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?… The post Product Developers: Help your clients to protect their investment appeared first on Strachan IP ..read more

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… The post How to protect your new app appeared first on Strachan IP ..read more

It is reasonably rare for a client or potential client to have come up with some groundbreaking or breakthrough technology that is completely different and vastly improved compared with what is already known.  It is much more common to see step-change improvements or combinations of known technologies or ideas, and hear, all too often (from… The post Can you patent things that seem “obvious”? appeared first on Strachan IP ..read more

Many potential clients come to us knowing that they need some form of intellectual property (IP) to protect their innovative products, designs or brand names/logos, but are often unsure about what type of IP they need..  There are three main types of registered intellectual property: patents, (registered) designs and (registered) trade marks, and they all… The post What is the difference between patents, designs and trade marks? appeared first on Strachan IP ..read more

…and why could it be so important to your business? The official definition The World Intellectual Property Organisation (or “WIPO” as it’s affectionately known) defines Intellectual Property (IP) as “creations of the mind; inventions; literary or artistic works; and names, symbols and images used in commerce.  But, as a patent attorney (and, by trade, a… The post What exactly is Intellectual property…? appeared first on Strachan IP ..read more

Developing a new concept into a product and getting that product onto the market often takes some time, effort and money, and is rarely something that can be done in isolation.  You obviously don’t want your new idea to be copied and, when the time is right, you may plan to file a patent application… The post Speaking to people about your new product appeared first on Strachan IP ..read more

Make sure you and your clients are thinking about intellectual property throughout the product development cycle The post Calling All Product Developers and R&D Managers! appeared first on Strachan IP ..read more

You may know that intellectual property (IP) rights are there to protect the innovative parts of the business, in other words, the reason(s) customers will come to you rather than your competitors. Whether it’s a brand that you have built up (or plan to build up), an innovative design, or a technical invention, IP rights are available to stop others from doing the same, but only if you take action at the right time. Some IP rights need to be formally registered, others arise automatically and don’t need registration, but all of them need to be carefully considered to properly protect your USP ..read more

The UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) has published its “IP for a Creative and Innovative UK Strategy 2024 to 2027”; and identifies three “pillars” that will underpin its work in the three years ahead. These are: High quality, efficient and accessible services; Policy that supports innovation and the economy; and A high performing organisation, with skilled people connected by a common purpose. The Strategy goes on to talk about the “transformation” being undergone at the UKIPO “that will make working with IP easier for everyone”. A key element of this is the ‘One IPO Transformation P ..read more

M&S vs Aldi Design Infringement High profile cases with big brands obviously hit the news far more than other lesser known products, and there have been a number of interesting cases over the past few years. But whether you’re a global chain or a smaller one-time inventor, it’s always wise to be careful. In recent years, we have seen a number of high-profile “lookalike” product wars between supermarkets. Cuthbert and Colin (the caterpillar cakes) dominated the headlines and took social media by storm for many weeks, and numerous other cases have followed. In this dispute, M&S sued Ald ..read more