Intellectual property in development.
WHY IT MATTERS
Ideas and designs can be copied, and protection must be arranged before disclosure.
WHAT CAN BE PROTECTED
Inventions, through patents Designs, through design registration Brands and names, through trademarks Written and creative material, through copyright Confidential information, through agreements
WHAT TO ESTABLISH EARLY
What is worth protecting.
WHY EARLY
Public disclosure before applying can prevent protection entirely.
WHAT TO AVOID
Describing an invention publicly before filing.
WHY
Novelty is a requirement, and your own disclosure can defeat it.
WHAT TO DO BEFORE DISCLOSING TO ANYONE
Use a confidentiality agreement.
WHO TO USE IT WITH
Manufacturers Potential partners Contractors and developers Anyone assessing the idea
WHAT TO ESTABLISH ABOUT WORK BY OTHERS
Who owns what they produce.
WHY
Without agreement, ownership may not be what you assume.
WHAT TO AGREE IN WRITING WITH ANY CONTRACTOR
That the work produced is yours That they assign any rights That they keep it confidential
WHY WITH DEVELOPERS AND DESIGNERS SPECIFICALLY
It is the commonest ownership dispute.
WHAT TO ESTABLISH WITH EMPLOYEES
What is owned by the business.
WHAT TO REGISTER EARLY
Trademarks for the name, before launch.
WHY
Names are taken, and rebranding after launch is expensive.
WHAT TO CHECK BEFORE COMMITTING TO A NAME
Whether it is available and whether it conflicts.
WHAT TO KEEP
Records of when things were created, and by whom.
WHAT TO OBTAIN
Advice, before disclosure and before filing.
