov.uk or on 0300 300 2000.

Further information and useful contacts:

The Intellectual Property Office offers guidance on all aspects of IP including detailed guidance on IP crime and infringement.

Useful contacts

The Anti-Counterfeiting Group

https://www.a-cg.org/

The Alliance for Intellectual Property

https://www.allianceforip.co.uk/

The Department for Science, Invocation and Technology (DSIT)

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-science-innovation-and-technology

The British Phonographic Industry (BPI)

https://www.bpi.co.uk/

The Association for UK Interactive Entertainment (UKIE)

https://ukie.org.uk/

The Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT)

https://www.fact-uk.org.uk/

PRS for Music

https://www.prsformusic.com/

The Federation Against Software Theft (FAST)

https://www.fast.org/

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC)

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-revenue-customs

Police Scotland

https://www.scotland.police.uk/

Police in England, Wales and Northern Ireland

https://www.police.uk/

Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU)

https://www.cityoflondon.police.uk/police-forces/city-of-london-police/areas/city-of-london/about-us/about-us/pipcu/

National Trading Standards eCrime Team

http://www.tradingstandardsecrime.org.uk/

The Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI)

https://www.tradingstandards.uk/

Trading Standards Scotland (TSS)

https://www.tsscot.co.uk/

CrimeStoppers

https://crimestoppers-uk.org/

The Food Standards Agency (FSA)

https://www.food.gov.uk/

Action Fraud

https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/

National Markets Group (NMG)

https://www.realdealmarkets.co.uk/about/101-2/

Anti-Copying in Design (ACID)

https://www.acid.uk.com/