ACID making a mark ... on exhibition organisers?

A press release from Anti Copying in Design (ACID) announces that key Spring Fair exhibitors who are also ACID members have accepted an invitation from ACID to join a new intellectual property steering group -- the ACID Spring & Autumn Intellectual Property Steering Group. This group's aims are to build on existing progress and cooperation with the event organiser Emap (which also runs Autumn Fair) and to develop new initiatives to address concerns on the increase of copying within this sector. According to ACID CEO Dids Macdonald:

"Having worked positively with Spring & Autumn Fair for the past decade, I am delighted that, together with the IP Steering Group, we can identify specific concerns and drive forward improvement via positive dialogue with the organisers. Raising awareness about the need for increased respect for Intellectual Property is a real issue for design led companies. After all, the Fairs are one of Europe's leading showcases for the launch of new and innovative products and it is critical to each and every exhibitor investor that they can trade in an environment where there is an absolute zero tolerance of IP theft.”

An ACID Accredited Exhibition Organiser achieves this status by adopting criteria which promotes the communication of a zero tolerance of IP infringement through all levels of the exhibition communication network. These Exhibition Organisers also support and adopt the ACID Exhibition Protocol for complaint handling – a grass roots alternative dispute resolution framework. To date, across all ACID Accredited exhibitions, there have been over 2,000 mediations, with less than 30% requiring further legal action. Of those 30% the majority have been settled following a letter before action.

The most telling part of this press release is the bit where it says:

"LSA's Penny Laughton added, "I would like to see an Emap board director fully engaged with ACID and the issue of IP"".

Is this a polite way saying "we're involved in fighting copying and we jolly well think that exhibition organisers -- who probably make a lot more out of their exhibitions than most of their creative exhibitors will benefit from exhibiting in them -- ought to be taking some of the responsibility too?"