Whether you’re launching a start-up, expanding into new markets, managing an established business, or preparing for exit, having an effective intellectual property (IP) strategy is crucial for success.
IP essentials is a collection of resources developed by our team of IP solicitors, patent and trade mark attorneys, to help businesses take control of their IP.
Establishing a new business
Start-ups
Starting a business can be exciting and daunting, but it’s also a time when decisions around IP can have a significant impact on future success. We’ve developed ‘IP essentials for start-ups’ to guide you through the key steps to take to ensure you get your IP right from the onset.
Expansion into new markets
Growth
As your business begins to scale up, this period of high growth is typically marked by expansion into new markets, greater customer demand, increased visibility, and increased pressure on operations.
Increased competition and likelihood of disputes
Maturity
At this stage your IP should be working hard for your business and the priority is to focus on efficiency whilst maximising the value of your IP portfolio. As the business is now well-established and making good profit, the risk of competition and disputes is increased. If decisions relating to IP were delayed earlier on in the lifecycle, this is where problems can start to occur. More complex IP services may now be required to manage the volume and nature of work, which your existing provider or providers may not be equipped to handle.
Sale of business or assets
Exit
Whether selling your business or its assets, IP can play a pivotal role. When preparing a business for sale, one of the areas that can be overlooked is the IP portfolio of the business to be sold. If the IP is not dealt with, it can lead to too much or too little IP being included, a slower, and more costly due diligence process, reduced sale value and more post-completion questions from the buyer.
IP Essentials for the Business Lifecycle
Whatever stage a business is at, IP essentials will support businesses to take control of their IP.
Intellectual property essentials for AI & software
Whether you are developing a new AI platform, integrating machine learning into existing products, building proprietary software, or preparing your business for investment or sale, intellectual property should be a key consideration from the outset.