Competition Law Association – the 22nd Burrell Lecture
Divergence of UK Law from EU Law after Brexit:
The Example of Intellectual Property
Rt Hon Sir Richard Arnold
I am honoured to have been invited to deliver the 22nd Burrell Lecture.
The Burrell Lecture commemorates John Burrell QC, who was called to the Bar in 1948, took silk in 1973 and died at the sadly young age of 61 in 1985. He was an expert in both intellectual property law and competition law, and a pioneer of what was then called EEC law.
Among other things, he was Chairman of the Plant Varieties and Seeds Tribunal from 1974 to 1985, a member of the Working Committee on EEC Trade Mark Law from 1975 to 1977 and successively Vice-President from 1978 to 1980 and President from 1980 to 1982 of what is now the Ligue Internationale du Droit de la Concurrence (International League for Competition Law), the British Group of which is the Competition Law Association. He also played a role in finally getting the recommendation for registration of service marks made by the 1974 Mathys Report1 implemented by the Trade Marks (Amendment) Act 1984.
The Burrell Lecture has been delivered by some very distinguished speakers over the years. In May 2019 the 21st lecture was delivered by Christopher Vajda, then the UK judge of the Court of Justice of the European Union.