Protecting Your Intellectual Property - Clare Mullarkey, Stanmore IP Between your brand and trade marks, designs, or copyright, chances are you create and utilise intellectual property every day. Is it protected? What would you do if someone used it without permission? This session will focus on protecting your rights, and how to monetise and make the best of them. We will also cover protecting your rights within contracts. Clare Mullarkey is a trade mark attorney with a broad range of experience working with some of the world’s largest brand owners, as well as individuals and small businesses. With a commercial approach, she helps businesses protect and get the best value from their intangible assets. http://www.stanmoreip.com/ @stanmoreip

1. Protecting and getting the
most out of your intellectual
property

2. What is IP?
TM
®
©
Designs

3. Why bother
protecting your IP?
• It’s valuable and saleable
• Attracts investment & funding

4. Why bother
protecting your IP?
•Franchise opportunities

5. Why bother
protecting your IP?
•Licensing & sponsorship
opportunities

6. How to protect your copyright
• Arises automatically
• Document and keep records
• Logo design
• Use the © followed by the year and owner
• Metadata
• Watermarks
• Mark on your products/packaging
• Make sure everyone else also credits your
ownership

7. How to protect your brand
and ensure you own it
• Domain names
• Company name
• Social media names/handles

8. How to protect your brand
and ensure you own it
• Look after your logo design
• Searches
• Use it consistently
• Register it as a trade mark
• Protect where you use it

9. How to protect your designs
• Some rights are automatic
• Keep records
• Register for better protection
• Other low-cost ways to document e.g. ACID
• Identify yourself and credit yourself on all
products and literature
• Make sure everyone else also credits your
ownership

10. Avoid using other people’s IP
without permission
• Innocence/ignorance is not a defence
• When choosing your brand name – do your research
• With copyright you should know if you’ve been inspired by
something or if you’ve copied
• Designs – be aware of the market around you and what others are
doing
• Logo design – unique to you?
• Playing music in your premises/using it in videos etc
• Using patterns or templates
• Using stock photos

11. Contracts and Terms & Conditions
• Not scary!
• They are everywhere, everyday
• Agree what is going to happen
• Agree what happens if it doesn’t
work out, or you want to stop
• Standard terms & conditions

12. What should a contract say?
• AGREE:
• What is being delivered (service, product quantities)
• When will you deliver it (regularly, by a certain date)
• How will you provide it (use someone else, deliver it
yourself)
• How long will it take
• Cost
• How long does this arrangement last (one off,
annually)
• Can it be renewed?
• How will it come to an end (end of contract term,
with notice?)

13. What should a contract say?
• WHAT IF WHAT YOU AGREED DOESN’T HAPPEN?
• If they don’t pay?
• If you’re ill
• It you’re late
• If you have technical issues

14. If you are sent a contract
• Read it!
• Make sure you understand all of the points
• Does it cover everything you can think of?
• Ask questions if you don’t understand something
• Get advice if you need to
• Don’t just sign it!!!!

15. Thank you for listening
Further information and advice
Website: www.stanmoreip.com
Email: clare@stanmoreip.com
LinkedIn: Clare Mullarkey
Social media (Twitter, Facebook and Instagram): StanmoreIP
Copyright in images throughout this presentation remains with the owners and has been used for educational purposes only in this presentation.