This House of Lords Library briefing provides information on World Intellectual Property Day designated for the 26 April 2016.
World Intellectual Property Day, 26 April 2016 (126 KB , PDF)
In 2000, member states from the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) designated 26 April of every year as World Intellectual Property Day, with the aim of “increasing [the] general understanding of intellectual property”. The subject for this year’s World Intellectual Property Day is “Digital Creativity: Culture Reimagined”, with the WIPO particularly focusing on “exploring some of the issues surrounding our cultural future”, for example, how we create, access and finance it.
World Intellectual Property Day, 26 April 2016 (126 KB , PDF)
Music forms part of the national curriculum up to key stage 3. Recent statistics show increases in GCSE music entries in summer 2025 compared to the previous academic year, but there has also been a drop in A-level entries in the same period. Additionally, concerns have been raised about the quality of music provision in schools and the difficulties faced by children from more deprived areas in accessing music education.
In September 2024 the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee launched an inquiry into the scaleup challenges facing startup enterprises working with artificial intelligence (AI) and creative technology. In a report published in February 2025, the committee warned the UK risked becoming an incubator economy where UK startups developed innovative products and services before selling out or moving abroad. This briefing summarises the report’s recommendations and the government’s response.
In November 2024, the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee published a report examining the future of the news sector in the UK. While acknowledging the sector’s strengths, it expressed concerns about declining trust and revenue, threats to investigative reporting and the influence of artificial intelligence (AI). It made several recommendations to the government and others, including dedicating resources to address the challenges of AI and developing a media literacy strategy.
