Articles

9 April 2025 · Articles, Brand, Confidential Information, Counterfeit, Fakes, Information Security, Innovation, Investors, Patents

IP risks, just another bump on the way to success?

It is a fact of. business life that you will hit the IP risks and bumps at some stage: These may include the following IP risks: Trademark musical chairs ! Copyright flattery (or not)? Trusted colleague as was. Reputation under threat. Information theft. Patent bullying by a big kid. Social media lock out Fakes IP […]

9 April 2025 · Articles, Information Security, Know-How, Knowledge Transfer, Trade secrets

Trade Secrets and How to Manage the Enemy Within.

Trade secrets are the most valuable, coveted yet risky assets within your business. Your people pose the greatest threat to your trade secrets but also offer the best defence! Most information security and trade secret programmes tend to focus their efforts in the wrong areas: The Corporate Response is to Focus in The Wrong Areas […]

4 March 2025 · Articles

Is The Insider Threat Is the Greatest Threat To Proprietary Data?

This is because there is a general ‘fuzziness about what proprietary data is’? Tim Schnurr, Partner at LeastTrust I first worked with Tim in 2010 at the world’s leading patent and IP brokerage ICAP Ocean Tomo, he has a very unique skill set combining IP, proprietary data, cyber security with economics. Today on our podcast […]

26 February 2025 · Articles

How to run the fastest race to shoe success with patents

Let’s be honest it is not going to make much difference to my running, except maybe ‘feeling the part’. The running shoe patent arms race is hotting up with litigation in hot pursuit. Apparently, a bit of carbon in the mid sole and nitrogen in the foam of the sole makes a big difference and […]

26 February 2025 · Articles

Will Your Brand Still Be Distinctive After One Hundred and Forty Years?

Few businesses survive forty years never mind one hundred and forty years. Even if they do very few of their brands and trademarks survive the duration. Bottle tops off to Coca Cola for one of the most loved and enduring brands ever. It is only a fizzy drink but Coca Cola have built up the […]

25 February 2025 · Articles

Why Cyber Security Fails to Align With Business

Are we looking at cyber security from the wrong angle? Protecting privacy data is crucial in any business but are we doing enough to protect proprietary data? Yes ransom hackers want your privacy data such as credits card, id, date of birth etc But state sponsored hackers want your valuable AI code, algorithms, your research […]

24 February 2025 · Articles

Is Your Cyber Security Focussed on the Wrong Areas?

Cyber Security is Focussed on Privacy Data and Not Proprietary Data. Cyber security has focussed on protecting private employee data and not proprietary business assets like trade secrets. How do I know this? Because very few businesses have identiffied, captured and classified their proprietary data, thus it is not protected. If a business has not […]

16 February 2025 · Articles

How to Make a Pizza Oven They Can’t Refuse

Create Your Own Pizza (Oven) Just don’t Steal Mine Successful Scottish pizza oven maker and family business Ooni know how protect their valuable brand, reputation, innovation, creativity and know-how. Ooni started out thirteen years ago designing the perfect pizza oven and Ooni sold £200m worth last year. They quickly learned that their success led to […]

10 February 2025 · Articles

Has Coca Cola Lost Half its Name?

Coca Cola is the sixth most valuable brand in the world, could it have been even more valuable if it had kept hold of its full name? Coca Cola’s big branding mistake according to Charlie Munger (Berkshire Hathaway) was losing half of the famous trademark. Cola is now accepted as a generic term for a […]

3 February 2025 · Articles, Brand, Confidential Information, Information Security, Trade secrets

Trade Secrets aren’t Bullet Proof but they are Very Good

Guilty South Korean company, Kolon admitted conspiring with two former DuPont employees between 2006 and 2009 to get access to information about how DuPont makes its Kevlar fibres. Punishment Kolon was fined $920m18-month jail sentences handed down to the former DuPont employees!Kolon was banned from manufacturing or marketing its Kevlar competing Heracron fibre for 20 […]

31 January 2025 · Articles, Contracts, Strategy, Trade Mark, Trademark

Does Your Trademark Strategy Mind the Gap?

Transport for London just lost the first round in a fight with Gap Inc. over a recent trademark application that included sunglasses, bags, wallets and umbrellas! Anyone who has travelled on the London Underground will be familiar with the ‘Mind The Gap’ announcement and floor statements, asking you take care when stepping on and off […]

28 January 2025 · Articles, Brand, Strategy

How to Better Represent Your Brand

The Lights are On, but No One is Home! The Aga saga. Aga stores are closing around Britian, is this because the English love affair with this venerable cooker is over or just it just need a re-brand? Aga vacated its City of London, Liverpool Street store leaving the brand proudly on display on an […]