Don't Fail to Protect Your Bright Ideas - Consult a Specialist UK IP lawyer - By: Tim Bishop

Bright ideas which change the world are centuries old, just remember Archimedes in his bath! However protecting these ideas against infringement is a relatively new concept. It took until the 19th century for the phrase 'intellectual property' to be adopted. However legal copyright and patenting have actually been around since 1710 and 1623 respectively.

The concept of intellectual property law is to enable an individual to create something and reap the benefits from this creation, this therefore encourages others to develop new ideas. Intellectual property conceptually can include so many things ranging from art work, designs, literature, phrases, software, hardware, photographs, sound combinations and visual recordings - called "creations of the mind".

According to one economic study, intangible assets account for around two thirds of the value of big companies in the Western economies, underlining the importance of protecting those assets against being copied, stolen or lost. The importance of protecting individual ideas was first acknowledged in 1967 when the World Intellectual Property Organisation was created as an agency between nations.

Intellectual property rights are generally only conferred on "non-rival goods" - that is, something which many people can access at the same time such a literature and music. "Rival goods" however can only be utilised by one person at any one time - think of shirt, for example.

There are numerous ways in which intellectual property can be legally protected, these include copyright, trade marking and patenting. But for anyone developing new ideas or products, it is vital to consider from the outset how you can protect your work. Even those who you work with on a project could potentially copy your developments, and so a first stage consideration should be the establishment of non-disclosure agreements and confidentiality agreements.

Attempting to protect your UK intellectual property rights will require the help and services of a specialised intellectual property adv. Only by employing a suitably qualified UK IP lawyer will it be possible to obtain effective protection under the law, taking account of the latest twists and turns in the world of intellectual property case law. Whilst we live in a world of instant communication, ideas can be passed around quicker than we can ever imagine, because of this it has become more crucial to take early steps to protect these ideas.

About the Author

If you want a specialist IP lawyer then contact Bonallack & Bishop Solicitors today. They are a firm with experienced on UK Intellectual Property Rights. Tim Bishop is senior partner at the firm, responsible for all major strategic decisions. He has grown the firm by 1000% in 13 years and sees himself as a businessman who owns a law firm.

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