The fifth of our FAQs series: What is involved in the patent process? The patent process in the UK (and most other countries) is relatively long (usually 3-4 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 our final blog in this FAQ series, we will look at what is involved in the patent process, so that hopefully you won’t end up feeling like this’: A rough guide to the patent process The starting point for all patents is to draft a patent specification. A patent specification i ..read more

The fourth of our FAQs series: What is invention harvesting? When you’re trying to decide what might need protecting, start by thinking about what it is that will distinguish your business and/or product(s) from those of your nearest competitors. What features will make your customers buy your product rather than any other similar product in the market. It is these features that really should be protected. As your business grows, R&D developments can become harder and harder to keep track of so, in this blog, we look at What is Invention Harvesting? What is Invention Harvesting? Invention ..read more

The second of our FAQs series: Can patents play an essential role in business growth? I am often asked, what is patentable? Well, you could try reading the Patent Office guide to patentability in their Manual of Patent Practice, which is long, complicated and rather laborious to say the least. Or you can read on for a quick and easy guide… A patent can be obtained for a product, process, system, and even a “kit of parts”. The basic requirements are that a) it must have at least one novel technical feature, and b) that novel technical feature must involve a so-called “inventive step”, i.e. it m ..read more

The first of our FAQs series: What is a patent? Can patents play an essential role in business growth? A patent can be a hugely powerful monopoly. Not only can it stop your competitors from doing the same, and protect your revenue stream, but it can also act as a deterrent to others trying to enter your market. You may start your business around a ‘core’ patent, but as you scale up your business, you can use additional patents to ‘ring fence’ your technology, and help to keep your competitors at bay as your market share grows. So, can patents play an essential role in business growth? Without ..read more

A patent is a piece of intellectual property (IP) that protects technical innovation. If you have a patent for your product, process, system (or part of it), you can stop your competitors from doing the same for up to twenty years. What is the difference between patents and other registered IP? Patents protect technical innovation.  This technical innovation must have at least one novel technical feature and that novel technical feature must involve a so-called “inventive step”, i.e. it must be more than just an obvious workshop modification of what is already known. However, it does not ..read more

Do you think your invention is too “obvious” to be patentable? You’re not alone. I so often hear inventors dismiss their inventions, or elements of them, as “obvious” and, therefore, unpatentable that I feel moved to write again about this often misunderstood (or misinterpreted) term. So here’s the truth about “obviousness” in patent law. The truth about “obviousness” in patent law In order to be patentable, an invention must be novel (i.e. have at least one novel technical feature over what has been done before) and involve a so-called ‘inventive step’. The UK Patent Office provides a rather ..read more

Service Introduction At Strachan IP, we endeavour to offer and ‘immersive’, rather than purely transactional service. This means that we like to get to know you, your business and your aspirations right from the start, so that we can tailor our advice and service to exactly what your business needs to thrive. Service Overview What exactly is Intellectual Property (IP)? IP is the term given to a set f legal rights that allow you (as their owner) to stop others from copying your innovation and muscling in on your revenue stream, There are lots of different types of IP, registered and unregister ..read more

Technical evolution is impossible without invention. But without patents, invention would be severely impaired because why would you (or anyone) spend vast sums of money and resources on search and developing new technology if you had no means of preventing others from copying it as soon as it goes public? That’s one of the main point of patents: to enable their owner to prevent others from copying their ne technology and, so, giving them a head start in the market, allowing the to recoup their R&D costs and make a profit before their competitors can muscle in on their market. Many patent ..read more

The Role of a Patent Attorney: Safeguarding Innovation and Intellectual Property In a rapidly evolving world driven by innovation and technology, the protection of intellectual property has become increasingly important. Entrepreneurs, inventors, and businesses invest an enormous amount of time, effort, and resources into creating unique and inventive products or processes. To safeguard these innovations and ensure a competitive edge in the market, the services of a patent attorney are indispensable, and finding the right patent attorney for you and your business is critical. Understanding In ..read more

Do you like my ‘photograph’? I created it in a matter of minutes using DALL-E2. But do I own the copyright? If not, who owns the copyright in an image created using an AI art generator? It’s a good question. And there are two parts to it really: what are you allowed to do with an image generated using an AI art generator such as DALLE2 or Midjourney? And what (if anything) can you stop others from doing in relation to that image? In the case of an original artwork, such as a painting or photograph, that you have created yourself in a traditional way, these two questions are relatively easy ..read more