Patents

Patents are aimed at protecting inventions and can only be obtained via a registration process. Types of Patent that could be applied for could for instance relate to the design and working process of a car engine to the formulation and production of a useable pharmaceutical product.

The whole concept of a Patent is to allow disclosure to the whole world of the invention, thereby encouraging development in that field generally, without the need for privacy which in turn would lead to a lack of scientific progress. In return the
owner of the Patent will have a monopoly over the invention for a certain period of time – a maximum of 20 years in the UK, and also financial reward through licensing and development rights. As a patent owner you will have a number of rights, such as a right to stop third parties copying or utilising that invention or to sell or licence the Patent.

For a Patent to be granted, it must have 2 main features. It must firstly be new (i.e. novel) and secondly, it must not be obvious at the time when the Patent is applied for. The application process can be lengthy, complicated and costly but the rewards can be great. We are able to advise on how best to protect ideas whether by investigating whether patent protection may be a possibility, applying for a patent or by advising another method of protection. We can also provide guidance on how to exploit your patents and how to protect them in the event of infringement by third parties.

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