Posts by Vicki Strachan

Why register your designs? Think about how we buy products these days.  If you’re anything like me, your buying habits will have become increasingly ‘visual’.  I will search online for something I want to buy, and the overwhelming choice available these days means that I often have to rely on visual recognition of the product…

How could your brand be globally-recognized for over a century? Be like Coca Cola ® – Use a Multi-faceted IP Strategy Can you believe that Coca Cola was originally invented in 1886 – nearly 140 years ago!!  Its inventor, Dr John Stith Pemberton, started his business by carrying a jug of the new drink to…

An innovative new podcast series In recent months, we have sponsored some episodes of an amazing new podcast series: “It’s only a Prototype”, hosted by the brilliant @phil Staunton of @D2M Innovation.  The series is a behind-the scenes guide to what it really takes to bring a physical product to life…and make it work.  Insights…

In the competitive world of startups, intellectual property (IP) is often touted as a key differentiator—something that can elevate a fledgling company above its rivals. From patented biotechnology innovations to proprietary algorithms powering software platforms, IP-focused startups often appear to have a head start. But does focusing on intellectual property actually make a startup more…

A cautionary tale I have, this week (and by no means for the first time), had to explain to a client why their granted UK patent cannot be used against a competitor that has launched a very similar product to theirs, and put a nasty dent in their sales.  Why?  Because the patent claims are…

The world has moved on quite a bit since the Coca Cola and KFC coating recipes took the food and drink markets by storm. And, although it was, in theory, possible (at least in some countries) to patent a novel recipe (under certain conditions), both companies decided at that time to keep their recipes as…

It is very easy to make assumptions about who owns intellectual property you, your employees and others create, but it is not always as straightforward as you might think. So, in our latest blog, we look at who owns IP? First owner of IP In the UK, the first owner of most types of IP…

This is yet another frequently asked question.  Intellectual Property (e.g. patents, designs, trade marks, etc) is an asset, i.e. property, just like physical property, such as a house or car.  So, it follows that IP can be sold or ‘rented’ (i.e. licensed) in a broadly similar way. Assignment If you are buying or selling IP…

I recently wrote about the new patent search tool launched by the UKIPO (see our blog for more information), which obviously recognises the importance to innovators and R&D teams (amongst others) of effective patent searching. On the back of that, I thought it would be useful to briefly summarise the types of patent searching (and…

The patent process in the UK (and most other countries) is relatively long (usually around 3 years), and there are various deadline-driven stages and procedures that need to be followed. To the uninitiated, this process can seem complex and laborious, so in this blog , we will look at what is involved in the patent…