Britain must get serious about protecting its intellectual property

You might think it's a trick question and that both are. In fact the one on the left is a Dyson, the one on the right a Chinese product called the Mach Zen. Dyson has sued the maker, Vax, for design infringement (and you can see why) but yesterday lost its case. It's expected to appeal this most ridiculous of High Court decisions and good luck to it.

Design is crucial to our future as a high-end manufacturing exporter but if companies can't protect their designs (which are just as important as patents) we're done for. A design doesn't just mean a pretty technical drawing. It represents huge amounts of time and investment, research and development, to get something to the manufacturing stage.

The picture represents a transfer of value from Dyson to Vax. Dyson, and many other design led manufacturers in the UK, employ thousands of engineers to create products which are assembled abroad but which are British exports using exactly the business model that the Government hopes will help lead us to economic growth.

While they are travelling round India drumming up trade, David Cameron and George Osborne should be thinking of ways of ensuring that our intellectual property - crucial to a value added economy - is properly protected.