In the United Kingdom the Intellectual Property Act 2014 (Commencement No.1) Order 2014 (SI 2014/1715), made on 2 July, fixes tomorrow, 15 July, as the date of coming into force of section 10(2) of the Intellectual Property Act.

What does section 10(2) do? It introduces new sections 27A and 27B into the Registered Designs Act 1949, which offers new routes of appeal to the "appointed person" against decisions made by the registrar relating to designs, as an alternative to the High Court.

The facility of appealing to the appointed person has already been available in respect of appeals against the registrar in trade mark matters; it has proved to be both cheaper and more informal than an appeal to the High Court, though there is a small downside if you lose: appeals to the High Court can themselves be appealed to the Court of Appeal, while appeals to the appointed person are final.