Intellectual property essentials for business

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. 

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. 

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.

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.