FOIMan reports on a new amendment to the UK Freedom of Information Act.
On Wednesday 14 May, the Intellectual Property Act 2014 received Royal Assent. Section 20 of the Act amends the Freedom of Information Act, introducing a new section 22A. This is the exemption lobbied for by Universities UK and others during the post-legislative scrutiny two years ago for unpublished research. The exemption covers “Information obtained in the course of, or derived from, a programme of research” whilst there is a continuing intention to publish. The new section can be found at http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2014/18/section/20/enacted. It is expected that it will come into force in the Autumn.
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