Bytestart - The online small business portal
Search over 2000 Articles!


Compare Business Insurance Quotes
Looking for public liability, employers liability or professional indemnity insurance? Compare Quotes


Intellectual Property – Your Ideas, Your Money, Your Loss

 print  e-mail 

Intellectual Property – not the most exciting of subjects, but one which any business should take into consideration.

Why?
Because it enables the protection of ideas and through this protection allows the creator to exploit their ideas to the maximum potential. Having this freedom of exploitation allows a business to maximise the profit from its own unique ideas.

So what is intellectual property?
Intellectual property encompasses the rights accrued through copyright, designs, patents and trademarks. Patents protect the technical and functional aspects of products and processes; designs protect the visual appearance of products; trade marks protect the origin of products or services; and copyright provides protection from others copying your idea.

The UK maintains registers for designs, patents and trademarks whereas copyright is an automatic right which vests with the creator of an article. By registering a design, patent or trademark a business is granted a monopoly right which can be used to prevent competitors from profiting from their creations.

So, what happens if I do not register my rights?
In the best case scenario – nothing. Your ideas are not copied by competitors and your profits and reputation remain intact. In the worst case scenario – your inventions, brands, designs etc. are copied by your competitors, you lose the opportunity and ability to profit from them and your reputation with your customers is damaged.

The Patent Office runs a commercial search and advisory service for patents and trade marks. This service utilises the experience and skills of the Office’s patent and trade mark examiners to search, extract and analyse the information contained on the various databases and to provide advice in relation to those findings.

For further information visit the Patent Office website email – enquiries@patent.gov.uk or call 08459 500 505

For the Patent Office's Search and Advisory Service call 01633 811010 or email commercialsearches@patent.gov.uk

Posted September 22, 2006


Easy Accountancy


Latest articles in Legal Guides
 
Guide to business libel in the Internet age
Over the years, what qualifies as libel has developed from the written word to include such things as radio broadcasts, and perhaps most importantly, the internet. How employee emails and personal blogs can be a cause for concern to employers. [May 27, 2009]
 
What is a confidentiality agreement or 'NDA'?
Non-disclosure agreements, or NDAs, are used to outline how two or more parties will share confidential information, without knowledge of such information going any further. [April 17, 2009]
 
What records are employers required to keep by law?
The three main areas where small businesses over-comply are - taking on new staff, the National Minimum Wage and the Working Time Regulations. But what records are employers required to keep by law? [October 24, 2008]
 
Guide to Copyright Law - What is protected?
Copyright law is one of the key areas of intellectual property protection. In the United Kingdom, protection applies automatically once the work is created. In this expert legal guide, we step through each different types of work that are protected, and explain the extent of the monopoly granted. [September 3, 2008]
 
Why it is important to have a Partnership Agreement
Graeme Jump from Mace & Jones looks at why it is important to have a partnership agreement when setting up a business with colleagues, following a recent case. [August 21, 2008]
 
Make sure your solicitor is qualified to take on your case
During a time of financial uncertainty the number of complaints made against solicitors has risen by nearly a third this year. One author suggests that a major contributing factor to the rise in complaints is that in most cases, the wrong solicitor was selected at the outset. [August 12, 2008]
 
Choosing a solicitor for your business
When running your business, there may be times when you’ll need to obtain legal advice. How to choose a solicitor for your small business [July 15, 2008]
 
Passing the family business to the next generation - Legal Guide
Of all the many things that can disrupt or wreck a business, a change in ownership must be near the top of the list. We look at the common ways of transferring ownership to the next generation, and the pitfalls you might encounter along the way. [June 4, 2008]
 
How the Data Protection Act can affect your business
What the Data Protection Act is and what it means for your business and direct marketing campaigns. If you hold any form of personal or marketing information about customers, prospects or staff – even just their name and address – then you should register. [February 19, 2008]
 
Companies Act - final timetable for implementation
The final timetable for the implementation of the Companies Act has been announced by the Government. [December 19, 2007]
 
Companies Act 2006 & derivative claims by shareholders
Stephan Weber of Sykes Anderson LLP discusses the new statutory provisions under the Companies Act 2006 in respect of derivative claims by shareholders [November 20, 2007]
 
Trade Marks - The Basics
A Guide to trade marks. How are trade marks protection, why you should register a trade mark, and how to apply for one. [October 25, 2007]
 
Business Terms and Conditions - A Legal Guide
How to make sure your standard terms and conditions of business are incorporated into the agreement between you and your customers. [October 22, 2007]
 
Guide to Intellectual Property (IP) and your business
A complete guide to protecting your intellectual property - including patents, trademarks, copyright and design issues. [June 27, 2007]
 
Charging interest in contractual relationships
Most businesses will not have considered whether the standard 8% interest rate clause provided is appropriate for their particular circumstances. Most businesses would benefit from a regular review of their standard terms. [June 19, 2007]