Businesses in Chester are being advised to protect their ideas.
In a recent presentation law firm Hillyer McKeown gave thebestofchester members an insight into the ways in which businesses should go about having the correct intellectual property (IP) protection in place.
Members were addressed by Anton Stirrett and Karla Dooey, who discussed the ways in which businesses could ensure that all intellectual property rights within their website were owned by them and not by the web designers commissioned to build their websites.
According to research published earlier this year by the Intellectual Property Office (IPO), small businesses need to be doing more to protect and exploit their innovations.
The Intellectual Property Awareness Survey of Business showed only 15 per cent of small companies have ever sought advice on safeguarding their ideas.
Only 11 per cent of firms overall assign responsibility for managing intellectual property (IP) rights. This is compared to 43 per cent of larger companies, meaning that smaller enterprises risk missing out on valuable income from their creativity.
Jo Shelley, head of intellectual property for Hillyer McKeown, said: “Businesses need to start thinking and talking about intellectual property rights. So many startups and small businesses overlook the value of their IP and fail to seek early advice. However it’s not just protection of IP that’s important. Companies also need to consider the best ways to exploit their IP to generate maximum profits which is why I always advise businesses to try and get their IP in order from the outset.
“There is nothing more rewarding than starting to work with a company in their infancy and advising them on how to protect their innovations and creations which will help in the future when they come to exploit their IP or sell on their IP or business.
“My advice to any business, whether start-up or established, is to get their ‘IP in order’ to ensure they protect what is rightfully theirs and ensure they generate maximum revenue streams from what they have created.”
For more information contact Karla Dooey on 01244 318 131.
