An interesting question and one that I will address now. The short answer is a very conditional YES. Why conditional? Well you can only rely on #copyright protection if your logo could be viewed as an artistic creation; under section 4 of the Copyright Designs and Patens Act 1988, #artistic works are protected as works of copyright. So does…

  UKIP has found itself in hot water in the last few days over claims that its new logo is too similar to #thepremierleague Two #intellectualpropery issues arise here. Could the Premier League claim UKIP is in breach of it’s #trademark or #copyright? Both claims are plausible given the similarities. What is more surprising is that UKIP could have avoided…

  Ask any #patentattorney and he/she will almost certainly tell you that the claims are the most part of the #patent application. Why is that you may ask? Well it’s the claims that ultimately determine the aspects of the #invention that you are claiming patent protection for; or to put it another way, the claims will define the exact elements…

What do I mean by this? Well, for many #startups and #entrepreneurs their websites are an integral part of their ‘shopfront’ to the outside world. Typically these websites will contain photos, text, videos and music. All of this work can be protected by an #intellectualpropertyright called #copyright. Do you know one of the great things about copyright? Protection is automatic…

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…