“Your “Copyright Education and Awareness” paper is an excellent report. I am grateful to you for all the work you have done during your tenure as my Special Advisor on Intellectual Property”.
Supporting the Film Industry and Protecting Creative Intellectual Property Rights
The Rt Hon David Cameron MP, former Prime Minister
John Medeiros, chief policy officer, Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (Hong Kong)
“Your insight was key. Your reports proved to be ‘hot sellers’ and we quickly ran out of the several hundred we had printed.”
Former commander Stephen Head, City of London PIPCU
“Mike has been an inspirational leader and… instrumental in the establishment of a credible UK deterrent that is now recognised as international best-practice and is being replicated by many other countries.”
Carina Bailey, Trading Standards
“Mike Weatherley… has risen to become the man who has shaped the course of history for intellectual property (IP) rights in the UK – and beyond.”
Micheal Weatherley
Vice Chairman, Motion Picture Licensing Corporation (MPLC)
Mike originally joined MPLC in 2007 in a European Studio Relations and Finance role before becoming a British Member of Parliament (2010 – 2015).
Whilst an MP, in 2013 he was appointed as the first, and only, Intellectual Property Rights advisor to the Prime Minister. During this time, Mike authored four internationally acclaimed reports which transformed the UK approach to IP: –
Search Engines and Piracy; Follow the Money; Copyright Education and Awareness; and Safe Harbour Provisions. Mike also secured extended funding for the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) and was on the Executive for the All Party Parliamentary Group on Intellectual Property.
He popularised the understanding of IP to every constituency by devising Rock the House and Film the House competitions which became Parliament’s largest (with 452 out of 650 MPs taking part) and utilized the power of the electorate to force all MPs to understand the value of “IP”.
Mike’s multi-faceted approach to championing IP paved the way for clear, achievable policies for industry and Government to pursue. In 2015, for the first time ever, all political parties included manifesto commitments on IP and the UK is now ranked as number 1 in the World for IP protection.
He continues to work with the UK and other legislators, and speaks regularly at conferences around the world on how the UK example can be replicated.
Mike re-joined MPLC in May 2015 as Vice Chairman. Mike’s main Board responsibilities include international studio and government relations, worldwide group finance, and corporate and strategic development splitting his time between the U.S. and UK offices in Los Angeles and London. He is a graduate of South Bank (London) University and holds an Honours degree in Business Studies and is a qualified CPA.
In the latest edition of IAM Strategy 300 – The World’s Leading IP Strategists, published online by IAM, a unique list was created to identify IP leaders. Mike Weatherley was named one of the 300 pre-eminent IP strategists. Read More. See the reports page for more articles.