Member Article

Shrinking world makes protecting your property more important

Intellectual property specialists at national law firm Clarke Willmott LLP are celebrating World Intellectual Property Day by offering free thirty minute consultations on any intellectual property issues at their Southampton and Manchester offices.

World IP Day which will take place on Tuesday 26 April is intended to promote the discussion and awareness of intellectual property rights including patents, trademarks, designs and copyright as well as how these rights are vital to economic growth. The day also provides an opportunity to celebrate the creativity and contribution made by creators and innovators around the world.

Roy Crozier of the Manchester office of Clarke Willmott said: “A key component to enabling the British economy to grow is the investment made by British companies in innovating and developing intellectual property which can be exploited around the world. Such investment would be pointless without the ability to protect that investment through the registration of Intellectual property rights.

“The high profile Trunki case this year, which went all the way to the Supreme Court, highlighted the complexity of intellectual property law.

“Although Rob Law had protected his designs in EU countries through a Registered Community Design, a similar product called “Kiddee case” was being produced by a company called PMS. He brought proceedings for infringement of his Registered Community Design but unfortunately for Mr Law, the Supreme Court ruled against him with Lord Neuberger noting that the Trunki idea was both “original and clever” but added “unfortunately… this appeal is not concerned with an idea or an invention, but with a design.”

“The case demonstrates how important it is for every would-be entrepreneur to consider as early as possible which intellectual property rights might apply to their products. Different rights protect different aspects of a product, and it is worth exploring every single form of protection and securing all that apply. It is also important to be aware that if you do not take the right steps at the right time to protect your intellectual property, it can make enforcing your rights more difficult and expensive.

“We will be holding free sessions for people who want to learn more about protecting their intellectual property in the digital age. The sessions, which can be held at our offices or over the phone, will be useful for designers and writers who want to protect their ideas; firms that are beginning to trade internationally who need to protect their brand names and designs; inventors who have come up with an exciting new product and computer specialists who have an idea for an app or a piece of software.”

To register for a free consultation or ask a question about Intellectual Property as part of World IP Day, please contact Emma Ramsden on emma.ramsden@clarkewillmott.com

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Clarke Willmott .