Posts by Vicki Strachan
Timing your patent application just right
Did you see Dragon’s Den last week? Paul Hurnon had designed a space-saving bathroom, and he had spent 23 years refining his design. He had filed a patent application in the early days, and had even secured a granted UK patent, BUT, by the time he got into the Den, the patent had expired. The…
Read MorePatents: How inventive must a product be?
Patents protect new products and processes, and a patent will give you the right to stop others from making, selling or importing/exporting something covered by the patent claims. But, how “inventive” does a product have to be to be patentable? Lets explore patents: how inventive must a product be? Requirements for Patentability To be patentable,…
Read MoreIntegrate IP into your R&D
Are you an innovative tech company that relies on R&D and product development to stay one step ahead of your competitors? If so, it is likely that you are familiar with intellectual property rights, and how they can help you to protect your investment and market share. But do you have a clear strategy for…
Read MoreIntegrate IP into your product development process
When innovators have an idea for a new product, they will often use the expertise that you, as a product developer or designer, have, to make sure that a marketable product is developed, tested and designed. There is obviously a cost associated with that, so how can you help your client to protect their investment.?…
Read MoreThe UKIPO has launched a new patent search tool
Many innovators and R&D teams understand and appreciate the value of patent searching, both as a design tool and to see what others in their field are up to. Patent searching can help to identify what may be patentable about your own innovation, provide key insights into how others have tried to solve technical problems…
Read MoreBattle of the Lookalike Products
I don’t usually blog about in-depth trade mark issues because I am not a Chartered Trade Mark attorney, and I use a trusted partner to help me to provide high quality trade mark services, so I don’t often feel qualified to comment on trade mark issues. However, it is inevitably high profile trade mark court…
Read MoreProtecting your invention overseas
Patents are territorial rights. This means that if, for example, you have a UK patent, it will allow you to stop others from making or selling your invention in the UK. BUT, if you want to be able to stop them from doing the same in other countries, then you need to secure patent protection…
Read MoreThe dangers of joint IP ownership
Intellectual property (IP) ownership is a crucial aspect of innovation and creative work, making sure that creators and inventors keep control over their ideas. BUT, joint intellectual property ownership—where two or more parties share the rights to a piece of IP (e.g. a patent)—can create significant challenges and problems. While it may seem like a…
Read MoreProduct Developers: Help your clients to protect their investment
When innovators have an idea for a new product, they will often use the expertise that you, as a product developer or designer, have, to make sure that a marketable product is developed, tested and designed. There is obviously a cost associated with that, so how can you help your clients to protect their investment?…
Read MoreHow to protect your new app
According to some reports, the global application development platform market was valued at $5,497M in 2018 and is expected to reach $34,768M by 2025. This extraordinary predicted growth (32.9% pa) is based on the rising demand for commercial mobile devices and the emergence of cross-platform applications. There is certainly a vast amount of app development…
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