23 January 2026 · Articles, Investable, IP Strategy, Small Business, Start Up, Strategy, Technology Business
How many SMEs can tell you: – What IP they actually own? – How their competitive edge is underpinned by IP and hence protected? – What IP Rights make their advantage defendable? Most SMEs will answer “yes, of course”, but then quietly behave as if the answer were “not really”. Instinctively SMEs will point to […]
Read More21 October 2025 · Articles, Confidential Information, IP Strategy, Trade secrets
A ladder, an angle grinder and a scooter and the French crown jewels vanished in a few minutes from the Louvre yesterday. It wasn’t Tom Cruise abseiling down a wire, but it was a stark reminder that even the most iconic institutions, with centuries of prestige and millions in security infrastructure, are vulnerable. For businesses […]
Read More18 December 2024 · Articles, Confidential Information, IP Culture, IP Strategy, IP Value, Knowledge, M&A Due Diligence, Trade secrets
Imagine pouring your heart and soul into building something special. The late nights, the unwavering dedication, the innovative spark that sets you apart – it’s all woven into the fabric of your business. Your trade secrets are the lifeblood of this creation. They’re the secret ingredient, the unique formulas, the ingenious processes that give you […]
Read More17 December 2024 · Articles, IP Strategy, Trade secrets
How do Trade Secrets Help? Deloitte sues partners over alleged plot to jump ship The big four firm is suing three partners, who it claims passed business secrets to a rival. They are accused of leaking client secrets to a competitor, as they downloaded swathes of internal data they intended to pass to the other […]
Read More6 December 2024 · Articles, IP Strategy, IP Value, Trade secrets
Risk To Bank Trade Secrets With Employee Mobility Everyone can move jobs just not with pockets stuffed with valuable information. ‘Hey I’ve just moved to a new bank and think you might be interested in what we can do for you, especially as ……..you hold a high cash position / or you savings are reaching […]
Read More29 November 2024 · Articles, Brand, IP Strategy, Trademark
Some Re-Brands Are Logical To Existing Customers ‘It does what it says on the packet’ Others are ambitious even ‘game changing’, especially when seeking to attract a new target customer. Jeremy Clarkson once described the Jaguar (or jaGuar) driver as flat cap man, and this may well once have been the case. Attention and eyeballs […]
Read More25 November 2024 · Articles, Investors, IP Audit, IP Strategy, IP Value
A Moat Round Your IP Why else would they invest? They need to know that their investment is safe. That the marauding hoards, your competitors even!, cannot get access to your valuable ideas, results, concepts, contents, brands, and yes secrets. You have got this -A list of all your IP, with clear representation of ownership? […]
Read More20 November 2024 · Articles, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Investors, IP Audit, IP Strategy, IP Value, M&A Due Diligence
Easy IP Audit. The Better Way What Got You Here Will Not Get You There Your business evolves, the landscape evolves, the law evolves, your strategy evolves and the economic climate changes. Is Your IP Fit For Purpose? As your business evolves so your IP needs to evolve as well. Investors assess IP protection, ownership, […]
Read More13 November 2024 · Articles, Innovation, Investors, IP Culture, IP Education, IP Strategy, IP Value, Patents, Trade secrets
I once worked with a small business where they had spent $1m on patent filings for a particular invention. The business pivoted away from the invention but it was assumed that there would be 5X return on cost spend through sale or licensing of the patents. Sadly there was no value in the patents. Another […]
Read More8 November 2024 · Articles, Brand, Influencer, IP Education, IP Strategy, IP Value, Social Media, Trademark
Why Portakabin is Entitled to Fight its Trademark Battle I was very pleased to be quoted in Friday’s The Times. A brilliant article by Harry Wallop demonstrating the importance of defending brand value and reputation using registered trademark rights. The importance of careful selection and management, also surveillance, throughout the life of the brand to […]
Read More22 October 2024 · Articles, Brand, IP Strategy, Trademark
What can you do when Big Co decides they like your name? In 2021 there were 750 companies registered at UK Companies House with Meta in their name. Did Facebook care when they changed their name to Meta? Well they cared enough to spend $60m buying up the trademark assets of U.S. regional bank Meta […]
Read More3 October 2024 · IP Strategy, Knowledge, Trade secrets
Most business have substantial ‘banks’ of knowledge but generally do very little about capturing it; so that when it leaves, is stolen, fades away, or burns, it is lost. Data, expertise, customer insights, profitability information, research results, algorithms business methods, software development capability, production techniques, design skills.etc. are all potentially very valuable. Identifying and protecting […]
Read More