Demand for my IP Clinic - Flash in the Pan or Straws in the Wind

By Steve Partridge, CC BY-SA 2.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9270036

Jane Lambert

I have been holding monthly IP clinics in Yorkshire since 2004.  I have therefore experienced the economic downturn which resulted from the banking crisis, the slow recovery, and the 20.4% slump in GDP which the Office for National Statistics announced yesterday (see GDP monthly estimate, UK: April 2020, 12 June 2020 ONS).  I have found attendance at my monthly IP clinic in Barnsley to be a pretty good bellwether of the state of the economy.

This week for the first time in months I had three enquiries.   As I explained in Barnsley IP Clinic 14 April 2020 I have had to offer these clinics online.  That enables me to see clients at a mutually convenient rather than a two-hour session at the Business Village in Wilthorpe.  I also hold a similar clinic at the Menai Science Park in Anglesey which is now online (see Online Support for Businesses in Wales 13 April 2020 NIPC Wales).  However, until this week I had received only one enquiry and that came from North Wales),

What is encouraging about this week's enquiries is that they were all about new business ventures.  Obviously, I can't disclose who they were or anything about their businesses but they were interested in legal protection for their brands and technology. The conversations on branding led to trade marks and the discussion on protecting technology led to patents and alternatives to patents.  I also mentioned trade mark and patent searches and how to obtain them, clinics at the Sheffield and Leeds Business and IP Centres run by CIPA and others, and how and where to find a patent or trade mark attorney.

All three clients were enthusiastic and motivated.  They were aware that they were going into business at a very bad time but they had researched their markets and were sure that their businesses would grow as the economy revives. Now I may be wrong about this but I think they will succeed. I also think there are others like them from the Shetlands to the Scillies.  A flash in the pan?  Perhaps!  But I think they are straws in the wind.  I say that because something very similar happened in about 2011 and 2012. There were dips of inactivity now and then but as the economy picked up so dud attendances at my clinic.

Now for a tip.  At my clinics and inventors' clubs, I am often asked about T & C.  These are about managing risk which is why terms and conditions designed for one business may not necessarily suit another.  They are meant to dovetail with following best practice and public liability and other insurance. 

Just outside Wakefield, there stand the ruins of a medieval castle which was also about managing risk.  There was a moat to keep out wild animals, sturdy vagabonds, and other undesirables.  That was enough to deter most threats to the castle and its inhabitants.  To fight off besieging armies there was a curtain wall from which defenders could fire arrows and pour boiling all or molten lead on their attackers.  If the wall was breached, there was a keep with thick walls where the defenders made their last stand as Macbeth tried to do against Macduff.

Terms and conditions are the last line of defence.  Contract terms cannot be used to exclude certain types of liability.  The first line of defence is best practice.  That equates to the moat.   The second line is insurance. That is like the curtain wall.  Terms and conditions can sometimes be used to regulate risks that cannot be insured against and where best practice fails.   They should, therefore, be drafted with the needs of the business in mind with the insurance policy and manual if best practice to hand.

Anyone wishing to discuss this article or any of the topics mentioned in it should call my clerk on +44(0)7986 948267 or send me a message through my contact page while this emergency continues, I shall gladly respond by phone, Zoom or email.

Barnsley Pro Bono IP Clinic 12 Nov 2019

Flowers from a happy client

Jane Lambert

Not all my clients send me flowers after a free 30-minute consultation at the Business Village at Wilthorpe in Barnsley but several have done so in the past.  This photo of me holding an unexpected bouquet from a more than satisfied client was taken at the Business Village's reception desk.

On the second Tuesday of every month between 16:00 and 18:00, I hold up to 4 free consultations of 30 minutes each with entrepreneurs, inventors and other creative people who require advice or assistance on IP law.

Enquiries can be of any kind.  For instance, an inventor of a new product may want to know whether it is patentable. I can't give him or her a complete answer in 30 minutes but I can tell the inventor the basic principles of patent law, advise about searches, how and where to apply, the likely costs in the Intellectual Property Office and European Patent Office and applications under the Patent Cooperation Treaty, the advantages of instructing a patent attorney and how they can be found and free or cost-effective business services through the Business and IP Centres at Leeds and Sheffield.

Sometimes the client needs services from another professional such as a product design consultant or a specialist insurance broker.  I can help point him or her in the right direction,  I have been running this clinic for the last 12 years and I have built up an enormous list of contacts in Yorkshire and beyond over that time.

My next clinic will take place on 12 Nov 2019 and I have slots between 17:00 and 17:30 and between 17:30 and 18:00.  If you want to take advantage of one of those slots fill in my Barnsley IP Clinic form and send it off as soon as possible.  I will give you an appointment as soon as I hear from you.  Alternatively, you can call the Business Village on 01226 249590 and ask to speak to Megan Winslow. If we can't fit you in this month we can offer you an appointment at the December clinic.

The Business Village is about a mile and a half from the centre of Barnsley and on several bus routes.  It is not far from the M1 and has plenty of free parking in the Village itself or in neighbouring streets. If you want to discuss this article or my service generally call me 020 7404 5252 during office hours or send me a message through my contact form. 

Morrisons' Appeal FAQ

Morrison's head office in Bradford

Author Michael Ely
Licence Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 2.0
Source Wikipedia

Jane Lambert

The retailer, Wm Morrison Supermarkets Plc ("Morrisons"), is one of Yorkshire's biggest companies and the fourth largest supermarket chain in the UK.   On Monday, 22 Oct 2018 it lost its appeal against the judgment of Mr Justice Langstaff that it was answerable for the misdeeds of one of its members of staff who had posted personal details about all its employees on to a file sharing site on the internet.   The staff member, who was convicted of offences under the Computer Misuse Act 1990 and the Data Protection Act 1998, acted out of spite because he had a grudge against his employer.  I blogged about the Mr Justice Langstaff's judgment in Morrisons - Primary and Vicarious Liability for Breaches of Data Protection Act 1998 in my data protection blog on 11 Dec 2017 and on the appeal in The Morrisons Appeal - Vicarious Liability for Enployees' Breaches of Confidence and Statutory Duty yesterday.

Why is the Appeal in the News?
Except in so far as it might be argued that Morrisons should have been more careful when recruiting, monitoring and supervising staff, the supermarket chain was an innocent party.  It now faces a potentially massive claim for compensation from its employees as a result of that data security breach which is exactly what the perpetrator had intended.

The thought that the court was helping him achieve that object troubled Mr Justice Langstaff which is why he gave Morrisons permission to appeal his judgment. 

On the other hand, Morrisons' employees whose personal details were exposed have rights under the Data Protection Act 1998 and at common law.  They could sue the person who breached their rights but he is serving a custodial sentence for his crimes. If they are to get any compensation they will have to claim it from their employer.

So why should Morrisons be liable?
Both Mr Justice Langstaff and the Court of Appeal held that Morrisons were liable for the misdeeds of its employee under a doctrine known as "vicarious liability". That has nothing to do with vicars.  "Vicarious" in this sense simply means "in place of".  It is a rule of law developed by the judges in a succession of cases that enables claimants who can't get damages from the person who harmed them to sue the wrongdoer's employer.

How does Vicarious Liability work?
The first thing to say is that employers are not liable for every misdeed that their employees may do.  If a member of staff robs a bank on his day off the bank cannot sue the bank robber's employer because that would be absurd.  But if the employee hurts someone while doing his job - say a delivery driver runs down a pedestrian while driving his van - then most people would say that the van owner (or rather its insurer) should pay.

In a previous case against Morrisons involving one of their petrol station attendants one of the Supreme Court justices set a simple two stage test:

• The first step is to ask "what functions or 'field of activities' have been entrusted by the employer to the employee, or, in everyday language, what was the nature of his job?" and
• The second is to consider whether there is a sufficient connection between the position in which the wrongdoer was employed and his wrongful conduct to make it right for the employer to be held liable for his wrongdoing.

The Court of Appeal and trial judge applied that test in this case.  The wrongdoer had been given the personal files together with instructions as to what to do with them in the course of his work as an internal auditor.  That was enough to make Morrisons vicariously liable.

That still seems a but hard on Morrisons

Maybe but the alternative was to leave the employees without a remedy.  The Supreme Court judge who set out the test said that the risk of an employee misusing his position is one of life's unavoidable facts.  The Court of Appeal said that the solution was to insure against that risk.  When you think of it, the position is no different from the position of a van owner who insures against accidents caused by his employees when carrying out their everyday tasks.

I believe that Data Protection Law changed on 25 May

That is correct.  The General Data Protection Regulation ("the GDPR") and the Data Protection Act 2018 came into force on that day.  The new Act repealed the Data Protection Act 1998.  However, the new legislation provides for claims against  data controllers. I blogged about the topic in Claims by Data Subjects against Data Controllers and Processors under the GDPR on 5 Jan 2018.  A claim on similar facts would probably be decided the same way under the new law.

Is this the Last Word on the Topic?

Not necessarily.   Radio reports said that Morrisons hopes to appeal to the Supreme Court.  Even if there is no appeal or the appeal fails it is possible that other courts will seek to distinguish or explain the decision in future cases.

Where can I find Further Information?

You can find lots of information on data protection law including the GDPR and the new Act in my data protection blog.   If you want to discuss this case or data protection generally call me on 020 7404 5252 during office hours or send me a message through my contact form.

How can I protect my Idea for a New Service?

Author TeaLaiumens
Source Wikipedia 
Creative Commons Licence

Jane Lambert

Intellectual property law developed in the 19th century when the first industrial revolution was in full swing. An invention was necessarily a new product or a process for making products. Until the Trade Marks (Amendment) Act 1984 it was not possible to register trade marks for services in the United Kingdom. I remember accompanying the late Hugh Laddie to the Patent Office in 1984 when I was legal adviser to VISA International for Europe, the Middle East and Africa on an appeal against an examiner's refusal to grant VISA a trade mark for printed matter on the grounds that it was a roundabout way of obtaining a service mark for travellers' cheques.

The economic picture has changed a lot since then. Services now account for nearly 80% of GDP in advanced countries like the UK, France and the USA. But the law does not cater for innovation in services even though a new financial service using blockchain technology such as a new virtual currency can be every bit as ingenious as a new drug or communications device. One of the reasons why the law lags behind technology is that the leading industrial countries agreed to protect the intellectual assets of each other's nationals on a reciprocal basis in the Paris and Berne Convention of 1882 and 1886 because reciprocity requires such legal protection in all participating states to be approximately the same.

So when a client comes to me with an idea for an innovative new service his or her options are limited. It may be possible to patent a product or process used in delivering a new service such as a drone or even in some circumstances a software implemented invention but it is not possible in any country to patent a service as such. Even in countries like the United States where there is no equivalent to the statutory exclusions in s.1 (2) of our Patents Act 1977 the protection of methods of doing business has rolled back since the decision of the Supreme Court in Bilski v. Kappos, 561 U.S. 593 (2010).

Generally I advise a client to keep his or her idea to him or herself until he or she is ready to launch. If the client needs to talk to a contractor, collaborator he or she should do so in confidence. Every disclosure in confidence should be acknowledged in writing by the confident, recorded by the confider, closely monitored and strictly enforced. After the launch the idea will be in the open for anyone to see and, of course, imitate. Nevertheless, the innovator may still derive some advantage from being the first to market the service. Any reputation or goodwill accruing to his or her business can now be protected by registering the brand under which it is supplied as a trade mark.  All forms, manuals and other stationery used in the business will be literary works in which copyright will subsist automatically, If properly coordinated and supplied under a brand, the client may have a business format that can be franchised.

In its early days any business will be vulnerable to legal action either to enforce such IP rights as it may own or to defend a claim for their invalidation or revocation.  Even in the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court litigation can be ruinously expensive. Some form of IP insurance is therefore essential if it is to retain its market advantage.

I shall be talking about how to protect a service and other matters at Barnsley Business and Innovation Centre at 12:15 on 9 May 2017. If you want to attend that event you can do so by registering here.

Lunchtime Talk - "How can I protect my Business Idea?" Barnsley BIC 9 May 2017 12-15-13-15

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Jane Lambert

I have been holding free 30-minute consultations on intellectual property and related areas of the law at the Barnsley Business and Innovation Centre ("BBIC") between 10:00 and 12:00 on the second Tuesday of every month for the last 10 years and at other venues in the North of England for even longer. During that time, the question that I have been asked most frequently is "How can I protect my business idea?"

It is not an easy question to answer because it depends on the type of product and the nature of your business. A patent may afford the most extensive protection for a new product or process but if the costs of patenting, insuring and policing the are likely to outweigh the income likely to be generated from the invention you would be better off looking at other forms of legal protection.

To help start-ups and other small businesses work out the answer for themselves I shall be giving a talk entitled

How can I protect my Business Idea?

 at Barnsley BIC on 9 May 2017 between 12:15 and 13:15.

I will introduce you to all the tools in the legal toolbox such as patents, trade secrecy, unregistered design rights, trade marks et cetera.

I will tell you the advantages and disadvantages of each type of protection. For example, patents offer the most extensive protection but they are expensive to get, maintain and enforce, they are not always easy to get, they may be revoked after grant and you have to disclose to the world including your competitors how to make or use them.

I will explain how to get each type of IP and how much it will cost.

I will give you some useful tips about insurance, watch services and enforcement.

I will advise you on the different types of IP professional, where to find them, how to instruct them and how much they are likely to cost.

Finally, I will share a methodology for working out an IP strategy.

Space is likely to be limited so call Christine Mason on 01226 249590 or  George Scanlon on 020 7404 5252 to book your place.

The full address of BBIC is

Barnsley Business and Innovation Centre
Innovation Way
Barnsley
S75 1JL

Tel: 01226 249590

You will find full directions on the BBIC contact page. Usually, there is plenty of on-site and street parking. The BBIC is not far from the town centre from where there are good rail links to Huddersfield, Sheffield, Leeds, Wakefield, Doncaster and the rest of the country and well served by local buses.

CIPA York Meeting

Brighter Days in York?

(c) 2016 Jane Lamber: all rights reserved

Last Thursday I was one of the speakers at the York meeting of the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys ("CIPA"). The other speakers were Louise Edwards of Mazars, David Bloom of Safeguard IP and Kalim Yasseen who is a patent examiner with the Intellectual Property Office. CIPA's president, Tony Rollins, chaired the meeting.

I spoke about IP Litigation after Brexit.  Although we Brits tend to be seen as the awkward squad when it comes to the European project there has been one initiative upon which we have been commendably communautaire. That initiative has been a single European patent for all the member states of the European Union with a single court for the resolution of disputes relating to such patents. The reason why we have always supported that initiative is that patent enforcement litigation in the UK is the most expensive in Europe. The cost of enforcement probably has a lot to do with why the UK trails not just Germany and France in the number of European patent applications but also Switzerland with one eighth of our population and the Netherlands with one third. Something that I have been saying for most of the last 10 years (see Why IP Yorkshire 10 Sept 2008),

The Uniform Patent Court, which will probably come into being towards the end of this year or the beginning of next, would have put British industry on a level playing field with its continental competitors. Unfortunately, the chances are that we shall have to leave when we quit the EU. After we go it will be even more important to do something about reducing the cost of IP litigation in the UK. One solution will be to make better use of the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court ("IPEC") and, in particular, its small claims track. Another consequence of Brexit is that we shall be looking for new export markets outside Europe where the IP environment will be quite different. Not all those markets protect intellectual assets adequately and I suggest that the UK's bilateral investment treaties with 117 foreign states might help. I discussed all these items in greater detail in IP Litigation after Brexit 9 April 2017 IP North West).

Louise gave is a Patent Box Update in which she discussed the effects of the Finance Act 2016 and proposed Finance Bill and considered a number of case studies. She covered some of the rules on patent box relief contained in the 2016 Act and gave us some statistics on take-up. There were apparently 55 companies that took advantage of the scheme in North West England but rather more in Yorkshire. She mentioned the base erosion and profit shifting project of the OECD and how it will affect IP and in particular licensing and distribution. Finally, Louse spoke about three cases that were on her desk right now. One concerned an "ideas company" and its licensing activities. Another, a patentee who had found a new use for his (or her) invention. Finally, a "serial inventor" who insisted on holding onto his IP even though it was not at all tax efficient.

Louise illustrated her talk with bear traps, signposts to "opportunities" and gold nuggets of which there were many. She also had a short sighted computer literate bespectacled terrier under the caption "No tax tail wagging me!" A useful reminder that tax schemes with the primary purpose of avoiding tax will not be bought by HMRC or, for that matter, the courts.

David spoke about IP insurance which is a topic very dear to my heart. I have written quite a lot of articles about it over the years, the last being IP Insurance: CIPA's Paper 1 May 2017 NIPC Inventors' Club. In my view, there is no point in spending a lot of money on obtaining a patent unless you are prepared to enforce it. Despite IPEC and the UPC which I mentioned in my paper it still costs an arm and a leg to enforce an IP right in England. IP insurance can help with that and David said that the choice of insurance products was going up and the cost of premiums was going down. At one time, patent agents used to warn their clients not to waste their money on insurance. I am glad to say that I don't think they do that anything like as much nowadays. If I were a patent or trade mark attorney I would make all my clients aware of such things as IP insurance and watch services and point them in the direction of someone who could give them some dispassionate advice and information.

Kalim, whom I had met when he gave a super talk to the Sheffield inventors club entitled "Filing a UK patent application - process and procedures" on 6 Feb 2012, discussed changes to the Patents Rules 2007 some of which were coming into effect that very day (see Changes to Patents Rules on 1 October 2016 and 6 April 2017 1 Sept 2016 IPO website). These included "omnibus claims" - not an application for a patent for a new kind of charabanc but a basic repetition of the description in the specification - and the communication of patent renewal reminders. Some of these new rules such as the examiner's notification of intention to grant seem to me to be very useful and most have actually been in force since October.

Kalim also spoke about changes to the IPO's portion of the .gov.uk website which seems to reinstate some of the useful bits of the old professional pages section of the IPO's old website. One useful feature is password protected access to the examiner's file. Another is the updating of the Manual of Patent Practice.

Finally, Kalim gave us some tips on working with your examiner. He assured us that he and his colleagues were quite approachable and perfectly reasonable but there are some things that get their goats of which we should be aware. Fairly common sense things in my view.

The meeting took place in the Principal Hotel next to the station. It seems to have undergone considerable renovation and refurbishment. It was much smarter than it was when I last visited it. They laid on a hot and cold buffet with soft drinks for lunch, tea and coffee at half time and gallons of prosecco for those who did not have to drive. Patent seekers generously added some Welsh whisky, easter eggs and chocolate bunnies to the festivities and we were well away. As I was precluded from partaking in the whisky, I was tempted to mention Mr Justice Laddie's decision in Matthew Gloag and Son Ltd and Another v Welsh Distillers Ltd and Others: The Runes 27 Feb 1998 but thought better of it.

Ten Top Tips for Yorkshire Inventors

Probably the most famous Yorkshire inventor is Percy Shaw who invented cat's eyes. Shaw patented his invention and set up a company to manufacture it. After a slow start his company manufactured over a million road studs a year. He ran a Rolls Royce and received an OBE in 1965 (see Reflecting Roadstuds Ltd.'s History page). Not every inventor can be as successful as Percy Shaw but his life story shows how it is possible for a man of very humble origins and limited education to exploit a bright idea spectacularly well.

Here are some tips on how to do it.

Tip No. 1 - Make sure you own the invention

Although the inventor is primarily the person who is entitled to an invention there are some who take priority over him or her. Employers, for example, if the inventor is employed in an R & D department or in some other job in which he or she might be expected to come up with an invention. Product design consultants are another group of people who would not normally claim an invention that they had helped to develop. This was not a problem for Percy Shore because he was self-employed contractor when he made his invention. Check your contract of employment and contact me or some other professional advisor if in doubt.

Tip No. 2 - Keep quite bout the invention until you are ready to exploit it 

You know the good old Yorkshire song that begins "Hear all, see all, say nowt". It makes very good sense for inventors. Patents confer monopolies which can be granted only for inventions that are new. "New" for this purpose means something that is not part of the "state of the art", that is to say the sum of human knowledge at the date of application for a patent. If you go blabbing about your invention it ceases by definition to be new and, thus, not patentable. Not only that it makes it very difficult to protect the invention in some other way such as the law of confidence. Best to keep your trap shut at all times except when talking to people who might help you protect your invention such as lawyers or patent attorneys, design or develop it such as product designers and development consultants and, of course, potential partners or investors who will help you make and market it.

Tip No. 3 - If you do need to discuss your invention do so in confidence

That brings me onto Tip No 3 that if you do need to discuss your invention with anyone do so in confidence.
An obligation of confidence is a duty not to disclose or misuse or disclose information that has been disclosed in confidence without the discloser's permission or other lawful excuse. Such an obligation arises automatically in some cases such as when you consult a lawyer or patent attorney. In other cases it is sensible to get the other party to sign a confidentiality or non-disclosure agreement. Such an agreement should specify the information precisely. It should require the other party to keep the information under wraps except when in use. It should state the purpose of any disclosure, whether the information can be shared with anyone else, whether documents  can be copied and when they are to be returned.   It is then up to you to police and enforce the conditions of the disclosure. I gave a presentation to the Leeds Inventors Club on confidentiality on 14 June 2006 and have written several articles on the subject such as Confidential Information on 12 Nov 2006 in my Inventors' Club blog. Though they were published 10 years ago the law has not changed much. If you need further information on the topic  do get in touch with me.

Tip No. 4 - Be particularly careful when approaching potential licensees

A lot of people write unsolicited letters to manufacturers or retailers whom they believe could be interested in the invention in the hope that they will develop it, put it into production, market it and pay them some money for their idea. That is nearly always a mistake. In most cases the letter ends in the bin and nothing more is heard from the manufacturer or retailer except a short acknowledgement. The reason for that is that many businesses have more than enough ideas that never see the light of day from their own R & D or marketing staff and they would risk a strike or at the least a lot of resentment by such employees where they to run with an idea from outside the business without good reason. Moreover, if the unsolicited idea is taken up the recipient is under no duty to pay the person who had the idea any money or even to give him or her any recognition unless the recipient receives the idea in confidence or the person who had the idea applies for a patent. There are, of course, exceptions. The NHS has set up a number of innovation hubs such as Medipex to develop its employees' inventions and a few companies such as Procter & Gamble and Boots invite submissions from members of the public but even then you should take care and seek professional advice if in any doubt. That was not a problem for Percy Shaw who set up a company to manufacture his own road studs. For many inventors, that is the best way forward.

Tip No 5 - Treat invention promotion companies with caution

Invention promotion companies are businesses that offer to evaluate an invention and bring it to market. They advertise widely in the press and on the internet.  There are some reputable companies such as the NHS hubs that I mentioned above and I am aware of one not-for-profit enterprise that has been formed by an inventors' club in Lancashire but many are not. The Intellectual Property Office warns in Seeking intellectual property advice:

"Some unreliable firms promise to evaluate your invention for a fee of a few hundred pounds. They then tell you that your invention has great market potential. They may offer to promote your invention to manufacturers if you pay a fee of several thousand pounds up front. Once you have paid up, they may do little or nothing for you."

Very few invention promotion companies offer information or services that are not available free of charge or for a modest fee elsewhere.

Tip No. 6 - Use the Business and IP Centres

One of those resources is the Business and IP Centre at the British Library in London which supports business owners, entrepreneurs and inventors with a comprehensive collection of databases and publications for free, as well as attend practical workshops, one-to-one advice sessions and inspiring talks. The Centre has a Facebook page, Linkedin group and twitter account.. There are also Business and IP Centres in Leeds Central Library which also holds a regular patent clinic, enterprise club and inventors' group and Sheffield Central Library which has Mr Roger Tipple, an innovator in residence, as well as inventors' club and patent clinic. I should add that I set up and chaired the Leeds and Sheffield inventors' clubs for many years and that that I also hold patent clinics at the Business Innovation Centre in Barnsley on the second Tuesday of every month.

Tip No. 7 - Think about the IP protection you need when drawing up your business plan

Patents are expensive to acquire, maintain and enforce and may not be what you need. In  order to obtain a patent you have to teach those with the relevant knowledge and skills ("skilled addressees") how to make or use the invention after the patent has expired, lapsed or been revoked. As patents are territorial anyone with such knowledge and skills outside the UK can make or use the invention unless you seek a patent for his or her country too. There are often better ways in which you can use your money. A good exercise when writing your business plan is to:
(1) identify the income streams for your business over the planning period;
(2) consider the threats to those income streams over that time;
(3) think about possible counter-measures to those threats most of which are going to be careful;
(4) if some of those counter-measures are going to be require an intellectual property right choose the one that is most likely to protect the income stream; and
(5) ensure that you have the funding to enforce your intellectual property right.

Tip 8 - Consider IP insurance

IP litigation is still expensive and most legal indemnity policies exclude it. However there are some brokers who specialize in such cover and can give you a very competitive quotation. You can also get policies to protect you against revocation or invalidity claims or actions by third parties for the infringement of their rights.

Tip 9 - Consider all funding options

For many years banks were the first and last port of call for inventors but it has now become increasingly difficult to raise money from them. There are now other options. You can raise capital through business angels, venture capitalists and crowd funding. You can raise working capital or other short term loans community development financial institutions such as the Business Enterprise Fund and peer-to-peer lenders.

Tip 10 - Take professional advice 

Professional fees can be expensive but you've heard the expression about spoiling the ship for a ha'p'orth of tar. If you need legal or other professional advice get in touch with me on 020 7404 5252 or through my message form and I will point you in the right direction.