For many creatives and entrepreneurs, how their products look is their competitive advantage. IP law, in particular design law, can help these individuals protect and commercialise the appearance of their products. REGISTERED DESIGN PROTECTION Firstly you have to decide whether you wish to protect the appearance of your product through registered or unregistered design rights. Put simply registered design rights…

  Being cagey about your startup idea is generally sound advice; after all you don’t want others to benefit from your idea at your expense. However there is one situation when being cagey could be counter productive…when seeking guidance about protecting your IP. The following are the 3 reasons why I ask aspiring entrepreneurs seeking advice from me to tell…

  As an aspiring entrepreneur money is tight. So make the most of any meeting you have with an IP professional by asking the following 3 questions!  #1. Is my business idea protectable? If so how? #2. Given that my budget is limited, is there any way I can protect my business idea without spending £1000s on various intellectual property…

4 Characteristics of a Successful Patent Application The first photo is of British inventor, Richard Browning demonstrating his latest invention, an Iron-Man-style flight suit at the Ted (Technology, Entertainment and Design) Conference in Vancouver recently. For many inventors and aspiring entrepreneurs developing an idea into a viable product usually takes years and years of trial and error; and for some,…

  Where do I go for IP advice for my startup? In my experience many aspiring entrepreneurs simply don’t have the funds to obtain advice from an IP lawyer particularly early on in their startup journey when their business idea is not fully developed. Ironically however, this is when most budding entrepreneurs that I have spoken to, would welcome with…

Protecting your IP for the cost of a cup of coffee! Research by Buddy Loans carried out in 2015 revealed that Brits are spending up to £663.00 annually per person on drinking coffee! https://www.buddyloans.com/blog/how-much-is-your-coffee-addiction-costing-you/ So this got me thinking, if an aspiring entrepreneur was to forsake his coffee habit for a year what could he do to protect his IP…

Eminem is suing the New Zealand governing party for using his track Lose Yourself in a party political broadcast. Have a listen to the broadcast. Do you think Eminem’s copyright has been violated? #entrepreneur #entrepreneurship #startups #businessowner #smallbiz #entrepreneurlife #youngentrepreneur #entrepreneurfirst #techcity #shoreditch #angelinvestor #mytelegraph #intellectualproperty #ipass #studentstartup #venturecapital #askjoesekhon #foundr #nacue #copyright #trademarks #patent #business #strategy #innovation #university #startupaccelerator…

Q. So when should you seek IP advice? A: The Internet is relatively quiet on this important question. Most business/startup advice websites that I’ve come across will tell that you should seek IP advice; but the critical question is WHEN? Seek advice too soon; you may end up wasting your limited resources because your business idea is not fully developed…

Part 13: Budget for IP registration. Providing your startup idea is viable then as a responsible entrepreneur you should set up a budget for registering the various intellectual property rights relevant to your business. Key things to bear in mind when setting a budget: 1. IP rights can take years to register. 2. Factor in preliminary costs such as database…

Part 12: For many aspiring entrepreneurs, the principal focus when it comes to intellectual property is acquiring the corresponding intellectual property rights. Enforcing them is not a priority as it is hoped that the acquiring of a patent, trade mark or a portfolio of such rights will act as a deterrent factor to competitors looking to exploit their IP. However…