What you need to know about IP law and business

Intellectual Property (IP) is what makes your business unique and is often the key valuation metric for a company. Your 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’s crucial to appreciate what this umbrella term comprises and how it applies to your business. Without this understanding, you’ll 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’s all too easy to focus on trading and tangible property which can result in you neglecting your small business’s intellectual property. Protecting the intellectual property of your business will help you grow and may end up being an integral part of your 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 intellectual property solicitors 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 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.

Find out more about copyright services.

Trademarks 

You need a registered trade mark to protect and retain your brand. It’s important that you apply for a trademark as early on in your 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  are committed to helping make the process as simple as possible.

Find out more about trademark services.

Design rights 

Protecting your intellectual property also extends to products with creative designs. Design Rights ensure every aspect of your designs is 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 specialist intellectual property lawyers are on hand to offer advice and guidance.

Find out more about our design rights services.

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.

IP infringement advice

IP disputes can be time-consuming and costly. Our team of intellectual property lawyers are skilled in handling disputes and infringement claims effectively. We work diligently to protect your IP rights and resolve conflicts through negotiation, mediation, or court proceedings when necessary.

Protecting your IP

Not protecting your small business’s 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 IP lawyers can support you in protecting the intellectual property of your business. 

If you receive IP legal advice to identify, protect and exploit your business's intellectual property, you’ll be able to do the following:

  • Increase or protect the valuation of your company
  • Make it easier to raise investment
  • Grow your revenues

Seeking advice at the earliest possible stage in the development of your business is always advisable and worthwhile so that you can develop a robust IP strategy. With LawBite’s intellectual property services, receiving IP advice in the UK has never been easier or more affordable.

Intellectual property advice

To protect your intellectual property as a business, you need to understand how to register trademarks, patents and design rights as well as understand copyright laws. Once you have a deeper knowledge of how to protect your IP, you also need to ensure you know how to deal with those who infringe on your rights.

We’re dedicated to providing support with each of these aspects so your business can thrive and use its intellectual property to its advantage.

At LawBite, we’re not like your average intellectual property law firm. Our services are accessible and affordable by offering our expertise at a fixed price. Our expert lawyers can provide you with IP advice on a number of IP law and business topics regarding IP protection, including:

  • Transactional and contentious IP legal advice
  • Managing IP disputes and infringement claims
  • Identifying what IP you own, when and how it was created, and by whom
  • Registering your IP with the correct protection both in the UK and overseas
  • Go-to-Market (GTM) advice for new brands
  • Protecting and maximising the value of confidential information
  • Guidance on how to commercialise the value of your IP
  • Drafting licensing, assignment and escrow agreements
  • Negotiating instances of domain name disputes and cybersquatting
  • Advising on the status of IP rights post-Brexit
  • Offering IP advice to UK businesses in the context of corporate transactions
  • IP guidance related to joint ventures and partnerships

Book a free consultation with an IP lawyer

Protecting your intellectual property is critical for the success and growth of your business. With LawBite as your trusted partner, you can navigate the complexities of IP law with confidence. Our team of approachable IP lawyers are committed to providing you with exceptional service and practical legal solutions that meet your specific needs. 

Don't leave your intellectual property unprotected; let us be your guide in safeguarding your business and positioning it for success. Book a free 15 minute consultation with one of our specialist IP lawyers and take the first step towards securing your IP.

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Frequently asked questions

LawBite is the modern way for SMEs to get the high quality legal advice they need, but faster and cheaper.

As we look to revolutionise the traditional legal process, this may raise a number of questions on how we operate to provide your business with legal advice for your business that is; easier to access, clearer to understand and more affordable.

We have brought together the most frequently asked questions from our customers.

Each type of intellectual property lasts for different amounts of time and depending on the circumstances:

  • In general, a Patent right lasts for 20 years.
  • Copyright protects written works during the lifetime of the author plus 70 years.
  • A Trademark can last indefinitely as long as the owner continues to use the mark and renew its registration.


Copyright is a type of intellectual property. Other types of intellectual property are patents and trade marks.

Intellectual property rights allow you to prevent others from using your works or your brand name.

Intellectual property is a valuable asset. In 2014, the UK government reported that UK IP was worth £133 billion and tangible assets in the UK were worth £121 billion.

The Intellectual Property rights help you to protect your ideas, products or services so people can’t use them without your permission.

Intellectual property protects your unique creations, such as:

  • Inventions (patents)
  • Creative work (copyright)
  • Your brand name (trademarks)

Some types of intellectual property must be registered and other types arise automatically.


  • Copyright protects creative works such as novels, music, movies and even software.
  • Patents protect inventions such as pharmaceutical drugs.
  • Trademarks protect your brand name to ensure that it is only used with your goods and services.