Intellectual Property: What you need to know about IP Law and Business
Intellectual Property is what makes your business unique and is often the key valuation metric for a company. Your Intellectual Property (IP) is the value of the creative assets your business generates. All businesses, no matter how big or small, will own some form of IP.
It is crucial to appreciate what this umbrella term comprises and how it applies to your business. Without this understanding, you will be at a considerable competitive disadvantage to other companies who have this knowledge and who exploit their IP to their benefit.
Particularly as a small business, it is all too easy to focus on trading and tangible property which can result in you neglecting your small business’ intellectual property.
Protecting the Intellectual Property of your small business will help you grow and may end up being an integral part of your small business’ success!
Intellectual Property can subsist in literary, dramatic and musical works and may be relevant to a wide variety of assets including text, graphics, artwork, photographs, packaging, inventions, videos, audio, websites, databases, software and apps. Understanding what IP you have in your business/brand and how best to protect, use and exploit it, is fundamental to profitability.
Our
expert IP lawyers can help you to distinguish exactly what intellectual property your business owns and also offer you reliable Intellectual Property advice on how you can protect your assets with copyrights, patents, trademarks and design rights:
Copyright: Copyright gives the owner, whether that is you or your business, the exclusive right to use a specific piece of work such as an audio, visual, or written material. Our
IP lawyers can offer intellectual property legal advice about copyrighting, from helping you understand what you own to explaining how you can avoid using the copyrighted work of others.
Patents: You can protect your Intellectual Property by applying for a patent, which officially recognises you or your business as the owner of an invention. Once granted, a patent protects your invention from being made, used or sold without permission. You can read more about
how patents work here.
Trademarks: You need a registered trademark to protect and retain your brand. It is important that you apply for a trademark as early on in your small business journey as possible, as it shows competitors how serious you are and secures your brand.
Applying for a trademark can be a complex process, which is why our lawyers and solicitors are committed to helping make the process as simple as possible by giving you expert intellectual property legal advice. You can also read our blog on
how to apply for a trademark to find out more.
Design Rights: Protecting your intellectual property also extends to products with creative designs. Design Rights ensure every aspect of your designs are protected, from the shape to the look and feel of them. It can be difficult to understand what would be protected within the Design Rights, but our expert lawyers are on hand to offer intellectual property advice and guidance.
While protecting your own intellectual property is crucial, it is also important to ensure you do not infringe on the intellectual property rights of others. Our expert lawyers can offer intellectual property legal advice to ensure the rights of all parties are respected and protected. We offer a range of fixed price products relating to intellectual property, such as the
registration of trademarks.
If you are a small business, it is particularly important to ensure your intellectual property is protected. Not protecting your small business’ intellectual property can impact your growth, and opens up opportunities for people to use it for their own advantage. Whether you have created an app, graphics or packaging, our expert lawyers can support you in protecting the intellectual property of your business.
If you receive IP legal advice to identify, protect and exploit your small business’ intellectual property, you will be able to do the following:
- increase or protect the valuation of your company
- make it easier to raise investment
- grow your revenues
Seeking Intellectual Property legal advice (IP legal advice) at the earliest possible stage in the development of your business is always advisable and worthwhile so that you can get the most out of your IP assets. With LawBite’s Intellectual Property legal services, receiving Intellectual Property advice in the UK has never been easier or more affordable.
Understanding IP law for your business does not need to be complicated or time-consuming; you can read our
free e-book on intellectual property to find out all there is to know. Our e-book is particularly useful for understanding the importance of Intellectual Property as a small business.
How LawBite’s Intellectual Property Legal Services Can Help Your Small Business with Intellectual Property
To protect your Intellectual Property as a small business, you need to understand how to register trademarks, patents and design rights as well as understanding copyright laws. Once you have a deeper knowledge of how to protect your Intellectual Property, you also need to ensure you know how to deal with those who infringe on your rights. We are dedicated to providing support with each of these aspects so your business can thrive and use its Intellectual Property to its advantage.
At LawBite, our Intellectual Property legal services are accessible and affordable by offering our expertise at a fixed price. Our expert lawyers can provide you with Intellectual Property advice on a number of IP law and business topics regarding IP protection, including:
- transactional and contentious IP legal advice
- working out what intellectual property you own, when and how it was created, and by whom
- registering and protecting your IP, so other people can’t use it without permission, or steal it
- offering intellectual property legal advice on whether the launch of a new brand is viable and the name is free to use-making sure you are adhering to IP law and your business is not at risk of infringing anyone else’s intellectual property
- helping to protect and maximise the value of confidential information
- providing IP legal advice on how to commercialise the value of your intellectual property, including via licensing and assignment
- negotiating instances of domain name disputes and cybersquatting
- advising on the status of IP rights post-Brexit
- offering intellectual property advice to UK businesses in the context of corporate transactions
We understand that IP matters are often time-sensitive, which is why we offer
free 15-minute lawyer consultations to get the ball rolling and ensure our lawyers are able to offer you IP legal advice efficiently and effectively.
LawBite - Smarter Business Law
At LawBite, we believe that great legal advice is a fundamental business right. We are committed to providing your business with expert legal advice that is:
- Easier to access
- Clearer to understand
- More affordable
Many businesses find traditional law cumbersome and complex; difficult to navigate and often full of hidden charges. Therefore, it is no surprise that SMEs instinctively turn to LawBite to solve their business legal problems, giving us a 98% service rating on feefo.
LawBite's online lawyers and online solicitors provide expert legal advice on all commercial and business matters, including intellectual property advice. Book a no-commit 15-minute call with our friendly lawyers today or learn more by joining LawBite for free.
