Mar 6, 2024

Actions like trademarking a colour or piece of music are not for every type of business.

They’re difficult to achieve. You can’t just apply to register them like you do with a name or logo. Instead, you need to first become known throug...

Mar 4, 2024

Monzo’s ‘hot coral’ coloured bankcards are so strikingly different in the staid world of banking, that I’m sure they get some customers purely because of their cards!

It can be very powerful for a company to have a colour that is synony...

Feb 28, 2024

Robert Kiyosaki of Rich Dad, Poor Dad fame explains in this short 1.23 minute video that his biggest money maker is intellectual property.

A book that he writes requires zero investment. He sells the manuscript to a publisher and gets ...

Feb 26, 2024

To better understand IP rights consider that they’re separate to physical objects.

Intellectual property rights are copyright, trademarks, patents, designs and confidential information or trade secrets. They protect creations, such as ...

Feb 23, 2024

Some people were concerned to learn from my article An Expensive Lesson in Trademark Law that trademark registrations can be cancelled. It made for a sense of insecurity because what if their own registrations rest on shaky foundations?...

Feb 21, 2024

To understand why intellectual property is important in marketing consider that marketing is about helping ideas to stand out and spread.

Its objective is to attract an audience to a company’s products or services. They should perceive...

Feb 19, 2024

There are lessons from the recent BBC report about a chicken shop owner in Manchester who lost a trademark dispute against Tesla. 

Mr Ali trademarked the name ‘Tesla Chicken & Pizza’ in 2020. So in 2021 the IPO notified him that Tesla ...

Feb 14, 2024

Chocolate is a popular gift on Valentine’s day.

Did you know Cadburys was the first company to package “eating chocolates” as Valentine’s day gifts in the 1860s?

It missed the opportunity to manage competition by applying to patent or...

Feb 12, 2024

Today, I’ll let you in on a mistake I made early on in my business. It highlights an overlooked aspect of trademarks to be aware of.

When I started my law firm I hadn’t worked in private practice since qualifying as a solicitor. The pr...

Feb 7, 2024

The way to secure the .com of a name you’re choosing, is to have a good process. 

You want to keep a record of names you consider and shortlist. Otherwise, you'll get frustrated with the whole exercise.

Ensure a .com of a name that was...

Feb 5, 2024

The BBC reported on a case where Louis Vuitton opposed an application to register LV Bespoke.   

The case led to discussions on social media effectively arguing that famous brands that challenge a small business' use of a similar name a...

Feb 2, 2024

What is your ultimate aspiration in business? How will you achieve those aims? And how do you know when to act on information you glean on social media or via podcasts, or books?  

People have assumptions around trademarks and names whi...