Posts by Vicki Strachan

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…

I am often asked ‘are patents expensive?’  or ‘why do patents cost so much…?’. We tend to think of things as ‘expensive’ if we deem the cost to be more than the perceived value we receive in return. So, patents are really only ‘expensive’ if the true value of it is unknown and often hard…

This is another question I get asked a lot: are patents global? Is there a worldwide patent? Are patents worldwide? etc. The simple answer to these questions is ‘no’. The longer answer is that each country (or territory consisting of a number of countries) has its own patent system and, if you want protection in…

I get asked this question a lot, in various different forms: can patents be renewed indefinitely? Do patents expire? Why do patents expire? Can patents be revoked? So, let’s explore the question, can patents last indefinitely? Can patent last indefinitely? The simple answer to this is ‘no’, they can’t. The underlying theory behind a patent…

This might seem to be quite a simplistic title, but it’s a very frequently-asked question, and can mean one of a number of different things, depending on the context. In some cases, it might mean ‘What can a patent do for our business?’. In other cases, it might mean ‘What is the process for getting…

Patents give you the right to stop others from making/selling something it covers. So, if you’re innovating in a fast-paced tech environment, then patents may, in fact, be the only way you can stay ahead of your competitors, and stop them from profiting from your innovation. Steppingstones When we think about the fast-paced digital age,…

Do you know how to protect your software-based innovation against your competitors? Does the cost of patents put you off?  Do you worry that trade secrets may not be enough?  Can you use both?  Do you know the difference in terms of the protection they offer? Read on for our tips for protecting your software-based innovation,…