What intellectual property (IP) do you own? Is it properly protected? Could you be infringing others’ rights? To get a clear picture of where your business stands, an IP audit could be the answer.
An IP audit can reveal whether you need to consider filing for patent, trade mark or registered design protection. At the same time, we’ll review your partnerships with contractors and consultants, making sure there is no confusion over who owns any IP rights. Doing this early on in your working relationship can avoid potential pitfalls – saving time and costs.
Support for IP Audits is available from the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO). The UKIPO website provides an excellent starting point for you to understand what types of IP your company may own.
Funding for IP Audits is available for SMEs* through business support schemes that operate in partnership with the UK IPO. Innovate UK EDGE is the funding partner for England Innovate UK EDGE (ukri.org). For Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales, information is available through Scottish Enterprise www.scottish-enterprise.com/contact-us, Invest Northern Ireland tau-ip@investni.com, and the Welsh Government Supporting Businesses in Wales (gov.wales) respectively.
It’s a great place to start to understand what IP your company has and how you can strengthen your IP position.
*Small and Medium Sized Enterprises
Our commercially-focussed IP audit reports are tailored to your business, its needs, and your budget. We will provide you with advice as to the types of IP protection that are relevant to your business’ needs now and in the future. We will recommend action you can take to both strengthen your IP position and deal with any possible freedom-to-operate issues.
Our audits don’t just focus on the present. We can also suggest ways to ensure any future intellectual property you create is correctly identified – and suitably protected.
If you’re a UK-based SME, you may qualify for audit funding from the Intellectual Property Office. To find out more or to discuss your individual needs, contact us.
