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So long and thanks for all the IP

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Being an IP attorney is inherently a "European" business. I am a UK and European patent and design attorney. My business partner, Michelle, is a Registered UK and European trade mark attorney. We (mostly) deal with European law. We obtain pan-EU design and trade mark rights for our clients. I took bi-lingual European Patent exams in English and German. The list goes on.

As such, a UK exit from the EU is going to shake things up for us- and for our clients. I wouldn't want to try and sway anyone reading this either way, so our intention is to simply explain what we think would happen to UK companies' IP rights should we decide to go it alone. 

Handbag geeks - how registered designs work

Despite being a pretty inexpensive and easy way to protect a new product, registered designs are not straightforward. They are not examined in any great detail, and as such the owner really has little idea how strong or weak his or her design is.

That's why understanding how design law works is important. A recent case heard by the General Court of the EU covers the all-important idea of "individual character".

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Subsidised IP Audits- what are they and how do you get them?

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The UK government offers heavily subsidised IP audits for qualifying companies. You basically pay £400 for a highly detailed £3000 audit (the Intellectual Property Office - or IPO - picks up the rest of the bill) which will enable your business to put together an IP strategy.